Reviewers Rating: 
Great
Occidental Flamenco Beach Resort (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) During the week of: March 28 –April 4, 2002
Our Expectations:
· We have been to other Caribbean resorts, so we knew not to set our expectation too high to avoid frustration or disappointment
General Information of Puerto Plata:
· Weather – during our stay, the weather was very nice with occasional overcast and slight rain shower at night or very early morning. When there was thunderstorm activity at Florida, the beach became very windy.
· Puerto Plata downtown – We saw people going through the garbage along the coastline. We got the impression that people are not very well off. Downtown is small and is not very commercialized.
· Driving - Take your own risk, crazy drivers everywhere with very narrow streets.
· Easter Weekend – The hotel was totally jam packed with local people during the first three days of our stay, the hotel staffs had a hard time keeping up with the chaos. Neither floating devices nor motorized water sports were allowed during that weekend. After their public holiday, the hotel quiet down dramatically. We do not recommend going during that weekend.
The hotel:
· Hotel Room – Most rooms won’t have ocean view, as the beach and the resort is divided by the small woods. We were staying at building 10, 2nd floor corner unit, with an extra window. Our room was rather big and our bathroom was huge. The bed was very comfortable. The in-room safe cost US$17 / week, but was well worth it, you could set it up with your own combination pass-code and no need to worry about carrying the key to the beach. We had small trouble locking our balcony door. The hot or cold-water pressure was very good, with one time exception that my husband was unable to get hot water as all other residents were fighting for hot water just before dinner. TV remote control can be checked out from the front desk.
· Courtesy Room – As our flight was leaving at 9:40pm, and check out time was 1:00pm. We asked for a courtesy room to have a quick shower and change before our departure. That room is in building 7, ground floor. A much smaller room with small bathroom, AC was not working.
· Cleanliness – public area is generally rather clean. They maintenance staffs mop our room floor daily. Our room has some ants.
· Facility – Long distance calling is most convenient via the hotel switchboard. It cost about 17 pesos per minute to call to Canada. Currency exchange rate is best at the Western Union in the plaza. The rate in the hotel is not as competitive. The swimming pool is very nice.
· Maintenance – the maintenance staffs were painting the exterior walls & watering the lawn. The room interior was reasonable in our room. We have heard other hotel guest complained about their roof was leaking on the 3rd floor. After they were moved to another room, the air conditioning was not working.
· The Beach - Very fine and sandy, the water is very clam. Perfect for children. The beach chairs provided by the hotel are very comfortable. They have a beach bar to supply drinks and lunch. This beach bar double as disco at night and is for the hotel guests only, drinks are extra therefore it is not busy at all.
· Food –
o The main restaurant is buffet style, has different main course daily. The quality of food is pretty good. The only problem is birds like to fly around the restaurant.
o We love the La Fontana pizza at the terrace. They serve very thin crust pizza.
o We didn’t really like the Mexican dinner, as it took too long to get our food.
o My husband really enjoyed the beef steak in the Les Reses Steak House, I love the Grilled Seafood
o The Italian restaurant was average
o As we booked our package with Sunquest, we didn’t need to pay the additional US$25 to visit another fancy restaurant. We were given with a set menu that is different than those who paid. It was a beautiful restaurant, but we have to admit we have much better romantic dinner before. We have not seen the bottom of our wine glasses since we first sat down. We laugh our heads off when we finally saw how small those beefsteaks were. It was especially funny as my husband said the waiter forgot to provide bring us microscope.
Activities:
· Massage – US$20 for half hour. US$25 for the whole hour. My husband tried it and said they did a really good job.
· Fun Club – they have a lot of games for the children
· Night Shows – Not the best I’ve seen, but they tried very hard
Conclusion:
· Very good value for what we paid for, just don’t expect super high class vacation
· Very family oriented resort
· Loud nightly shows
· Don’t miss the BBQ on Wednesday night
· Try the sugar cane drinks if they serve it
· Staffs are very friendly
· Not a five star, only four
· Has the best beach in that area
May & Rob
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