Reviewers Rating: 
Fair
After a long summer of work and stress, two college friends travelled to the Dominican Republic in late August 2002 for a much needed vacataion. We stayed at the Sol de Plata in Punta Cana. Here is our honest review:The Good: The beach was soft and sandy white with "huts" a-plenty for shade available. The ocean was glorious: calm, clean, and a clear turquiose. Our room had a breathtaking view of the above mentioned.
The massages at the resort's spa was the highlight of our stay. They offered a wide array of treatments for what these New Yorkers consider to be a bargain (about $40 U.S.) and were absolutely decadent!!
The three resaturants were quaint, intimate and sweetly decorated. The food served was a considerable step up from the buffet. Unfortunaltely, you are only allowed to dine at these restaurants once each, so we reccomend making your reservations for every other day to give yourself something special to look forward to during your stay.
Additionally, all the guest services clientele were happy to help out with any questions or concerns.
The Bad: Sadly, most everything else about this resort left a lot to be desired. The rooms were tiny with very little closet and drawer space. The maid service is fine when they finally come to your room. Often, we arrived back from the beach at 4:30 pm and the room still had not been attended to. And getting towels was a full time occupation!
The buffet where most of your meals are taken was filled with a wide array of foods, but it seemed as if the food was recycled from day to day.
When we first read about this all-inclusive resort, top shelf liquors and beers were advertised. This was not the case. If you are picky about your alcohol and would like "Absolut" (for example), it was available, but for a price. You had only one beer to choose from (on tap) and this was the D.R.'s local brew. Other imported or domestic bottled beers could be purchased for a hefty price at the resort's store. And during our stay the self-serve drink machines were frequesntly out of order and you were offered "flat" soda. Bottled water was only available at the bars and not in the restaurants or buffet areas.
Brush up on your Spanish because very little English is spoken by the clientele other than those that worked at the reception and guest services desks.
The Ugly: The most frustrating part of our stay was trying to get in touch with our tour representative. Unfortunately, we wasted a total of six hours over five days waiting for this person who ultimately never showed. We had an emergency at home that required us to cut our vacation short by two days and were unable to book a return flight through our representative. Thankfully, the hotel staff was quite accommodating and we thank them whole-heartedly for arranging our hasty departure.
A quick note: This is indeed a family resort. If you are single and looking to meet other singles, they were short in supply. Try to book your stay from Sunday to Saturday if you can. Many of the locals flood the place on the weekends and the resort appears to break down from the over-flow. During the weekdays, it is calm, quiet and a very realxing environment.
Stephanie & Pamela
NYC
Stephanie & Pam
Books & Guides
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