Hotel Casinos

NJGirl · #1 06-12-2006, 02:48 PM

Interested in finding out what hotels have casinos?
ALSO...Which hotel would you recommend? Romantic, great beach, great food and of course would prefer a casino or one that is close to a casino.

Thanks so much!

DavidZ · #2 06-13-2006, 01:56 PM

What part of the DR are you referring to?

MikeFisher · #3 06-14-2006, 11:30 AM

if you visit the east coast known as Punta Cana, in the areas Punta Cana, Cabeza de Toro, Bavaro, Cortecito and Macao a lot of hotels have their own casino, from all others you'll get transportation, mostly free, just check for info in the lobby area of your hotel or with the guest service, there's casino promotion all over. i just don't know about the hotels in the area named Uvero Alto (mostly sold as Punta Cana too), that area is 1 hr drive north of the real punta cana/bavaro area, hotels named Secrets excellence, Sirenis and Ivory.
good luck
Mike

NJGirl · #4 06-14-2006, 02:37 PM

Thanks! Looking for hotels in Punta Cana that have a casino on site of the property or next door.

MikeFisher · #5 06-14-2006, 03:18 PM

in the cabeza`de toro area the hotel with it's casino is named Catalonia Resort.
here in the Bavaro/Punta Cana area the hotels with Casino on their own property are Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort, Paradisus Palma Real, Melia Tropical, Melia Caribe, Carabela Beach Resort & Casino, Bavaro Princess Hotel, Riu Resort.
have fun and win a lot
Mike

NJGirl · #6 06-14-2006, 03:22 PM

Thanks Mike. Of the ones you mention. which hotels would you recommend? If it is easier you can rank them. Looking for great beach, good food.

MikeFisher · #7 06-14-2006, 03:46 PM

the Bavaro Beach Resort, Paradisus Palma Real, Melia Caribe and Melia Tropical are side by side located on the most beautiful beach of punta cana, the so named Playa Bavaro, quiet water because the reef protects more than at the hotels located more north.
from the service at this moment i would recommend the Paradisus Palma Real.
all those above mentioned hotels are in big resorts, the Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort has 5 Hotels, the Paradisus and the two Melia's are located right beside together in the Melia Resort.
if you like it more quiet, more familiar, i would recommend the smaller Carabela Beach Resort & Casino.
Mike

rellosk · #8 06-14-2006, 05:00 PM

I'm not sure why a NJGirl would want to visit a casino while on a Caribbean vacation, but in case you haven't been to a casino in the DR, let me mention a few things.

Casinos in the DR are much smaller than those in NJ. The biggest ones have about 10-12 BJ tables, 4-6 other (Caribbean poker, etc) tables, 1-2 crap tables, 2 roulette wheels, lots of slots, and a poker table.

Some also offer progressive Keno. STAY AWAY FROM THAT GAME. There are many stories (search DR1 for Keno) of patrons losing tens of thousands of dollars (charged to their credit cards) on this game. DO NOT BE FOOLED by the lure of the free play.

Each casino sets their own rules. Some casinos are have competitive rules, some have rip-off rules.

Have fun!

NJGirl · #9 06-21-2006, 01:34 PM

Rellosk-
Seems you have some incite...can you share more info as to whcih casinos are legitimate and which ones to stay away from.

HOWMAR · #10 06-21-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJGirl

Rellosk-
Seems you have some incite...can you share more info as to whcih casinos are legitimate and which ones to stay away from.

I live on the North Coast, but some of these tips you can apply to the entire island.

Most (if not all) of the hotel casinos are outsourced to entities not owned by the hotel itself. That being said, any problems that arise will not be addressed by hotel management unless you are a guest at that hotel. Even then, they usually don't want to get involved.
Any casino that offers any of the "Progressive Games" such as Progressive Keno, Progressive Black Jack, Progressive Roulette, should be considered suspect as these games are scams and meant to sucker the customer into losses beyond their means.
Get to the Casino at opening hour. They should display all the cards at a Black Jack table before initially going into the shoe. Many casinos are known to remove a number of aces and face cards to give them an added advantage. (Paradise Casino in Playa Dorada is notorious for this and refuses to display the cards before starting the game).
If playing poker, insist that only English be spoken at the table. Look for colusion between local players and the dealer.

These are just a few tips.
Of the couple dozen casinos in the DR that I have played in over the years, the only one that I feel is totally above reproach is The American Casino at Jack Tar Village in Puerto Plata.