June vacation

[HDCarl]

I know it's four months away, but I just bought our airline tickets and planning our June vacation now will help me stay sane in the interim.

I need some input/opinions on my plan and choice of hotels. My wife and I are flying into Santo Domingo June 17 and planning to rent a car. The plan hotel wise is 1 night at Zapata in Boca Chica, 3 nights at "Hotel Tropical Lodge" in Samana, 3 nights at "El Marinque" in Las Galeras, 3 nights at "Hotel Kanesh Beach" in Las Terrenas, then back to Zapata in B.C. for 1 night before flying home the next morning.

Any input or suggestions on my choices would be appreciated.

I have been to the DR twice before, but just stayed at Casa Coco in Boca Chica both times.

Carl

[marliejaneca]

Hi Carl,
I can't report on the other hotels, but I have stayed at the Tropical Lodge and only for 2 nights. I went for a mini-vacation when I was living in POP. The hotel room was clean and pleasing to the eye, the view from the balcony was fantastic. The owners are French (from France) and everything is done with a French flair. It is a quaint hotel, nice grounds and had friendly staff (at the time). It is close to many restaurants if you choose not to eat at the hotel itself. Be sure to get over to Bacardi Island, it is breathtaking!
Hope this helps a bit.
Enjoy your trip,
Marlie

[HDCarl]

Much thanks Marlie, that is exactly the sort of info I was looking for.

Carl

[Hillbilly]

You stay somewhere else rather than BC. Like a night of luxury at the Jaragua for instance. Or the nice hotel where the Baseball Posse stayed, the one with a well in the living room...that was beautiful..

HB

[BeisbolPosse]

Originally Posted by HDCarl

I know it's four months away, but I just bought our airline tickets and planning our June vacation now will help me stay sane in the interim.

I need some input/opinions on my plan and choice of hotels. My wife and I are flying into Santo Domingo June 17 and planning to rent a car. The plan hotel wise is 1 night at Zapata in Boca Chica, 3 nights at "Hotel Tropical Lodge" in Samana, 3 nights at "El Marinque" in Las Galeras, 3 nights at "Hotel Kanesh Beach" in Las Terrenas, then back to Zapata in B.C. for 1 night before flying home the next morning.

Any input or suggestions on my choices would be appreciated.



Carl

I can't speak to the resorts because we didn't stay in them. I'd say your choices depend on what you plan to do while you're there.

It sounds as if you're going to be moving around a lot, which means packing and unpacking a lot. We used Santo Domingo as a base and cruised around. It's not a big island, so getting around by car or SUV is easy.

I'm sure the resorts are great, but don't neglect Santo Domingo. There's lots to see, especially in and around the Zona Colonial, and the people are terrific. Hillbilly's recommendation of the Jaragua should be taken seriously; it's pure luxury. And the Palacio, where we stayed, is smaller, much older and has no beach, but is beautiful, extremely clean and friendly.

And yes, my room did have a well in it! The proof, along with the rest of our trip, is on our Website. Feel free to have a look.

http://baseballposse.us/dom2004.html

Have a great time.

The Baseball Posse

[ricktoronto]

Originally Posted by HDCarl

I need some input/opinions on my plan and choice of hotels. My wife and I are flying into Santo Domingo June 17 and planning to rent a car. The plan hotel wise is 1 night at Zapata in Boca Chica, .... then back to Zapata in B.C. for 1 night before flying home the next morning.


I have been to the DR twice before, but just stayed at Casa Coco in Boca Chica both times.

Carl

The Zapata is a family oreinted place down the beach a ways but has no pool. So if you just want the beach it's OK. I think it is overpriced. You might want to try for a day, the Don Juan or Hamaca , even though I eschew AI's for one day each time maybe. For the non-AI's this would be the best family choice I suppose, if being close to the water is key. Very few if any men bringing girls back to the rooms vs. the others.