Firstly this is not a bad review its a completely honest account of the holiday we experienced and i am hoping it will help give others an insight.

This was the second time we had been to the island as we loved the people so much so first and foremost any previous reviews about the people or staff being miserable are in my opinion inaccurate.

On arrival at the hotel we were greeted with a cold drink and a smiling face which was appreciated after almost a 9 hr flight. The porter took our luggage and never pressured for a tip like in some countries which was refreshing so when we did give a tip he seemed genuinely grateful.

The room was as previously stated very basic but comfortable with sattelite tv with a number of english channels including bbc america which has a number of english programs (gordan ramseys kitchen nightmares even!)

The bathroom was clean and tidy and air conditioning good and for us the room was a base to change and sleep so was adequate.

If there is anything wrong in your room (for example we needed a new bulb on balcony light) the staff never took very long at all to come and sort it

There are three pools between the casa marina reef and beach hotels and although there is a tiny one the other two are big and plenty of sunbeds! UNLESS its a weekend!!!! the pool at the reef side is the busiest so we found the beach side much quieter

The locals do descend upon the place at the weekends and it is chaotic ! They are loud around the pool and generally just came and took the kids inflatables without asking and they naturally come in huge families so its virtually impossible to sit down in the resturants at mealtimes.

Having said that, it is we who are the visiters to their country and they pay their money just as we do so they are entitled to be there but its something to bear in mind if you are planning a quiet romantic getaway!

The hotel has three a la carte resaurants the italian which is the absolute best! the food is great ad staff are friendly and even laid on balloons and cake and the whole restaurant sang happy birthday on my daughters 3rd birthday!

The Mexican which other members from our party went to and enjoyed!

and the seafood restaurant which although we were let down by slightly, having a 3 yr old is probably limiting the menu a bit .

The chicken is nice and they do have a cash menu which the food looked lovely from!

You get given vouchers to eat in the a la carte restaurants but you have to book in advance like the day before

We found this to be the best idea at weekends to avoid the chaos in the main buffet when the locals arrived x so if you are clever you can avoid the busiest times and have more of a stress free time .

There is a small games area which has three pool tables and a table football game and also table tennis! They also have a kiosk where you can get board games or card, books etc which are free of charch but youo sign in and out! Good if you get the odd tropical shower so you dont get bored.

Talking of things to do there is plenty of trips and I would highly reccomend the outback safari! We took our litle girl and although the truck was quite bumpy it was perfectly safe and you feel you are in good hands with the tour guides.

The safari consists of visiting a plantation in the countryside or the country around 20mins drive from the hotel where yuo get to see cocoa turned into chocolate whic you get to taste and coffee beans into cofee which youo can buy also. you also see a typical dominican home and meet children from the school! lunch is also included and a river boat trip and even get chance to hold a baby alligator! definately worth it and the toddlers go free and under 12yrs is half price

The other trip which you cannott miss is the ocean world . You get to swim with or encounter the dolphins which is a truly unforgettable experience which is worth ever penny of the $155 (around £75per adult half price for kids) this includes entrance to the park were youo see tropical birds that youo can actually touch - a lovebirds avery where they put seeed in your hand and the birds fly down to you. a tiger grotto where youo can swim up to a glassed tiger enclosure

Sea lions (youo can also do the encounter which is slightly cheaper than the dolphins)

Entrance also includes all the animal shows and a snorkel in the tropical fish reef. Its a great day and we loved everyminute.

The town of sosua itself was quite safe to walk around outside the hotel. there isnt masses but the supermarket is only a short walk and cheaper than the hotel shop if you want snacks etc

The hotel has a jewish museum next door also which is small but interesting and worth the 75 pesos each which is about £1.

My biggest downside to the hotel is the extreme noise of the hallways especially late at night! the whole place echos and at the weekends echoing hallways and oud loca and tourits at 3am is not great!

We had a huge fight going on outside our room which had the whole flor awake and police where called.

The entertainment was good and the shows wer wel put together although they started at 9.45pm and there is nothing to do other than that at night! Everything is situated away from each other and there was no where to just sit and have a drink unless you sat in the dark by the beach where the only bars were.

ON THE WHOLE

The casa marina reef is definately not one of my favourite hotels but its not the worst either! For a 3* its ok and if you are after a budget holiday to get a good tan and go on lots of trips this is for you

For a family holiday with maybe a bit of luxury, relaxation and rest this is not the best hotel!

The dominican republic is amazing and if you can afford to spend a little bit extra on a smaler quiter hotel i would reccommend it! The last time we went we stayed at one of the RUI hotels in Bahia Maimon and they are worlds apart x

My advice is to stay in playa dorada it is the best!

Please dont let this review put you off if you have already booked because if youo have then you wont be disappointed for the money! its good value but dont expect the ritz! It is after all still a developing country! and they will do the utmost to make youo feel welcome.

This is a lovely hotel excellent rooms, very family orientated though. The sister resort Casa marina beach was also very nice.

A great selection of food and drink was always on offer, alot of choice and alway a lot of space in the dining hall. Not much to do after dinner though...the staff used to put on nightly shows, mainly for the kids, but after that it was "well what shall we do now?" The all inclusive bar stopped at 11 oclock and the nightclub on site was not that cheap and closed pretty early aswell.

The pool was not very clean and when we stayed a caretaker was painting the tiles with acid and everyone kept coming out the pool looking the same colour as shrek, and this then destroyed peoples costumes. Also whilst we were there, there was a massive outbreak of a virus which resulted in 27 being on drips around the hotel!!

for the money that we paid for this holiday i fell that there are much nicer parts of the caribbean with better hotels

Just returned this morning from spending 2 weeks at the Casa Marina Reef so thought I would submit my review whilst everything is still fresh in my mind.

Travelled with my wife, we booked via Thomas Cook and prebooked Exit Seats on the plane. To be honest this was a waste of money (£200) as the seats are extremely narrow to allow the Tv screen and tray to fit in the armrest. The control for the TV is situated annoyingly at the inside of the seat at your thigh and this also digs in. Now that Thomas Cook has reconfigured their Airbuses you get additional leg room anyway and from what I saw there would have been adequate legroom space in any of the seats. We found the cabin crew to be very helpful and friendly, the meals were nice (you get 2 meals) and the snack trolley went up and down a couple of times however at 9 hours the flight is a test of patience and will.

Anyway, once landed in Puerto Plata the immigration and baggage recall was straightforward enough, dont forget you have to pay 10 USD to get into the country and 20 USD to get out. There were a number of people infront of us at immigration who didnt know this and had to find a bank to be able to get some Dollars to pay their way in. The tour operators are not allowed in the terminal, but they are waiting for you outside. They will let you know the coach number you need to get on for your hotel. You will get pestered by people offering to take your cases to your resort bus (and then want paying) a firm No Thankyou is all that is needed as the buses are literally a 2 minute walk from the terminal doors.


So, from the airport Casa Marina Reef is approximately 10 minutes away, perfect after such a long flight. Some people on previous reviews have said there was a cool drink waiting for the at reception for checking in, there wasnt when we arrived. Dont know if this was an oversight or whether its just hit and miss, it would have been nice after such a long flight, but to be honest we just wanted to get to our room and start our holiday. You are given a TV remote, 2 beach towel cards and your electronic card key for your room upon checking in along with a handy map of the complex. A porter brought our cases for us and escorted us to our room.

I had emailed the hotel 2 weeks before arriving asking for a ground floor room with access to the pool, we were more than happy therefore to discover our room was exactly what we asked for. All we had to do was open our patio doors and walk about 10 paces and there the pool was along with the sun loungers. Perfect location for us and I was impressed that they had done their best to accomodate our request. The room itself, as others have mentioned is in need of a lick of paint, the bathroom was a bit grubby and the sink was coming away from the wall a little. However it was perfectly functional, there were coathangers provided in the closet and the beds were large and comfortable. Bear in mind the hotel is only a 3 star and anyway for the amount of time you are in your room so long as the bed is ok and you can get some sleep then that is all that matters!

We ate mostly in the buffet restaurant on an evening, all the food and salad is prepared in purified water so anything you eat or drink is safe (including ice), we found the food on offer to be varied. Some nights we were spoilt for choice, others we made do with either pasta, spaghetti or a salad. They do have theme nights, the best ones for us was the Italian, English and Spanish nights, some of the others particulary the Dominican night was awful, but again personal taste will determine if you like it or not. Breakfast was excellent, plenty of choice ranging from simple toast and jam and cornflakes to hot food and a omlette chef who would make up whatever fillings you wanted. At lunch time we either ate in the buffet restaurant or when up to the snack bar where burgers, fries, hotdogs, pizza and fried chicken were on offer. Really nice and simple and the burgers are delicious! There are other restaurants you can go to for your evening meal, we only ate at the Italian one which I thought was tasty, didnt try the others so cant comment on them.

The hotel itself is set in beautiful grounds and on a reef, palm trees, coconut trees and other exotic plants are dotted all round and are stunning to look at, the 3 jacuzzis are set in the reef overlooking the sea and there are iron benches and hammocks around to sit on. The grass areas are kept tidy and the walkways are hosed down daily. The look of the hotel and its grounds was like paradise and I can easily say this was the most picturesque place I have ever stayed in and loved the scenery.

The Animation team worked hard and always seemed to be playing one game or another, the games in the pool were always fun to watch and the team were always friendly and chatty to us. There are nightime shows from 21.45 in the amphitheatre or sometimes there would be karaoke on. We didnt attend any of the shows as busy doing other things so dont know what they were like.

The bars were well stocked with soft drinks and alcohol, however be careful with their 151 rum, its very strong - 70% proof and the bar staff dont skimp with measures! Try the daily cocktails, they are delicious along with the banana mama, pina colada and other speciality ice and coconut milk drinks. If you are all inclusive, which I think everyone is at the hotel you can get unlimited drinks from 10am to 11pm, be aware that you only get a small glass, but they dont limit you to 1 drink at a time. If you take your own Travel mug the bar staff are happy to fill these up and you can buy one in the hotel shop although they are very expensive. Best idea is to take your own...

The weather for our fortnight was hot hot hot! we had 1 full day when there was a huge thunder storm with torrential rain and lightning, I have never heard anything as loud and it was an experience, but after this 1 day the rest of our stay enjoyed glorious sunshine. Do take high factor sun screen to start you off, the heat is intensive and you will get a tan, we have come home with the best tans we have ever had!. The temperature was consistantly in the 90's especially in the 2nd week and the pool and jacuzzis are gret places to cool off!

So, great weather, good food and drink and beautiful surroundings should have made this holiday 10 out of 10, however there is just 1 thing that let the holiday down and it has been mentioned by other reviewers and that is the locals that are allowed into the hotel from a Friday night to Sunday afternoon. They are loud, rude and have no manners whatsoever. You have to climb over them to get into the pool as they wont move and on an nightime all you can hear is loud voices and screeching from them. From Monday to Friday this place is paradise on earth then it turns into a madhouse. One of the people we met there had a word with our rep and all she said is that its the one thing people complain the most to her about but there is nothing they can do as this is hotel policy to allow them in. It certainly didnt ruin our holiday but for those days it did spoil it for us. So be careful on these days, pick your pool spot wisely and if possible book into one of the restaurants as the are not allowed to use them. We learned this on our second week so at least we were prepared!

Oh, do book the VIP lounge for your return journey at Puerto Plata airport, Its only 25 USD each and you get access to an airconditioned comfortable lounge. You get vouchers for 4 free drinks and there are unlimited sandwiches and crisps available. There were spare drinks vouchers on the tables and you will more than get your moneys worth. This is bookable with the rep and well worth the money.

Be aware also that the sister hotel - Casa Marina Beach - shares the grounds. From the description on Thomas Cook we were expecting both hotels to have their own grounds and boundaries, but they dont. You can use the Beach's facilities and vice versa. Personally we preferred the Reef side as there appeared to be more space and less hectic than the Beach but the fact that its one large complex does give the impression of 1 very large hotel, if you are wanting a more intimate and quieter surroundings then you will struggle here.

I think I have just about covered everything, if you are wanting a relaxing time with good food, weather and beautiful surroundings then this is the place to be. For just over £600 each for 2 weeks all inclusive I found it to be incredible value for money. Personally we wouldnt return to the Dominican Republic only because the flight is far too long and exhausting and so uncomfortable and because of the locals on a Friday - Sunday. Dont let this put you off though, we would recommend the hotel and wouldnt put anyone off wanting to visit. I hope this has helped, if you want any further information please let me know and Ill try and help :)

We traveled to the Dominican Republic on the 8th June with Thomas Cook from Gatwick and had a blast!!

In truth, the only downside to the whole trip was the flight itself. I regret that without exception, the cabin crew were as miserable as sin, everything was an extra charge, no free squash or water offered, everything was too much trouble and on a 9 hour flight those things matter, get a grip Thomas Cook Airlines!!

Now the good stuff.....

We chose the Casa Marina Reef after reading the reviews here and were delighted with our choice particularly for the price. This was my wifes first holiday abroad and she hasnt stopped talking about it since we got home, we have just booked again for September

This is a 3 star resort and it does everything it says on the tin.

The room we had was large, clean, with good aircon, nice balcony with garden view and comfy beds, some reviewers have commented that the place could use a lick of paint here and there and that may be true to a tiny extent, but to be honest, I didn't notice anything that made me pause or look twice so I think that the accommodation is excellent value.

Food wise we stuck to the main Buffet during our visit (though there were a number of speciality restaurants available to us with our little booking vouchers) we were very happy with the buffet and enjoyed their different theme each evening and i particularly enjoyed the breakfasts!! We stayed for two weeks and didn't have a single issue with upset tummy. Unfortunately i am now addicted to banana custard tart!!!! Lunchtimes we snacked at the mexican restaurant by the pool which serves the usual pool food, burgers, pizza, fried chicken, hotdogs etc from 12 till 4 and found that to be fine too.

Excursion wise we took note of comments here and booked trips through William at the tour kiosk by the pool towel exchange. By doing this we saved at least 50% on the prices charged by thomas cook rep and from discussions with those who had gone with the thomas cook trips we found that we had a MUCH better time!!

We both recommend the Paradise Island trip. ($62 thru William) OK, its 2 hours plus on the minibus to get to Puerta Ruscia but our Driver George and the guide Jules were amazing. If there is a question that Jules cant answer thern I would be amazed, hes like Google on legs!! and a cooler full of ice, soft drinks and of course rum along with the fantastic aircon on the brand new bus made the trip fly by
When you get to the beach there is a beach bar to have a couple of quick drinks at (included) and a place to get changed before you board the speedboat for the 20 min trip out to Paradise Island.
Its Amazing
I cant even begin to describe how beautiful it is and there are a billion fish of all shapes and sizes waiting to mug you for a bread roll.
We had drinks, rolls and fresh fruit on the island included in the price and 3 Hours on the island is enough we were knackered from snorkelling. Then its back on the speedboat for a wild ride to the Mangroves and then to the beach bar for a hot buffet lunch and more beverages again included.

Back on the minibus and a stop at the cigar factory on the return trip. What with more rum and cokes on the bus and the Mumba Wamba samples at the cigar factory - its a aphrodisiac drink - the trip back seemed like 25 minutes.

I went on the deep sea fishing trip too but unless you have a VERY strong stomach and probably work on a north sea trawler I wouldn't recommend it. 4 hours trying not to be sea sick is a LONG time even though the boat was a good size and the crew excellent and friendly I dont think any of us on the boat, 8 of us, would do it again its just too rough.

In conclusion, we had a fantastic time, the staff at the hotel are brilliant, hard working and make the visit special.

PLEASE TIP - a little and often, we left 100 dominican, about £1.50 every other day for the maid, 50 dominican about 75p at each meal and a dollar, 50p twice a day for the girl at the pool/jacuzzi bar, its a pittance I know but some didnt bother at all and you would have thought it was a fortune to those who received it. These guys make about 50 dollars a week in wages so leave them something, they are worth it.

Drink loads of water, at least a couple of liters a day, there are coolers of drinking water in the accommodation blocks for you to refill your bottles. Use a Minimum of Factor 30 sunscreen and a good aftersun cream too, with the breeze you cant really tell just how hot it is, we had 4 days of 97 degrees and the rest in the mid 80s and this was supposed to be the rainy season!

Like I said, we are going back in September and would recommend this hotel highly