Casa Marina Beach and Reef — Hotel in La Hispaniola

Unless you live in a place where nightmares are made I definitely 1000% DO NOT RECOMMEND COMING!!! Run for the hills far far away!!! We flew here with WestJet our tour operator, they’re awesome, we upgraded to plus and slept wonderfully. Our experience at the airport was wonderful, staff and bus was great too.... that’s where it ended. We went to our room upon arrival... it was dirty, smelled awful like sewer or something, the bathroom ceiling was falling in, black mould was about a foot up the wall in some areas, a discolouration on the floor peeking out under bed that looked like blood, power wouldn’t stay on, and tub wouldn’t drain after we showered, oh and there was a spit mark of old toothpaste on the tap. We were horrified, decided we needed to make the best of it, went to the pool, within 5mins we were approached by multiple sales people, a guy carrying a monkey didn’t even ask if I wanted to touch it, which I didn’t, put the monkey on me, I put my hands up which then the monkey freakn bit me!!! The large pool was dirty, it looked nothing like photos. After I got the bite I went back to our room to which another sales person followed and I kept saying no, as I fled with my children. I got back to the room and broke into tears. That’s when I decided to take photos and send them to my travel agent. We decided to go to ocean since the reefs where in large why I wanted to stay there..... at the coco bar I asked for a drink, the man rubbed his fingers together as if to ask for money, I was in my bikini and didn’t bring money I explained, to which he pulled my drink away, I laughed and said I’ll come back later, he then pulled my drink completely away, so I walked away. Back at the room my kids were board - since there was no kids club unlike advertised 🤬 and we were hungry, we decided to try the restaurant and ugh it was like slop, gross disgusting and no taste. I cried yet again.... when we got back to the room and got the kids settled I got a knock at my door, it was the housekeeping staff. They received my complaint via our travel agent and WestJet. They came in and I showed them everything. They didn’t say much then left. About an hour later my kids were fast asleep, the phone rang, the front office wanted us up there immediately. So my mom and I got dressed and left the kids sleeping since the door was locked. At the office we were told we had to go in this room, I asked why? He said in broken English yes just go sit, then shut the door behind us (I’m sorry but I wouldn’t expect anyone anywhere visiting any country to feel ok with this, my heart sunk).... about 5 mins later the admin guy came in and called the manager and handed us the phone. We spoke to the manager who agreed to move us rooms, so we headed back down to our room to pack up... when we got back our door was wide open and there was staff everywhere with my children passed out!!!! We didn’t say that was ok and the smell from the cleaners was intoxicating!!! I woke them up and told them we were moving to a new room but that they needed to go outside cause my youngest has quite bad asthma and with the smell of cleaners so strong it wasn’t safe. Our second room was at least clean but still nothing like photos we seen. Again I broke down crying and so did my mom.... this was just awful I felt like we were in a really bad nightmare and I just wanted to go home. Thankfully we had an amazing travel rep. The next day she had us moved thankfully but not without west jet saying we had to pay 531$!!! We got that down to 321$ cause I felt since we were told it was a 4 star hotel we shouldn’t have received a barely 2 star. They’ve since credited us 400$ but I will be fighting for more. We lost a day and a half and were in a nightmare...

READ BEFORE BOOKING**

I just came back from a 7 days vacation to casa marina reef resort with my family, honestly I will NEVER go back and I would've never booked this place if I would've known what i am about to write or if i was traveling alone or with friends.

1- cockroaches in the bedroom, im not even kidding.

2- NO FREE WI-FI, you have to pay a fee to get some, I paid for the 7 days which came up to USD 27$. I paid it because of how boring and dead the resort is at night or even during the day (fortunatly I found some outside activities to do) the wifi is not working in the bedroom...you have to be outside the hotel room if you want to access it, or if youre lucky enough you might be able to get it from your balcony......

3- The locals have access to the resort from friday to sunday it gets VERY NOISY AND CHAOTIC, kids everywhere... theres also a huge line up at the restaurant/buffet beacause of them. I really hated it.

4- The beach is not private...so you have to pay for your parasol. And if you are looking for white sand clear water...forget it. Not the best beach.

5- they make you think the "restaurant booking" are some serious or special meals, it's in fact recycled food from previous meals.

6- If you want some night entertainement or night life... there's none, theres a "club" on the resort which is always empty except from friday to sunday because of the locals...and it might not be a good idea to go on those night. The dance shows are not really entertaining.

7- the cocktails are a mix of some kind of pre maid juice and alcohol, no real fruits involved, in plastic cups. Made me sick. No real fresh juice.

8- If you enjoy working out while on vacay...forget it no gym.

9- the room cleaning service consist only of : making your bed and brooming the floors. They dont wash the bath tub or toilet. They also dont change the sheets, trust me I noticed.

10- Dirty bathroom with falling ceiling, no water pressure and clogged drain in the bath tub.

11- loosing electricity every now an then.

12- you have to rent the safe box (never saw that in my life in a all inclusive resort)

13- the food made me SICK to this day ( came back last friday) and I tasted better nothing special.

14- no night swim.

We did ask for an upgraded room but nothing was done.

So if you are young (in your 20s, 30s), you like your confort (not talkin about luxury here) and you like to have fun with people your age....DO NOT BOOK it's not for us. It's a family resort.

If you are older and you like your confort and YOUR PEACE... DO NOT BOOK.

If you really have to book or you did already...try to get the upgraded rooms which looked alot cleaner and renovated. The resort itself is beautiful and has alot of potential, try to find some activities outside of the resort. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE WHO TRIES TO BRING YOU TO VISIT OTHER HOTELS (5 STARS) OUTSIDE THE RESORT SAYING "YOU COULD EAT FOR FREE AND ENJOY A DAY IN A 5 STAR HOTEL".ONCE YOU GET THERE THEY WIILL TRY TO SELL YOU A BUNCH OF MEMBERSHIPS YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR WHOLE DAY!!!

I am gonna stop here but im sure i could go on.... please dont book.

Some Pros: At least we enjoyed our time as a family if you can go to isla paraiso it was amazing. The staff is so sweet, the dancers are kind and fun to hang with. The hotel is located in sosua town, so very easy to get out of the resort and enjoy the city, stores, people and other beaches.

I am aware this is a 3 star hotel but ive seen cleaner and classier motels....the resort does not respect people at this point im very...

I recently spent 6 days at Casa Marina Beach and Reef in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and it was a fun, safe, and vibrant experience with just a few minor bumps along the way. I was initially worried after reading some reviews, but honestly, my trip turned out to be amazing, and I’m definitely planning to return. That said, you can’t expect luxury at a 3-star resort, but in my opinion, it’s worth much more than what you pay for. We booked through Air Transat, and the process was smooth—from the 15‑minute shuttle ride (with air conditioning all the way) to arriving at the resort. Although our check-in took a few hours (a waiting area was available so we could explore or swim while our room was being prepared), the friendly staff helped with our luggage and made us feel welcome.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised. While the room decor was standard and not overly modern, the bed was very comfy, and daily housekeeping (even if a bit later in the day) kept everything clean and refreshed (water bottles, coca cola bottles, small shampoo and conditioner that was renewed, and towels). The resort itself is gorgeous, with multiple pools and two beautiful beaches (one public and one private). The buffet was impressive and I found it delicious for a 3‑star property, offering a mix of great food, and the view was fantastic. Plus, I didn’t get a single mosquito bite during my entire trip!

The vibe throughout the resort was very lively and social. We enjoyed pool activities during the day, a theater show at 9:30 PM, and even a disco from 11 PM to 1 AM—just be sure to eat and fill up your water bottle before 1 AM, as everything closes after that. I also took a fun day trip to the city with some friends, booking a private Uber (around $40 for our group), which turned out to be a great way to explore the local umbrella street and pink wall, as well as to do some souvenir shopping. I enjoyed staying at the beach, the water was so refreshing and the ocean is very clean. If you're a girl you might receive a lot of compliments from locals but they are nice and never bother. You can say thank you and smile and they leave you alone. It s just beautiful to see how people are happy there and singing and dancing all the time.

There were a few downsides: • The Wi-Fi isn’t free, but it works fine if you’re willing to pay. • There’s no in-room safe, so I used a lock for my bag. • On our last day, I experienced an issue with the shower—only boiling hot water came out, and the cold water didn’t work. Although I managed to shower, the problem wasn’t resolved quickly, so hope you don’t run into the same issue. • The resort has three à la carte restaurants that require reservations a day in advance; I only tried the seafood option, which was just okay, but since it’s free to try, it’s still worth a shot.

A few tips for future guests: • Buy a local SIM card for better connectivity. • Use a lock for your belongings. • Fill up on water during the day. • If you need an umbrella on the beach, reserve one early (around 8:50 AM) to secure a free one. • Always watch your drinks in the disco—never leave them unattended. • If you plan to venture outside the resort, book an Uber (and don’t be afraid to negotiate the price), and avoid walking alone at night if you’re a solo female traveler.

Despite a few minor issues, I truly enjoyed my stay and would return. The resort offers great value, a lively atmosphere, and plenty of opportunities to relax, have fun, and meet new people—all set against a beautiful...