El Rincon de Abi — Hotel in Las Terrenas

I'm a bit late to review this place, but better late than never. We stayed here for 4 nights with our 4 year old and opted from the small hut with AC, TV etc. It was pricer than the other accomodation but worth it. We had an amazing stay and the hosts were so pleasant to deal with - friendly and helpful.||||ROOM:||Our room was comfortable, AC was strong, great wifi, good selection of channels for our son, most of all -clean. Room was situated in the back so it was nice and quiet. I liked how we had a rack in front of the house to dry wet clothes.||||SURROUNDS:||Loved the decor overall, esp the Lego board where our son had great time playing. Pool was clean and open until late, the perfect spot to cool down from a day of sight-seeing. It was always empty so our son enjoyed all the space! Didn't use the jacuzzi probably next time. Nice landscaping and path and lush greenery that added to the ambiance.||||KITCHEN||We liked that there was a kitchen on site to cook our meals and store our food in the fridge! We prefer to make meals esp for the little one and this was a great option. One of the reasons we chose this place! However, breakfast was included. It was simple but we can't complain, we are grateful for any food provided. We mostly ate the eggs and fruit and our son had the cereal. ||||LOCATION||We liked how the location was not too far from the main road. Less noise and away from the bustle. You do have to have down a dirt road which makes the place seem more local but in the dark, you may need a torch. We didn't need it but some may. Nevertheless, we were happy with the location and felt safe in the hotel and in the area in general.||||I'm not sure why so many negative reviews, we had a great time. Would recommend it to other backpackers or independent travellers. Catherine was fantastic to deal with. I think if you are looking for full luxury, perhaps a resort is needed. However, for us, this was the perfect oasis away from home. Would come back...

I have to agree with the negative reviews posted here. Read the churlish, defensive and insulting responses the owners have posted to each of the negative reviews. Also read their responses on booking dot com. They'd be considered hilarious if they were purely for entertainment purposes. But, alas, they are dead serious and very unfunny. ||||These responses are emblematic of the owners' attitude towards their guests and the hotel they run. They expect you to be suitably grateful for letting you stay in their hotel. They actually had the gall to tell one critical reviewer that she's too young to understand the hospitality industry even though she works in it. What a haughty couple they are! I'll take the Soup Nazi any day. (For those who don't understand this, it's a reference to a character on the TV show Seinfeld.)||||This is an overpriced place. I agree with the previous reviewer who made this point. It's barely better than a hostel. In fact, I think I've stayed in hostels where I've felt more welcome and better about my decision. Rooms are barebones. Breakfast might as well not be served: not only because of what they serve, but also the narrow window of 8-10am when it's served. WiFi is terrible. A lot of people have reported that after the initial online booking, it's cash-only. I witnessed this myself with other guests who wanted to extend their stays. And no receipts were given. I wonder if that's a way for the owners to avoid reporting their true income when it comes to tax time. ||||The only good thing I can say about this hotel is that it's a very short walk from the beach and the...

I realize that being a hotel-owner is hard work. This is their livelihood. But at the same time, it is important to be honest, yet responsible, with one's review. Overall, I have to say I was disappointed and wouldn't return here. More below...||||The rooms are very basic. For the price I was disappointed with what it had on offer. We're not asking for luxury, but normal comforts missing: windows that don't close, no AC, towels like you'd get when you visit family, one small bar of soap and nothing else, water pressure and temperature on the weak and unpredictable side, cheap bedding, covers, uneven flooring, etc. The breakfast is very basic as well: sliced packaged bread, coffee, bananas and eggs. It was very noisy at night with music from bars and God-knows what else outside the property. We traveled as a couple and neither of us could sleep well. Being able to close the windows properly would have helped, but in the event, that was not to be.||||(As an aside, the owners are very French. That's both a positive and a negative. They're polite. But in a country where people are warm, there was a complete, noticeable absence of warmth in them. Yes, I'm making a rather gratuitous personal comment, but the contrast between the native population and the French immigrant population in Las Terrenas is clearly evident in the way they interact with each other and visitors. They would do well to adopt some of the native warmth.)||||I suppose we'd expected much more based on the other reviews here. If it had been cheaper and had the previous reviews been more modest, it might have met our...