Villas Palmar Residence — Hotel in Las Terrenas

We stayed at this hotel for three weeks and there were too many challenges to overcome. First, the hotel attracts a lot of no-class individuals particularly on the weekends (every weekend). They come very well-prepared to party by setting up a huge speaker outside of the unit, karaoke machines, and microphones. Staff says nothing about the disturbances.NEVER! What reputable hotels allows this?? Second, this is a small property and there are no pool hours. Screaming adults and children were in the pool as late as ll pm on some occasions. They bring their beer and completely occupy the pool. It's their private oasis and the other guests don't matter. Third, the one-bedroom is advertised as having 1184 square feet. As such, we expect to have the space completely furnished at all times. Half-way through the stay an employee arrived to remove the bed in the loft area which we used as a reading room. We were furious because we paid to have the space furnished. We compromised and allowed the twin beds to be separated and kept one to relax while reading. The bed was taken to another unit and not returned as we requested. Their excuse was that we booked a one bedroom. Our response was we booked a one-bedroom that should be fully furnished during the entire stay. We thought the loft would have some sort of sitting area although the photos on the website "cleverly" does not show the loft. On Booking.com, the one and two bedrooms are advertised as having 1184 sq. ft. and identical designs. When guests in another unit ask for extras beds, they try to take it from a unit where there are fewer occupants. After staying on six continents and in hundreds of hotels personally and professionally, we have not experienced such a lack of business acumen and an unfair practice. Fourth, the credit card machine did not work on our first attempt to pay, but Frank said they would take our balance of $2500 in cash. What? We let him know this was not going to happen because the hotel accepted Visa credit card and that would be our form of payment. He said the machine would be ready in three days which sounded ludicrous. It took us three tries and the third week of our stay before the transaction was completed. Fifth, English is advertised as one of the languages spoken. Communication was poor because none of the staff spoke fluently. Sixth, the furniture is not four-star quality. Sixth, we returned at 6:30 pm one evening and the remaining twin bed in the loft was missing. When we asked why it was taken the excuse was the bed was cleaned while we were away between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. and would be returned. Of course, we did not believe that excuse. Why wait until we were away and more importantly who cleans a bed in the "early" evening as opposed to after a checkout??? Seventh, the breakfast was not very good. The reason this rating is not a one-star is because the grounds are well-maintained, the maid service is good, and the breakfast staff...

LOCATION: This was a great trip to Las Terrenas and we had the beach right at our front gate. We got the hotel for a really great price and we were not disappointed. The daily breakfast was always amazing with an array of delicious selections. I would look forward to getting up and filling my belly with tasty delights while overlooking the beach bathing in the sunshine.||||ROOMS: The room service came daily and the pool was always warm and inviting (even while lit up at night). The rooms were not super fancy but they did have air conditioning and a mini fridge which helped. I never complain about rooms while on vacation anyways as I'm only there to sleep and not stay inside really at all so with that said, the beds were comfy. The staff was always friendly and very helpful.||||OVERALL: This is not a party area with much nightlife or happening bars. Its slow paced and really chill. There is a nice beach a little way down where they had a stage with entertainment and such. The restaurants and bars are quaint and affordable so that was a plus. We really enjoyed our stay in the beautiful sunshine and always felt safe. It was a great relaxing trip overall and I would definitely go back.||||TIP: Be careful with the taxies as they all have different rates. On the way there it was $90USD, on the way back to the airport they tried to charge double ($180USD). I was pretty taken back but I spoke with the front desk and they accommodated us with the same price from the airport of $90USD. So just watch out not to get ripped off. They also have many bike rentals in the area which can come in quite handy while you...

This is the second time I've had a problem with the reception when trying to pay with my credit/debit card. When I gave the card to the young person working the desk, she took it and then told me it didn't work. I thought it was my card but was later told by the manager, Josephina, that the machine didn't work and she asked me to go the a ATM to get cash to pay my hotel bill. (The first time I experienced a little deception was last year when the receptionist wanted to keep my change as her "tip". Luckily my travel partner, a Dominican, was able to tell her she needed to give me my change from the cash I'd given her). Anyway, after I went to my room to check in, I returned to the reception area and told Josephina and her assistant that I was not going to an ATM machine and that I was always paid my bills via a debit card. Now when the young woman took the card and swiped it a second time, the credit card machine worked! It seems that if you pay with a credit/debit card, the taxes for the room is automically taken but if you pay cash, the taxes may or may not be credited. So my advise to anyone coming to this very nice facility: do not pay cash; always pay with your debit/credit card. Shame of management for allow this type of deception to take place with customers who may...