Dominican Hols Playa Dorada (Playa Dorada)

Member Name: shellyuk1000

Product:	Playa Dorada
Date:	07/06/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sun, sea, sand, food, drink, pools

Disadvantages: None

We went to Playa Dorada about 5years ago now and I appreciate it will have changed with the times. We went just after there had been a few hurricanes over the area and it was a bit torn up and the sea was very wild for the first few days. The place itself was gorgeous, there are a selection of Hotels on the resort and it is surrounded by a golf course. There is also a mall and some extra restaurants spaced around and a few Casinos (which offer free cigarettes). We stayed in what was Jack Tar Village, not sure if it is there anymore. I found where we stayed to have beautiful senery (as to be expected really). It was very green and the beaches (even though they were on the Atlantic side) are gorgeous with golden sands and bright blue sea which is as warm as bath water . We paid about £1800 for our holiday and the only bad thing I can think of is when we got there is was made pretty obvious from the locals and from others visiting that we chatted to that we had chosen 1) the cheap side of the DOminican, in the sense that we were on the Atlantic side and 2) the cheap apartments on the resort. All the locals we met were friendly and only too eager to help, you are not actually allowed to leave your resort to explore the Dominican properly so you only get a real glimpse of it on they arranged tours. The hotel we stayed had shops, banks, restaurants and a hair salon all on site, it also had more apartment blocks than hotel rooms and our room was perfect for what we wanted, it had a balcony, a working shower, a bed, a working TV and most essential of all working Air Con. The humidity can be hard to get used to for the first two days, it might be worth preparing at home by using the Steam Rooms and Saunas at your local gym.
We went All Inclusive and the breakfast and lunches were gorgeous! The evening meals were something we were never too sure on and often went without or just had bread and butter with a side of fresh fruit, I guess you have to be very open minded and not fussy to try to Dominican stew.

I would suggest going on a few days out if you do go to the Dominican, lounging around by the pool or one the beach drinking free drinks is all very good for a few days but you will quickly get bored - even I did. We went on 3 tours which broke up the week nicely and gave us something to spend our money on. The Dominican Tour where you have a tour of the real Dominican and the tour guides will explain how they live, their biggest exports, life in the Dominican, Jobs, Education etc and you will get to visit a house where a family live. The second tour we did was called Paradise Island which is where you get taken out on boats to the middle of the ocean to a small Island where you swim and see coral and exotic fishes. And the final one we did and quite possibly the best was the Catermaran, you go out for a day on a large boat for sun, sea, food and fun. Great day but we did get a bit sea sick and very hot! There are plenty of tours available but I would suggest you only book them with the people recommended to you by your tour operators and not going with someone who approaches you on the beach. There are plenty of water sports available and again you would be better off approaching your tour operator first.
During our hols we struggled to spend our money and ended up coming back with just under half of what we took. If your looking for gifts Rum and Cigars are the best bet - unless your buying for children of course. When we went they did have Internet Cafes in the Mall so you can always visit there for your net fix.

All in all we had a great time and I would reccommend this holiday to anyone, plenty of food, drink, relaxing, sun...even when it rains its still hot enough to sit out in! The Thunder Storms are something to admire (from somewhere safe!). The country is gorgeous but just be aware you will be accosted for money on regular occasions by the locals and we were asked not to give anything to local children as it encourages them to traunt from school. We were told if you do want to donate money to (again) speak to your tour operator and they can arrange for the schools to get the money for teaching equipment.

Summary: Excellent holiday