Amy Adejokun
Section editor
The Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada is a hotel with many facilities that offers "all inclusive" service and is particularly suitable for families.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
Viva Wyndham V Heavens - © C. Hiltgen/ EASYVOYAGE
Viva Wyndham V Heavens - © C. Hiltgen/ EASYVOYAGE
The Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada hotel is located on the northern coast of the island, in the heart of the Playa Dorada complex, 9 miles east of Puerto Plata. To reach the hotel from the airport ( located 19 miles away ), you will need 20 minutes.
The hotel has 204 rooms categorized as 48 standard rooms, 36 superior suites and 120 junior suites. The rooms are well equipped and decorated with Dominican paintings with seashells : they each have a king-size bed or two queen size beds, a large electronic safe ( free ), a telephone, a television ( 25 channels ) and a clock radio. The remote control is hung on the wall with a wire, which is not always practical but at least avoids loss. All the rooms have air conditioning. The superior and junior suites have, in addition, a stocked fridge that is regularly supplied, satellite TV ( 100 channels, placed on a rolling console that can be turned towards the bed or the lounge ) and a balcony overlooking the swimming pool or the garden. An iron and an ironing board are available at the reception upon request, and directly available in the superior rooms and the junior suites. The bathroom has a bathtub with a fixed shower, a clothes line, welcome products and a hair dryer.
The 204 rooms are housed in six two-storey buildings grouped around the reception area. A little farther to the right is the Kelive spa ( 8 massage rooms ) and the gym on the first floor of the building, then the theater and the Goa nightclub, and the main buffet restaurant "Las Palmas ", together with the Asian restaurant "Bamboo" serving a la carte. Right in front, you will find a huge swimming pool spanned by a bridge and embellished with a large waterfall that hides the "La Cueva" bar, topped by a terrace with a Jacuzzi ( the water is cold, but here you can get refreshed ). There is no ladder to the swimming pool, where you gradually sink into it just like in a beach. From there, a pleasant long path skirts a lagoon down to the beach, where you can find a tennis court, a climbing wall ( open from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm ), the kids club and the snack bar "Ibiza Beach" which turns into the a la carte "Mediterrannean Restaurant" in the evening.
The Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada offers a varied choice among three restaurants, including the main buffet "Las Palmas" which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner ( not to mention the snack bar from 10:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. ), the snack bar Ibiza Beach on the beach ( 11h-18h ), and two a la carte restaurants open only in the evening, with a reservation : the "Bambou Restaurant" by the swimming pool offers Chinese cuisine and the "Mediterranean Restaurant", part of Snack Ibiza Beach during the day, offers specially Italian specialities. A special menu of spiny lobster is offered for an extra fee. You can have a drink in any of the three bars - the "Ibiza Beach" snackbar, "La Cueva" by the swimming pool, and the disco bar.
Caught between the Puerto Plata Village beach and the Paradise Beach Resort and Casino beach, the space reserved for the Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada is quite limited. However, the facilities are quite numerous, just behind the beach, with a tennis court ( shared with the customers of the Puerto Plata Village ), a climbing wall, a kid's club and a snack bar the "Ibiza Beach, which becomes the Mediterranean a la carte restaurant in the evening. The beach towels are available at the swimming pool in exchange for a card that you are given upon arrival.
Built in 1997, the Playa Dorada underwent a major renovation in 2004, when it was acquired by the Viva Wyndham group. The Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada hotel has installed many ramps to facilitate access for handicapped people. Customers wear a bracelet in different colours depending on the language they speak, a very convenient system for the hotel staff. Worth noting is the fact that the safe is free, which is rare among the hotels in the Dominican Republic.
massage, beauty salon, sauna, stretching, keep fit, spa, wellness
tennis, gym, aqua gym, aerobics, beach volley, basketball, golf, sailing, kayak, dance, step, bums and tums, water-polo, windsurfing, fitness, sports
A small hotel of reasonable size that will attract both families and young couples. It is particularly appropriate for small budgets.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
Simple but friendly, this hotel is perfectly suited for a demanding clientele on tight budgets.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
The Paradise Beach Resort & Casino is a large complex, offering all inclusive service, well equipped for children, ideally located on the main beach of the Playa Dorada. It is the only hotel in the region with its own casino.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
The Puerto Plata Village is a huge hotel operating on "all inclusive" service, particularly suitable for families, with its numerous facilities and quality service.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
The Tropical Playa Dorada resort is a vast resort operating on the "all inclusive" formula, in the huge complex of the Playa Dorada, near Puerto Plata. Offering many different facilities, this hotel will delight young and old alike.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
Gran Ventana is one of Playa Dorada's largest and busiestall-inclusive resorts. Located in Puerto Plata north of the country, it is right on the beach and has all the facilities guests used to this type of hotel can expect and modest but clean rooms and very average food even at the à la carte restaurants. Lively in the evenings, the hotel is ideal for a wide-ranging clientele, from groups of friends to families with young children on a budget.
The boutique Casa Colonial, part of Small Luxury Hotels, is the only real five-star hotel in the Puerto Plata province. As the name suggests, the hotel's style is based around the country's plantations, but remains contemporary. Holidaymakers looking for a luxury experience right on the beach will revel in a stay here. However, it is worth noting that the hotel is located right in Puerto Plata's resort cluster in Playa Dorada, and its neighbour is a lively Barcelo resort, so the hotel isn't one of those isolated Robinson Crusoe properties. The highlight here is the spectacular wild garden and lake, and of course the hotel's location, right on the beach complete with postcard perfect golden sands and turquoise waters. Casa Colonial is ideal for couples looking for a romantic upmarket break.
The Grand Flamenco Puerto Plata is one of the hotels offering the highest standing in the Playa Dorada complex. Offering excellent benefits, the hotel is suitable for all kinds of clientele.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
The boutique Casa Colonial, part of Small Luxury Hotels, is the only real five-star hotel in the Puerto Plata province. As the name suggests, the hotel's style is based around the country's plantations, but remains contemporary. Holidaymakers looking for a luxury experience right on the beach will revel in a stay here. However, it is worth noting that the hotel is located right in Puerto Plata's resort cluster in Playa Dorada, and its neighbour is a lively Barcelo resort, so the hotel isn't one of those isolated Robinson Crusoe properties. The highlight here is the spectacular wild garden and lake, and of course the hotel's location, right on the beach complete with postcard perfect golden sands and turquoise waters. Casa Colonial is ideal for couples looking for a romantic upmarket break.
The Grand Flamenco Puerto Plata is one of the hotels offering the highest standing in the Playa Dorada complex. Offering excellent benefits, the hotel is suitable for all kinds of clientele.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
Simple but friendly, this hotel is perfectly suited for a demanding clientele on tight budgets.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
One of the best resort hotels we have reviewed in the last few years, the Be Live Gran Marien, has been extremely tastefully renovated, especially in bedrooms, and is a spacious enough resort to welcome the lively crowds of friends and families on holiday. Located in the heart of the Playa Dorada, the Be Live Marien is a luxury resort that offers a 24/7 all inclusive formula and numerous facilities, including a spa centre, a well-equipped mini-golf, a large lagoon swimming-pool, a nightclub, a casino, an ultra-modern fitness centre, a large culinary choice and an 18-hole golf course. This lively hotel is perfect for party-goers, sports enthusiasts, fitness fiends and families on a budget.
The Paladien Riu Merengue is a high-end complex ideally located on the beautiful bay of Maimon. The guarantee of a successful holiday, with your family or as a couple.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
You don't like large hotel complexes and the 'all-inclusive' concept makes you shiver? But you are looking for a hotel with a beautiful beach, a delightful swimming pool and a great restaurant? Then the Blue JackTar could be the place for you.
The hotel is located in Puerto Plata, on the Atlantic Coast of the Dominican Republic. Made up of villas, you'll feel like you're in a protected little village. The site is huge, but the beach (playa Dorada, one of the most beautiful in the area) is less than a 5-minute walk from the guest rooms. Overall, this is a quality establishment.
The Tropical Playa Dorada resort is a vast resort operating on the "all inclusive" formula, in the huge complex of the Playa Dorada, near Puerto Plata. Offering many different facilities, this hotel will delight young and old alike.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.
The Fun Tropical Beach Resort is an all inclusive hotel located in the heart of the Playa Dorada complex. It has all the necessary infrastructures to satisfy the desires of the entire family.
This hotel review is a translation from the French by the agency Traductéo.