I was very surprised with the hotel, pretty cool place. The rooms are nicely decorated, and the bed is endless. It is a perfect spot for those who like antique style and enjoy medieval decorations.
Breakfast included, very cool place!

Quaint and charming? Yes, this hotel is all of that. But beware--even with written room confirmation that they had sent to us that that we brought on the trip and showed them, they sold our room making ridiculous excuses. Management is poor. If you want to take the risk of staying here, be sure to book a back-up hotel or you might end up out on the street. You would be better off finding a different place to begin with.

We stayed 2 nigths in EL BEATERIO before a trip to Samaná (Jul 9 & 10) . Excellent location, but very simple rooms with poor bathrooms (don't wait for a boutique/ charming hotel). However, when we return from Samana to one last night (Jul 17), before our flight, we were surprised: they did not honor our reservation and had no vacancies. As an option, they offered us a room in a terrible hostel, 5 or 6 blocks distant from there. We didn't accept the option offered, and fortunately we found another hotel 3 blocks next . Finally we ask that they send our luggage to the other hotel, but they did not. There was no professionalism and respect. We don't recommend this hotel to anyone.

This hotel represented the last stop in a 17 day Dominican Republic vacation, and was one of our most anticipated. It also was the only place we stayed that was a bit of a letdown.

The location was perfect - only steps from Zona Colonial, which is perhaps the most interesting and exciting area to visit in Santo Domingo. There were several nice restaurants, cultural sites, and shopping all within a 10 minute stroll of the front door. Across the street is a small park, and a mini-market next door has soda, water, and snacks. The hotel is also very secure - when you arrive you will need to ring the buzzer to be admitted, and after checking in will be issued a key that opens the front door. The rooms were all quite clean and orderly. The hotel definitely has charm.

Value was our major sticking point. While the rooms were pleasant, they did not amaze us. The air conditioning didn't work at times in the afternoon, and the TV worked one day, but not the next. For the duration of our stay the terrace was not made available to guests, so we were unable to experience the "panoramic views" offered on their website. The courtyard was cute, but offered little in terms of a good view or space for comfortable relaxation. The breakfast as well was lacking - we were served fruit with mediocre coffee, which was fine, but not the Continental or American breakfast we had been led to expect. Four pieces of ham and a few slices of cheese were available for an added cost. Indeed, the breakfast served by a $30/night hotel (including air conditioning) in Bayahibe was much better tasting and more filling. Finally, the service was polite, but not better than (and often not equal to) the service we got from less expensive hotels on the island.

If you're looking for a hotel solely based on location, this one is great. If you're looking for good value for your money, El Beaterio did not measure up to many of its peers.