We stayed for two weeks at the end of January and were surprised at how few people were staying as the hotel is excellent value for money and the staff made us very welcome. Things did get busier over the middle of our stay as it was a local bank holiday and the hotel filled up with Dominican families enjoying a mini-break. That was great fun and added to the cosmopolitan 'mix'.

The rooms were clean and comfortable with plenty of storage but were looking a little tired. However we are in contact with a staff member and they have told us that the hotel is currently closed for a full refurbishment, opening again at the end of this year.

The food is well cooked and perfectly adequate, but could perhaps be a bit more adventurous.

We were playing golf a few times so the position of the hotel in the middle of the golf course and close to the club house was ideal. However, it is only a five minute walk to the hotel beach which has its own beach bar and cafe, or you can jump aboard the shuttle transport if you don't fancy walking. The large shopping complex, with a few bars and restaurants is also only a few minutes walk away, so the hotel is very well placed within Playa Dorada itself.

If you are playing golf we met two great caddies, Rafael and Danny (Nos. 75 and 76) so please ask for them if you can. They are well worth it - I got a hole in one!

Marlyn is the Guest Service Manager and is extremely helpful. She will recommend places to visit, or book you into other hotels/restaurants should you wish to explore further afield. It was my birthday and we spent a glorious afternoon and evening at a place called Embocca along the coast at Cabarete, where we lounged around on wonderfully comfortable sun loungers, or under shaded open-sided cabins, watching the kite-surfers, and then had a truly memorable meal, all at an extremely reasonable cost.

If you are looking for nightlife and entertainment then this isn't the hotel for you, but if you want a quiet, relaxing holiday amongst like-minded people then this hotel fits the bill nicely.

All in all it was a great holiday, and we shall certainly be back next year if at all possible.

Puerta Plata 4 Star Roulette

This is my first review but I have been to other resorts. I have to recommend this resort to anyone looking for peace and quiet. Our first impression of this resort was luxury, beautifully maintained, amazing staff , I really can't complain about this resort.
People reading reviews may be concerned about the walk or shuttle (which is always waiting to take you to the beach) to the beach but honestly, its not even a 5 min walk. We stayed at the beach most days if we weren't on an excursion, the victoria has a private beach section and there were always chairs available as opposed to the barcelo which had some vacationers laying on towels in the sand. The Victioria had a good beach bar w/ lunch and snacks.
Food was great at the buffet and ala carte restuarants, they have a pizza restuarant but we didnt' feel like pizza on our trip. The wait staff was always there to make you feel important. We had our fair share of drinks at the resort, but my husband resorted to buying presidente beer at the mall (in the playa dorada complex) , I stuck mainly to the rum and diet pepsi.
The rooms were great, private balcony and we were lucky to be close to the main compound. The have two pools but we didn't get in either as we are beach people.
If you want to go out at night we went to the coco bongo ( you need to pay for your drinks as its not on the resort, its a short walk to the mall in the complex. We went a couple times.
Have to say our trip was great and we are so happy with the roulette results. Will be back to Victoria on our next visit to DR !!

The hotel is lovely, it's clean, the food is great and the staff wonderful, however if you're looking for lively nitelife you'll have to go elsewhere. This place suited us perfectly as we wanted somewhere quiet to relax and chill for a week.

My friend and I did extensive research before settling on the VH Victoria for our week long getaway from New York City and I am so happy we chose this place. Our vacation was exactly what we were hoping for.
BUT...
The first thing you have to know about your own trip to the DR is what kind of vacation you want. Do you want to meet other people? Do you want to be in a place where there is energy? Do you want to be in a place where there are organized activities for guests? Do you want lots of activity? If you answered yes to these questions, you may want to stay in the VH Victoria's sister hotel, The Gran Ventana. The Victoria is ENTIRELY opposite and you need to know this before booking. Think hard about what kind of vacation you want.
There was only one child who I saw during my whole stay. For me, that was ideal and amazing. The majority of guests were well into their 50's and beyond. And there were only 30 or so guests there the whole time. This created the most wonderful silence and relaxing environment for our stay, which is exactly what we were looking for.
We bought the upgrade to go to the Gran Ventana and used it twice, once to go to the buffet and once to go to the Octopus restaurant. In retrospect, I really wish we hadn't purchased the upgrade because we hated the Ventana. It was like a circus compared to the Victoria. They had a Michael Jackson floor show, bingo, a bunch of bars that served the WORST version of a mojito I've ever had in my ENTIRE life, and an endless number of children and teenagers who roamed about aimlessly while their parents were at the bar or pool. Yuck.
So we spent the rest of the time back at the Victoria and couldn't have been happier. It was quiet, completely without the circus energy of the Ventana, and the perfect place to relax for our week.
I can't wait to go back.