My husband and I have stayed couple of times at this hotel. It is right across the beach (150 mts). It is very inexpensive and if you just want to get to know punta cana and spend most of the day at the beach you can save a couple of bucks by staying here. However, this hotel is defintely not the cleanest one in the area.

Cortecito is a friendly, funky little village. The Cortecito Inn is in a park like setting with extremely high security around the clock. Not directly on the beach, though. Our room was kind of average but inexpensive. Staff was friendly and helpful and the included breakfast was nothing short of outstanding! All the fresh mango and pineapple juice you care to drink with eggs to order, bacon, fruit, etc., etc. Wonderful pool, also.
Downside: power was off for the first two hours I was there which, apparently, is common in the Dominican Republic. Also, there was a country western biker bar (go figure) adjacent which emitted ear splitting noise till midnight and was moderate thereafter. Apparently, Cortecito is popular with young partying Europeans. My recommendation is to try it for a night or two then move on. Of course your experience may differ from mine. Good luck!

was booked in for 21 days,the room we were shown was dirty, no toilet seat,cracked sink.after 30minutes we eventually got a half decent room.after 3days,the manager shouted"hey you" and then told me we had to pay an extra $25 for the superior room! when we said no, was shown room next to demolition site. very dusty!as my friend is asthmatic, it was unsuitable.
when I asked what was the alternative,was told "move out" the staff were unfriendly, rude, to say the least! we had to move out. wont bestaying there again.

El Cortecito Inn is a very simple local hotel. It seemed to attract mostly Dominican tourists and a few Europeans. I booked using an on line site paid in full and printed out the voucher to present upon arrival. from 18/01/08 to 21/01/08 My partner and I stayed for 3 nights decided to hire a car from Avis. They greeted us at PUJ airport and took us by the hotel first to show us where it was and then back to their office to sort out paper work. Be prepared to be sold an obligatory $1000 insurance deposit for a car hire. Anyway, luckily my Spanish is proficient so I was able to ask detailed questions before I signed the contract. Avis is considered a franchise outside of the US so they have different rules.
Upon arrival to El Cortecito I presented the voucher and they were quite welcoming. I had to surrender my US passport in order to get the key. The hotel has 2 three story structures and 1 two story structure near to the foyer. the pool is located in the centre.
the rooms are very modest almost like a Thai guest house. Very simple, quite firm mattresses, a large refrigerator, TV with no remote, ceiling fan and AC, a nice outdoor terrace with rocking chairs, a large enough bathroom. They don't provide amenities apart from the smallest bars of hand soap I've ever seen so pack shampoo, conditioner and lotion. Also they don't provide flannels
or hand towels so bring your own. I also brought my own pillow and glad I did as theirs were quite stiff. At first the water from the sink wasn't flowing so they repaired that and we had to ask for towels many times before we got them but, they move at a slower different pace there. Just keep smiling and you'll get what you need much faster. One lucky thing is that within the complex of the hotel, Bank Popular, was a proper super market that sold everything from fresh produce to fingernail clippers. So you could stock up on everything you needed. I bought a few hand towels for about $1 each and a roll of paper towels which came in handy for just about everything.
The staff was generally friendly and helpful and had good general knowledge of the area. They also have security parking so you don't have to worry about your car. Their cafe was quite good and the menu selections were simple. Mostly grilled meat, fish and chicken with rice and salads. the seafood cafe across the street was nice with the tables viewing the sea. We had rice dishes and pizza. all of which were adequate and tasty. The service was very friendly and very relaxed. They never push the check at you. The cigar shop next to that had an excellent selection of Dominican and Cuban product. the streets are lined with souvenir shops and cafes. Across the street from the parking lot is an open air billiard pub blasting meringue music you can hear from the room. Bring ear plugs!! Apart from that it was a lovely experience but remember it's a developing country bordered by the poorest country in all the Americas so it's safe to say you should stay aware of your belongings. Use common sense when talking with people trying to sell you things. If it seems awkward trust your instincts. Driving at night is a bit trying so try to stick to daylight hours for road trips. The main roads were fine but the connecting smaller roads were a sea of endless and impossibly deep pot holes. Do hire a four wheel drive if you can!!
We only ventured at far as Higuey to see the Cathedral. And happened upon a major celebration of the Patron Saint of Dominican Rep. There were thousands of pilgrims and the experience was unexpectedly wonderful!

Enjoy, R Estevez

Santa Monica, Ca. USA