Don't get me wrong...the place was not a dump, but it was not at all as advertised on the hotels.com website--both the fault of [--]and the hotel itself. As an aside, [--] was very difficult to work with in rectifying the situation and has yet to do so, so I don't recommend booking through them either. When we wanted to switch hotels, they gave us the full rate rather than the discounted rate we initially paid for, because we didn't stay the entire time of our reservation...that said, they made no effort to rebook us, so we ended up paying twice as much for the night we did stay there and then had to find our own reservations and move ourselves.
In any event, we arrived at Galeria Plaza and were placed in a smoking room rather than the non-smoking room we reserved. The hotel is situated above a mall in the same building, so it is very busy, but this IS advertised, so we knew that going into the stay. However, it was advertised as on the beach and with a beach view, neither of which was the case. I suppose you can see the beach if you squint and look beyond the major road and hotels that are actually on the beach. Additionally, the minibar was not stocked, nor was the referigerator for said minibar functioning, and the staff came in and examined it as though we had taken out all the products ourselves. The shower did not function properly either. Further, the outdoor pool that they advertise as on the beach is definitely "on the beach," but it is NOT located with the hotel. Hotel patrons have to take a SHUTTLE down the road to get there!!! The indoor pool on site very small and had green water. We checked out (after [--] refused to rebook us at another hotel) and stayed at the Holiday Inn for the rest of our stay which was very nice and right next to the beach.
As for the rest of Boca del Rio, I recommend the following for activities should you venture down there:
La Parroquia: located outside of the Galeria Plaza, it has great food and a friendly staff. Order a cafe con leche (lechera).
La Villarrica: down the road near hotel Villa Florida. They have a little outdoor cafe which serves up a fabulous breakfast and great smoothies.
La Mera Madre: this is in the same area as Villarica but across the street. They have amazing seafood and a great tamarind margarita, which was unique and delicious. The restaurant can't be missed--it looks like the front of a ship. Again, phenomenal service. In any restaurant you visit there, be aware that smoking and non-smoking are more or less collocated, so try to sit either outdoors or as far away from smokers as possible.
The Crowne Plaza is also very nice, and it truly is right on the beach. Their concierge is VERY helpful in getting around. Also, this is not exactly a touristy place, so if you do not speak Spanish I recommend bringing your dictionary, especially for the menu. The people are extremely friendly, but I relied on my Spanish the entire time.