Great resort!

This was a very nice resort with well-kept grounds, clean and comfortable rooms and good food. Parts of the hotel are recently renovated and look very nice. We did not have an updated room but it was still comfortable. The resort is quite large but there are lots of amenities for example 2 beaches and several pools so it doesn't feel crowded. They did often run out of towels and clean dishes at the busiest times at the buffet but usually only a minor delay. A couple of times there was a wait to  [... read more]be seated at the buffet for dinner but not more than 20 minutes. We had dinner at the Mexican a la carte, and many items on the already limited menu were not available. The staff at the a la carte were not friendly but the rest of the staff at the resort were friendly and very helpful.

Wonderful resort. Second time there

This was our 2nd time there and we plan on going back again next year. The rooms are clean the resort is a nice size. The food was excellent. The workers are cheerful . Every morning they greet you with a smile. Pools and jacuzzi are very clean.

Great resort

This hotel is currently under major renovation and we stayed in the older section which was still very good. The room we stayed in was large and clean and although a little tired, still comfortable. The renovated areas of the resort look very nice and modern. The buffet restaurant is new and had lots of great options, the food was very good. The staff were friendly and helpful. There are several large pools and unique jacuzzi's in the coral and the two beaches were both great. The resort is loca [... read more]ted in the heart of Sosua, lots of action right out the door, but still felt isolated when you are inside the resort. Our only complaint was that there are gaps when there is no food available. This only was a problem when we arrived very late after a delay at the airport and were starving and after being out for the day and getting back between lunch and dinner. There was always bottled water and pop (replaced daily) in the minifridge in our room which was excellent as well as a complimentary bottle of rum on our arrival! Overall a great Christmas at a great resort and often at a great price.

Good

Its was terrible, I did not slept for 5 days .because of the construction. I went there to release. I got more stress . But the staff was amazing. I don't if will recommend. My friend who want to go next month there.

A True Dominican Experience

My personal opinion is that I love this resort. This was my third time there and I have already booked my next visit. I experienced Hurricane Maria and was very impressed with the steps that were taken well in advance to its arrival. I never once felt unsafe. All guests were moved to the 2nd and 3rd floors for safety reasons. Sandwiches and a banana were brought to the room because we were requested to stay in our rooms between certain hours. The staff stayed the night to look after us. Inc [... read more]redible!!!!! The town of Sosua is just outside the door of the hotel and has many interesting shops and restaurants for you to browse thru and experience some of the culture if you wish. The resort itself is a true 3* so if you are a 5* type or a foodie; I believe you will not fit into the ambiance and culture of Casa Marina. The rooms are clean; the beds are very comfortable; the air conditioning works; hot water between 5-7 is hit and miss but for me personally it is not a problem. The beach is not white sand; not huge and only safe when the green flag is up. The water is crystal clear and super warm and I enjoy going in every morning. The cold jacuzzi tubs built into the lava rock ocean side are magnificent with a view you must see for yourself daytime and at sunset!!!!! The pool area has a very large pool ideal for laps and a kiddie pool beside it for families. Well designed!!!!!

Good value

Good resort for the price. Clean rooms. Been here a few time and they upgraded minor stuff like consistent AC and refilling the pop and water in your fridge every day. Can't go wrong if you want sun, pool and beach

Great romantic resort

The place is verry clean. It surprised us how the place was perfect for a honeymoon. Its romantic, gentle music great beach and also the Jacuzzis are perfectly located at the top of the reef eith a great view of the beach. The only thing missing is the 24hour buffet/snacks.

Wonderful time at Casa Reef

This was my first time to Casa Marina Reef Resort. We loved it! Food was good, pools were beautiful and cleaned everyday. Our room was cleaned by 1pm everyday and no problems with hot water or air conditioning.

Casa Marina Reef Resort - Great Resort on a Small Budget

This is not my first trip to Casa Marina Beach/Reef Resort in Sosua. First off I always get treated with VIP perks. I guess because the reception recognize me because I frequent there so often. I always seem to get upgraded to the better rooms ( main floor and close to the buffet restaurants ) I have requested to stay at the Beach resort side and they were fully accommodating onsite. I prefer to sleep in and don’t like hearing the little kids and music at the crack of dawn. Weather wise,  [... read more]I couldn’t have picked a better week to go. Normally this is part of the rainy season. It’s always a hit and miss. I lucked out but I had friends that went in November 2016 and got flooded (different resort) Food is always perfection at the resturantes. Buffet can get a little repetitive. However with Sosua being a little town, there’s plenty of great restaurants around town to try out. I always feel safe in the town of Sosua. There’s two beaches Playa Alesia and Sosua beach which is on a cove…very calm crystal clear waters. The nightlife is also great. Plenty of bars and clubs to fit your styles and moods. Along Sosua beach is plenty of street vendors to barter with for souvenirs. Back to the hotel, the rooms are decent, somewhat upgraded. Always had hot running water. And bar fridge was always stocked with non alholic drinks. Cleaning came once a day and if you needed more towels just ask. The maid service there is always great. Better to leave a tip every now and then. They will treat you like Royalty. Same goes for the restaurants. If you tip them, they will come back to serve you anything you pretty much request (within reason) What I enjoyed was that some of the waiters knew my favorite drinks and would serve it up while watching the shows. Speaking of shows, Casa Marina’s entertainment is very up to par with a 5 star resort. Great nighttime shows. Even for the little ones. The animation crew (poolside staff) are always very friendly as they try to get the crowd in on the games and activities. Overall, I had a great experience on my last trip. Do I recommend it. Always!!! Will I go again……You betcha!!

It's an ok resort

The rooms where clean and the cleaning staff was very nice. There is no lobby bar or any inside bar unless it's in the restaurant which closes when the restaurant closes. The al a carted are not great and the buffets are the same thing everyday. Some staff are very friendly but most are not. The recreation staff spend most of thier time sitting on the beach trying to get free drinks

Great place!

This is the 3rd time I have stayed at this resort and this time I stayed for 2 weeks. The main beach is great for swimming but was rough for several days so on those days I stayed near the pool. There are 3 bars at the ocean side and 3 restaurants and 3 pools. The view from the new bar beside the Jacuzzis is a great place to enjoy the view of the ocean and Puerto Plata in the distance. There are some activities within the resort like the standard pool-side shows, snorkeling, scuba and kaya [... read more]ks. You can walk out the resort right into the town of Sosua to enjoy the nightlife of bars and a discos. There are also the shops along the public Sosua beach. This resort is 15 minutes from Cabarete beach, 15 minutes from Puerto Plata and there are number of other activities like Sea World, zip-lining and horseback riding as well. I met several people from Canada, US and Germany while I stayed there. It was a lot of fun and I intend to go back.

Great Low budget resort

This is a 3 star resort. The rooms are in need of a upgrade but they were clean. The pool area was great. Always lots of activity going on. Even though the buffet was on the smaller size, the food was good every night. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. The beach was OK. Lots of under tow and the waves are high.

Great Vacation!

Hotel is ok-ish, nothing crazy (old). Food is not great (ok, you'll survive) Drinks are great!! I want to talk about the beach... Waves are crazy most of the time and often they are "red flag" so you can't go in the water, if you think that you'll just go dip and get out... Good luck! It's great for "adventurers" we had a blast, even trying to get out of the water. But for people with small kids... Pool will be your best bet. Sun and booze = Great vaca!

Great Trip for the Price

Just returned from a week at the Casa Marina Reef Resort. For the price, this is was a great all inclusive trip. It is rated 3-3 1/2 star and that is just what it is. Yes, the rooms are a bit dated and could use a few small amenities, such as a clock radio, but we did not go to enjoy the rooms, but rather the resort. I had called ahead and requested a pool view. We were put in building 9, room 921, and it was great! Second floor and at the end of the hallway, so just a skip down a set of s [... read more]tairs and to the pool, and one of the buffets was just behind it. If you are looking for a quieter area of the resort, this is it! Air conditioner did not work the first night and we were having an issue with the lock on the paito doors, however a quick check in at the front desk in the morning and our issues were quickly rectified within a very short time (came to find out the a/c was frozen, and the patio door actually had two locking doors). Rooms were cleaned daily, some days later than others, although the fridge was not always restocked with pop (not an issue for us). You are restocked with two bottles of water daily, and can always refill them at the bars. The bars were great, as were all the staff we encountered. Many of the staff may not have the greatest grasp of the English language, but remember you are on their turf, not the other way around, and we found everyone would try to help or answer any questions you had. Keep in mind one half of the resort is a 'reef' resort - means the waves will pound - we had red flags all but one of the days in this beach area, and it is not a resort issue. There are plenty of other beach areas to enjoy. Just a minute or two walk and you can be on the public beach. Food was fine, if you can't find plenty of food to satisfy yourself, you are either far too fussy or have VERY high expectations! The omelet station in the morning is fantastic! Typical breakfast choices are omelets (you choose the fillings), or eggs of your choice, lots of meats, breads/toast, cereal, fruit galore, smoothies, juices, tea/coffee, and many other options to choose from. Lunch and dinner were always great as well, somewhat repetitive, but still plenty to choose from, so you never had to have the same thing twice unless you wanted to. We were given six (6) certificates for a la carte restaurants and you had to go to the Ampitheatre the next morning to register for them. MAKE THIS A PRIORITY! We were there pretty much on time, and had 9 or 10 couples in front of us. By the time we were half way through the line up we were informed there were only openings for three of the restaurants on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings (we registered on Tuesday morning!). Although we did not enjoy the seafood a la carte, that may have just been us. The Mexican and Italian a la cartes were great! We ventured to the beach market daily and enjoyed 'bartering' for our purchases. The beach market is adjacent to the boat launch area look for the steps leading down on your left - had a great real 'pina colada at 'Big Mama's' in the market, a must try - a real pina colada in a pineapple with rum. . . $4. each, and as we just wanted a small snack to share, shared 10 chicken wings for $5 and they were both absolutely delicious - and to boot, Big Mama gives you a small shoulder and arms massage as a welcome! Also, as you meander the streets toward the market, look for a small business type area called ORANGE - we (my sister-in-law and I) were able to enjoy a half hour massage for $10 each, and it was great. They will offer you one hour for $20, but quickly agreed to the half hour sessions. There are two other places to look out for along the way, a large convenience store (pint of rum at the resort store is $7, you can get two for $9 at the convenience store), along with many snacks and things you may have forgotten to bring with you at great prices. Most of the vendors have 95% of the same stuff, including lots of less than great jewellery, and I've bought my share, but if you want some higher end jewellery, keep an eye out for James Patrick's Silversmithy. My sister-in-law got a lovey 925 silver ring with a black stone (type escapes me at the moment) for $44. This the lower end of his stuff, but still high quality. And James is a gem and a gentleman himself! All in all, we had a great time, and would have no problem returning, but remember you get what you pay for, and we certainly felt we got our moneys worth at this resort! If you are expecting 5 star amenities at a 3 star price, go elsewhere because you will not have your expectations met here, but if you are not looking to spend a lot of money and open to three star amenities, this is the place for you. We paid (under $1,000/person, and were quite happy with our vacation. Something to keep in mind if you intend to bring small gifts or cash tips for staff - think about how many rooms the maids clean and how many tips they get - then think about the rest of the staff - the pool cleaners, grounds keepers, the cook at the omelet station, the waiters cleaning up behind you, etc. . . they deserve a tip every bit as much as the maids do, they work just as hard, but often are the ones most overlooked . . . If you go - enjoy! We certainly did! Oh, and it is only about a 15 minute bus ride from the airport!

Not bad for a three and a half star

we were pleased with the resort for the most part . I will start with the good . the grounds and pool area were clean and nice the resort is unique with all the little paths . the food was good we always found something to eat . I would go back to this resort if the price was right . now for some bad . we were with another couple their room was not bad . all rooms def need to be updated . we on the other hand had some issue , it took me almost 3 days to have my tv working , one  [... read more]bed was moved we were not sure why but then we relized there was a leak and was leaking on the bed ,np we were sleeping in the other bed , then I came up to the room and it was leaking on the other bed I was upset then and called the front desk and said I wanted a new room , she hung up on me !!!! I went down to the desk and expressed how upset I was to be hung up on and insited we have a new room . she said the maintence man had to go and inspect , I told her i wnated to see him in 5 min which i did long story short we had a new room within 15 min . this all could of been avoided if they just listened to me . the staff is not frendly at all , I am a good tipper and did not give out one tip for the week I was there I tip for fast friendly service and certainly did not get that . if you go to resort do not expect a 5 star but for the budget kind of person go for it

Nice for the price

Hotel was clean, staff amazing, food was good, right in town, so close to everything. great 3 star hotel not for people looking for a 5 star want a good place to stay at a good price, this is a good buy . would return .

Rooms on resort

The rooms on resort are very dated. The staff was not frendly. The rooms were not clean . We were susposed to have a supiour garden view well we looked out at an old building that was overgrown with trees .the toilet when we arrived was covered with crap had to get cleaning staff to cone clean it the floors were dirty and full of hair alaround...the grounds were nice though...and we were on the top floor so had to walk up three flights of stairs. The food all tasted the sam . Bad

All and All great trip couple hicups.

The resort itself is beautiful. Grounds kept clean,pools clean,food was awesome. First room we had was in back building. Paid for Superior Garden view. Got top floor no balcony and small window to look out of at concrete design on building. Also door was at back facing very busy street with bars open all night. Noise was atrousous with yelling and motor cycles running up and down the street. Also woke up second morning to no water. Complained and no problem moved us to a room beside pool with ba [... read more]lcony and they accommodated us completely. Only issue we had then was no water in shower in the afternoon. Don't go for the beach because the waves were constantly too big to swim. People that did venture out picked sand of their bathing suit the rest of the day. Bartenders were awesome very little wait times for drinks. Deserts were very good including ice cream which you don't see at every resort. Book alecartes early as they fill up fast. Would go back to this resort but would specify what area we wanted our room.

Casa Marina Reef Resort - Sousa Dominican Republic

My 79 year old father and I spent a week at the resort from March 30 to April 6. The food was good, the staff were excellent and the resort was in good condition. I thought we received very good service at all times.

It's OK

This was our return trip. We had visited it 3 years ago. Rooms are ok, beds comfortable. Rooms were not cleaned very well, sheets not changed. No facecloths. Food was plentiful. Entertainment was awful. Pools were great. Waves were big and limited how much we could go in the ocean but enjoyed it.