“An oasis of charm, beauty, and relaxation.” I can't recommend Villa Caribe highly enough. Under ordinary circumstances, I would give it five stars, but our circumstances were far from ordinary, and the owners and staff far exceeded our expectations. My friends and I were staying in the village of Las Terrenas, about three hours away from Puerto Plata by car, when protests broke out in that village and we decided we needed to leave. We started searching the Internet for another place to stay on Tuesday afternoon. By Tuesday night we had confirmed our reservation at Villa Caribe with Chris, one of the owners, and by Wednesday early afternoon we were there. The response time and customer service on the booking end were absolutely amazing. We were so grateful and relieved to be away from the riots in Las Terrenas that we would have been happy with almost anything, but we were in for a major treat. Not only did we not have to settle; Villa Caribe was an order of magnitude nicer than anything we had expected. (Why the owners don't have photos of the gorgeous interior of the home, I don't know.) High ceilings, light and airy rooms, huge beds, many various community areas, a generous kitchen, a lovely pool, beautifully manicured grounds, and a view--and the sounds--of the ocean across the street?! Who could have imagined? Oh, and let's not forget the funny, super-helpful, friendly, English-speaking staff. When we arrived we were ravenous, and found Francesca and Maria fixing dinner (it smelled heavenly). We had brought with us some cooked potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, leftovers brought along on our mad dash out of our previous lodging. Francesca said, "Why don't I make you some potato salad so you can eat right away?" This she did, in the span of about ten minutes. My husband is a chef and I watched his face as he tasted it. One bite and he was sold: "This lady can COOK!" No kidding. Each meal that Francesca and Maria prepared for us was absolutely wonderful (I highly recommend the dorado in coconut sauce!). They washed and folded our laundry, helped us set up taxis and activities, literally fixed us drinks and brought them out to the pool, always kept the house sparkling, and maintained an upbeat, friendly demeanor every moment. Sorry to gush--but you had to understand why I couldn't possibly recommend Villa Caribe any more highly. Thanks SO MUCH to Chris, Francesca, Maria, Marino, and Gus (who coordinated our activities). My only regret is that we didn't begin our vacation at Villa Caribe.

“Very friendly and welcoming hosts, excellent facilities, clean a” Very friendly and welcoming hosts, excellent facilities, clean and tidy rooms and bathroom. Overall easy access to the beach, restaurants and a shop. The swimming pool is also a plus. Safe neighborhood. If you look for a quite, stress free holidays this is a perfect place!

“Wonderful time in Playa Dorada” We stayed in Playa Dorada for the month of March 2014 and we really enjoyed it. I have travel a lot and stayed in many different hotel and condos, but this was the best. What you see on the internet, is the absolute truth. Cindy is a very honest and caring owner. I did have a couple minor issues during my stay, but they were quickly handle after I contacted Cindy. The condo is fantastic with very nice and comfortable furnitures and TVs, and the kitchen is ultra modern. We also really appreciated the outdoor BBQ (a very big and nice BBQ). The San Marino complexe is very nice and secure. The swimming pool is big and clean and the beach is only a five minutes walk from the condo, and at the beach you have very nice chairs and umbrellas. The staff at San Marino is excellent, the laundry service is great and not expensive. The condo is only ten minutes to Puerto Plata by taxi where you have the Las Sirenas store which is just like a WalMart (this is where we when for grocery shopping) they also have a Domino's Pizza. I visited the old San Felipe Fort, I went to the top of the mountain in the teleferic and had a really great time visiting many places around Puerto Plata. The only thing missing as far as I am concern, is something like a seven eleven in the plaza in the front of the condo. They have many things, but not your basic like bread, cold meat, butter and eggs. Beside that, they have many things. With all the condos being built around Playa Dorada, maybe someone will invest in a seven eleven or something like that. Beside that, everything was excellent, and God willing, I will go back next year.

“Perfect For a Family. Best Owner Hospitality! Great for Cooking” Newly renovated. We have 3 teenagers who need their own space. Everyone had their own beds and we had the entire penthouse suite to ourselves! Kitchen was beautiful and functional. Everything you need. Since it's a penthouse there is a large balcony facing out (with trees). Every day we ate all our meals, read books and at night played games out there. Weather is nice even in the evening or in the rain. Never used the inside table for eating. Since the bathrooms' sink separate; it's multi-user without waiting. This property was quiet and safe. We travel a lot and felt a lot more safe here than Mexico; travelling with teens... Cindy was the best owner I have ever encountered and we rent often. With Wi-Fi at the center of the complex, free messaging worked great. She provided so much information and help. Since she speaks 2 languages, she would call the front desk and arrange anything. I have a bad medical condition and since our King bed was hurting bad, she had a bed topper shipped immediately at her expense! So now vacationers have 2 choices. Since 1/2 her family is local, she arranged many trustworthy excursions from her U.S. home. She arranged a great driver at reasonable cost in a superbly clean Honda van (we are too big for a car). Believe me, after a few other taxi rides, he's a safer driver and spoke decent English for local info. The beach was pristine and not too busy. We walked a long way on both sides and this is the most protected from winds, less busy and with an open restaurant/ bar right there. Also since many locals own in this resort, not too many venders bother this area! Are the pictures accurate? No. It's actually nicer than it shows. Really! Proximity to everything is nice. Short taxi rides to a Walmart type supermarket and a lot of attractions. Taxis at the gate hose you. Use Cindy or recommendations from other owners in the resort for transport. Cindy also gave us a valuable restaurant list. She is very organized. Great 14 day vacation!

“Our excellent Dominican Vacation” Our family just spent a wonderful and relaxing week at the Villa. What's not to like? The house is roomy (4 bedrooms), spotlessly clean, well maintained, decorated beautifully in warm tropical colors and with authentic Dominican artwork, and best of all it sits right on the ocean in a gated community an easy drive from the Puerto Plata airport. The ocean view from the very private backyard is fantastic. A two minute walk brings you to a drop dead gorgeous crescent-shaped beach with calm shallow waters. Golf course and health club are right down the street. Any number of exceptional restaurants are a short drive away. Heartily recommend!