It was great, we spend New years as real Dominicans. The staff is amazing, food especially break fast is so fresh and local, excellent staff or not only staff but new friends in Barahona, and room decor is beautiful romantic different textures. You may hear some noise from near by bar and the local enjoying themselves in the plaza that it's just across the hotel but it ends in some point of the night. In the morning kids play in the plaza and my 2 year old boy had a great time. Bahia de las Aguilas the most incredible beach I have ever been to. Incredible trip.
I had an amazing time at this place. Everything is so pretty. Our room was ocean view. Rooms are big and very clean. Service was outstanding of the owner Manuel and Wilson. They treat us like they've known us before. Breakfast was served daily and it was delicious. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK!! :)
Mostly, our issue with this hotel was noise. It is located right around the corner from a bar that plays music until late at night - midnight or two in the morning. As a result, the windows are sealed with plexiglass, which makes the room hot, and really uninviting. The second issue is electricity. The government does not provide power 24 hours a day to this part of the country, and when the electrical grid switched off, and the generator switched on, the fan noise (and the fan was necessitated by the sealed windows) was really loud. And, a third deal-breaker for us was the lack of a warm shower.
In term of potential, though, this hotel is almost there. It is a lovely property just steps from the beach, and the investments that the owners have made so far are really nice. However, as you can see from the photos, if you look closely, it is not fully-finished. The rooms are large, and the existing furniture is nice, but the finishes aren't there - as in, there are no plates on the electrical outlets; the only chair in the room was a patio chair, the towels were really scratchy. For us, this hotel just did not feel like we were on vacation. For $10 more a night, we moved to a beach-front resort down the road.
That said, the staff was really accommodating. When we asked to change our reservation, they allowed us to cancel. And, when we arrived later at night than expected, they stayed up to meet us.
I had an amazing time at the Hotel Piratas del Caribe. This is one of the better hotels on the drive between the capital and bahias de las aguilas. The staff and owner will make you feel welcome and make sure all your needs are met. The day I got there (my 40th bday and solo) the owner was waiting for me, gave me a drink, and told me stories of his journeys around the world. Made me feel as close to home as I could feel. All while listening to the ocean waves in the background. The accommodations are among the best in the region. There is TV in every room (although why would you need TV), hot water, and for most of the night there was air conditioning. Don't know why people say it was hot...temperature was fine the whole night.
Intimate inn steps away from the beach. Set in beautiful Paraiso. The name itself should tell you to expect paradise. Clean rooms, large bathrooms. We had a suite and a normal room with an extra cot (no lumpy mattress - single wrought iron bed) for a family with grown children. Expect low water and cut off electricity but that's just the area and not the inn keeper's fault. Breakfast included: eggs, excellent coffee and rolls. Would have enjoyed fresh fruit. They can prepare supper for you but I suggest eating next door on the beach which is much more reasonable price wise. We would return in a heart beat.