I had an amazing stay at Casa bonita between 9th January to 13th January 2020. I was very excited for my mini holiday on my own.

Reception:
The staff were brilliant upon arrival, he knew my name which was great. Feedback I would give is maybe to not talk about the trips right after the guest has arrived as i was really REALLY tired.

Room:
My room was a double room (105) very spacious and I had a great view of the mountains, and caught a gentle breeze from the sea. In the mornings i could actually hear the ocean which was lovely.

I did encounter a small dilemma with the hot water where the second night of my stay, it wasnt working. The hotel were aware of the situation, but as feedback i think its important that they let us know what happened. On the brightside the manager Gustavo was very proactive in letting me know whats going on.

Restaurant:
The staff were lovely, the prawn pasta dishes were incredible. And the coconut shrimp was the best!

The spa:
I did use the spa facilities, and got a facial and a back massage. It was okaaayyy, it wasnt anything out of this world. I think the therapist can do with a little more training.

The area:
My intention for my holiday was to relax, so i ended up relaxing most of the time. But i got a taxi who drove me to los patos and san rafael and it costed me $60 (2700dop). But that was it for me. I didnt do any excursions. There was one to las agrullas that i booked with viator but it was cancelled.

Overall, i had an amazing stay and hopefully ill be back before the year ends.

This was our second stay. When we saw they had built secluded river suites, we decidedly booked. We liked the place, because of its awesome views, good service, good food, but the first time the ocean front suite that we booked was noisy, with noise and fumes that raised from the main road. Casa Bonita has a forest setting, high on a hillside with awesome views of the ocean. Nice architecture, cool infinity pool, decent size rooms and amenities bordering on luxury. We were disappointed because our master river view suite 1 that we booked this time, had a very strong chemical smell. We were offered another room in the main building, but declined due to the noise. We decided to sleep with open windows, because the smell went away that way. The issue is that the awesome floor to ceiling windows had no screens and so the bugs and critters came in during the night, making my girlfriend freak and not have a good night sleep. The manager acknowledge our complaint, offered another room but at that point we were almost packing and leaving at 3 am that morning. He said they had contacted maintenance and taken the room off the available list to fix the problem. No credit was offered to us. We found out that the smell came from one of the exposed wooden columns by the bed; it had apparently been heavily sprayed with some kind of wood treatment or termite treatment. Who was the genius who did this and how come nobody did anything about it before? The river suites are next to the Spa, and are supposed to provide privacy, relaxation, rest and to benefit from the rain forest environment. With this stink and no bug screens, the experience was one not to repeat.
All in all Casa Bonita has a great potential, but this was a major turnoff. Also, they have increased prices and a meal for two costs upwards of $100 USD. Really? This is Florida or New York pricing, a little high for Dominican Republic for this type of Ecolodge, higher end accomodation.
The Spa is rustic and nice, set in the rain forest. Not cheap.

We have been to Casa Bonita only for some drinks and food. We have been treated very friendly and had an excellent time. The food was nice. The two waiters and barmen gave a great service. The "special sangria" made especcially for me was the best I'd ever drunk.