Private beach, beach bar
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Reviews of Playa Esmeralda Resort

4 out of 5
Playa Esmeralda Resort
Paseo Vicini, Guayacanes, San Pedro de Macoris

Reviews

7.0

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 16 out of 73 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 28 out of 73 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 16 out of 73 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 73 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 7 out of 73 reviews" "

7.4/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

6.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This place is closed since march 2019 due to pandemic however they are doing bookings and taking people's money. Don't bother with this. I complained and ask for refund that was denied.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Gerry, Hawkesbury

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Place is a hidden paradise nice staff and people , clean and up to date rooms
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

8/10 Good

Gerry, Hawkesbury ont

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice location to the beach , hotel staff are like family
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Luiz, excelente

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

gilles, ontario canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel , great atmosphere by all workers
Great time , close to beach , good company, the hotel staff makes you feel like home
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

KennedyGonzalez, Miami, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden Jewel
We had a very pleasant stay. The hotel staff all very nice. Especially, Tin ...The Room very clean. Great view... Food and drinks were very good. Very quaint. Beach is gorgeous. Will definitely return. Great Job to all at Playa Esmeralda Resort!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2017

4/10 Poor

ema, florida

Liked: Staff & service
Ok hotel close to the beach
We had a two day stay and it rained. The staff is very nice. The shower needs updating. The bed was very comfortable. The rating is no higher than ⭐️⭐️
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Good place to stay with the family for a weekend
The crevice was good.The decoration is beautiful and the beach and the pool are great,but I think the entrance to the hotel needs to be fixed, the refrigerators need to hibernate conectes to the electric outlet. Also the bar and the kitchen area should have better equipment .in addition as this is a family place they should have a kids pool and other amenities for kids. The fans of the room I was needs to be fixed
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Karl, New Jersey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Pleasant!
Was a pleasant experience. Good for everyone. Wilke was very helpful. He went out of his way to TRY and make my experience worth while. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Clean resort. My room was on the second floor(222) overlooking the pool and the beach. Great view. Room was good. Air conditioning takes time to get going. I like it frosty. Bed was adequate, thin mattress. Linens were clean, not stained, and no loose hairs. Wifi was great in the room but weakened at the beach. slow but working. The bathroom was good. The shower is undersized. I am 6'4" 224lbs. Width was good but the clearance was not. Watch your head, keep your arms bent. In-room safe costs extra. You need to ask the desk for a key. Costs a few dollars a day. Not sure about the amount or laptop compatibility. Room had a mini fridge with water. I suggest getting some beer for late hours as the bars close at 10pm depending on the amount of people still drinking. Food is buffet style 3 times a day. The food was not great at first but got better. The short short ribs were great. They were really short. 2 bars and a a la carte restaurant on the premises was good. People from outside use the beach and restaurant making parking in the 5 space lot non-existant. Parking extends up the driveway to the secondary street. People walking thru from public beach adjacent to the resort. Public beach has a restaurant... DO NOT EAT THERE! RIP OFF! More like shanties people cook local fare, serve beer/soda. BE CAREFUL!
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2017

2/10 Terrible

Jill

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Scary looking place and surroundings
We arrived at this hotel and decided not to stay. The neighborhood we drove through before getting there looked questionable. Upon arrival, the property did not look inviting and given the neighborhood and late hour of arrival, we decided we didn't feel comfortable staying. We found another place about 20 minutes away which was much more inviting and secure.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The staff are the best , and the quite relax environment is perfect
Stayed 8 nights in May 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The hotel location and staff was amazing.
My experience was ok, my only complaint was the food. Same menu everyday!!! and it was cold EVERYDAY!!!!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beach resort
Very nice resort on the beach. European clientele.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff is like family they tend to your every needs

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Calm peaceful good place to relax, the food is great, a la cart or buffet

8/10 Good

Marc, Santo Domingo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel grounds are really lovely; the interior garden and the beach are highlights. The food was less exciting; the meals were uniformly uninteresting and not well prepared or presented. Everything else was great.

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff very friendly totally make you feel at home..

6/10 Okay

Jack

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Acceptable nice little place
Overall, it was a nice stay. I did enjoy the calm and quietness of this place. Room was ok, there is always something that do not work properly but the staff always try to accommodate and fix the problem. No problem with hot water in bathroom but not much pressure in the shower. The restaurant is nice and they serve a good small simple buffet that is pretty much the same food day after day, its ok for a week but longer than that it becomes... The hotel as a small restaurant by the beach that you can order from a menu at your cost. There is nothing close if you do not have a car, but with moto taxi you can go to other resto and small bars within 10 min. In general the staff was friendly. The beach is private but vendors are allowed on it, so you get solicited every once and a while...

6/10 Okay

Mark, Alforja

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
okay but not overly impressed.
Some of the staff were very nice but not overall impressed. WIFI only available in reception and very slow, rooms very basic, food was okay but not much variety. nice small beach but the beach next to the hotel is a public beach and full of litter and garbage. not much in the immediate area.

2/10 Terrible

Jose, Orlando FL

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
vacation
I stay at Playa Esmeralda from 12/9/2015 to 12/14/2015 they gave me Room #335 didn't realize that the Room had a bees net notify the front desk then they change me to Room #333 in this one the shower head had problem went to the front desk to cancel the rest of my stay and i was inform that they can not cancel and return my money back,that they can only give me credit for the day that i don't used encase that i ever go back to DR .this a hotel that i would not recommended to anybody.

8/10 Good

Bernard, Norway, and San Jose de Ocoa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect relax
Esmeralda is our favorite getaway in Juan Dolio. A small and quiet all inclusive, where we can totally relax. The food is quite simple, but everything is quality and very good tasting. The beach is better than all the resorts we have experienced in for instance Bavaro and La Romana, without all the sea algae they have there. It's the intimacy, coziness and short distances between everything, that makes the Esmeralda the perfect place to relax.

8/10 Good

Thomas John, Pala, Kerala, India

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice little private beach. Restaurant overlooking the beach. Price is inclusive of all meals. Quite good value for money overall. Towels could be better.

6/10 Okay

Bryan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

6/10 Okay

Joseph, Virginia, USA

Liked: Staff & service
Recent Stay from Guy From USA
Spent 5 days and 4 nights. Myself and a friend. A pleasure trip. This was my first time to Juan Dolio area but second trip to DR. I am from the USA. Beach beautiful. Massage great. room about as what you would expect in dR....September is a very hot time in DR so room was not as cold as I would have liked it but OK. Staff great and friendly... Food well thats the issue..mostly local type DR food buffet style...not the best but OK..I went for fresh fruit, toast and yogurts for breakfasts, lunch I stuck with fruits, salads, bread, desert....Had one dinner at buffet and had other 3 dinners at a la carte pay restaurant on hotel premises....great food...excellent fresh seafood... A la carte bar local beers (Brahma)...plentiful and cold... local name booze...a la carte pay restaurant premium booze, el presidents beer plus corona reasonable price. Great well kept grounds... So, not really comparable with a USA hotel i mean its the dR...But overall middle of the road....best thing is beautiful beaches..very relaxing...no night clubs around. I went with a girlfriend. Would not recommend for a single male guy going solo to DR..other places to go like Boca Chica or Sousa.

2/10 Terrible

statesman, Santiago

Disliked: Staff & service
The building is in general in good conditions. Pool dont seems to be very clean. Poor buffet option. Windy beach. Just ok for 1 night staying.

8/10 Good

Jennifer, Seattle

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Lovely, peaceful location with postcard view
This is our second time staying at Playa Esmeralda. We are from the US, and when visiting the DR on vacation we bring our Dominican relations and friends (including small children and babies). It is important that everyone feel safe, comfortable and welcome--this resort is perfect for our needs. For a short visit of 2-3 days, it is great. It is a nice location, about a 45 min. drive from Santo Domingo with beautiful, postcard views of the ocean flanked by swaying palm trees. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with tiled paths, tropical flowers and trees for those photo opportunities. The only drawback is that the facilities could use an upgrade, as described below. However, since most of the time at a resort like this you should be splashing in the ocean, lying on the beach or enjoying a refresco or pina colada by the pool, these were minor inconveniences. It is a wonderful place for a short getaway.

2/10 Terrible

Ricardo M, Coral Springs, Fl

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unable to recommend this place to anybody
I spent 3 nights at this hotel –from Saturday Sept. 5 to Tuesday 8, 2015– and got disappointed since the beginning. First, the AC unit barely cooled the room. I weight only 165 lbs. and have not high blood pressure, but the only way to avoid sweating while in the room was to stay away from movements. Second, the pillows were hard like rocks and the linens were dubiously clean. Third, the restaurants –the one included in the price for the staying and the one I had to pay for in hope for a better meal– the food and the beverages were of very poor quality a variety and in the paid restaurant the prices were too expensive for what they offer there. Fourth, I got a room with ocean view in front of the pool and the hotel keeps a very loud music in this area from 10 am to midnight every day. I wasn’t expecting this since the hotel advertises itself as a Spa. Fifth, Monday 7, at 10 am, the AC unit in my room stopped working. I was told the electricity was gone and a generator was able to keep working everything else but the AC units. The electricity came back at 5 pm and with it, the AC. Sixth and finally, I decided to have dinner at the paid restaurant the last night and I got a very bad bacterial infection from the meal. I was able to overcome this problem thanks to a bottle of BACTRIM and a bottle of IMMODIUM that I had brought with me for the trip.

10/10 Excellent

Stu, Atlanta, GA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place, nice beach and quiet.
This place is great and I would stay here again so I'll start with the one negative first. Check in times are flexible in some places and firm at others especially based on how full the hotel is. I got here 2 hours before the stated check in time and although housekeeping was up to date and the place was only 1/3 full, they nickel and dimed me by charging an early check in fee. The room was clearly ready due to the number of vacancies so that left me with a little bit of a bad taste just on principle as the fee ($20) was not that much. Onto all the good, of which there is plenty. The place is very clean and well kept, great location, nice little section of beach, great friendly staff and pretty good food. This place caters mostly to Dominicans and while weekends are busy, most of the time during the week it is relatively quiet. So if you want more action here come for the weekend and if you want the peace and tranquility that I got then go during the week. I counted 3 different 2-3 hour stretches where I had the whole section of beach all to myself. It was awesome. I really liked this place alot and would stay here again. Its a quick side trip from Santo Domingo if you are already going there, about an hour by cab.

4/10 Poor

Art Teacher, NYC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Mediocre
Not worth the price. Food was pretty awful. Decent rooms and grounds though. Quiet mostly.

10/10 Excellent

Angela, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing place to relax
Playa Esmeralda is the perfect place to relax. It is a small hotel, but it is beautiful and well kept. I loved the private beach and beautiful garden. It is very quiet. I loved the soft music they played all day at the restaurant. The staff is very friendly and Kelvin, the bartender, goes the extra mile to make you feel welcome and entertained. They serve mostly dominican food, but it is very healthy low in salt and oil. I am not a drinking person, but I enjoyed two coctels that were really good:The Merengue and the Blue Curacao.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Beach poor Hotel
The area where the hotel is located is excellent and the beach is beautiful, but the food is disgusting and impossible to eat, so at the end I spend more than budget eating in restaurants in the area.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not what the DR can offer
The place is too quiet. There is no real entertainment team or shows. The food is limited in amount and variety. There was even a fight between a rude customer and one hotel employee! Awful! I will not return!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Great service on a no frills resort!
The Hotel Personnel offers wonderful service and the location is perfect. The beach is beautiful. However, the food choices are limited. The drinks are low quality. The A/C never cooled the room but at least the ceiling fan made it bearable. But overall, if you are looking for a no frills resort and do not mind the negatives it may work for you.

10/10 Excellent

Paula, Minneapolis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful beach; nice staff; safe hotel
Playa Esmeralda is a small all-inclusive hotel with a home feeling which we loved. The beach is heavenly and staff is always there for you even if you just want to seat by the beach at night and look at the stars. I would go back for the beach alone. I felt super safe in this hotel. The food is average and the menu is often very local which was not a problem for me because I am Dominican. With a bit of salt and pepper everything tastes great. The staff is friendly and very accommodating. Staff also addressed concerns promptly. The rooms are dated and plain, but I only went there to sleep at night so I did not care. Metals in the bathroom have become rusty because of the salt in the air, but the rooms are clean. Hotel offers early and late check-ins which is great because who knows when flights are going to land. If you missed lunch, have the staff cook a-la-carte a delicious plate of chicken and fish fingers. It's worth what it costs. Enjoy!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pretty
A pretty and nice hotel for couples and people who wants to be quier. Great staff.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice hotel and beach
very relaxing atmosphere, wonderfull beach to swim,

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Horrible. Stay away.
Arrived just before dinner. Room was still not ready. Asked to wait at the bar, which was ok, except the drinks were served in Dixie cups. Had to go back to the bar after each sip. Dinner was sliced Turkey dogs and frozen cheese pizza. Room was small and stuffy hot. Left before the evening to find another place

10/10 Excellent

Sean, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome place for a getaway. Beachfront and close to the Casino and the shuttle will pick you up and drop you off. Staff was awesomely helpful.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fijn dat het personeel - als ze je verstonden, dat was het merendeel - heel soepel en meedenkend was. Ligt direct aan zee, mijn kamer met balkon had prachtig uitzicht naar zee, zwembad en terassen. En tuinen, zwembad en prive srrand prima onderhouden. Je kon binnen 2 min naar Playa Guayacanes lopen - heerlijke verse vis eten- en in 10 minuten naar het dorpje zelf met gezellige supermarktjes + terrasjes. Flip van Keulen uit Leiden
Stayed 21 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Sergio, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Agradable estancia cerca de casa
Fue una noche pero agradable la estancia. Cerca de la capital y el aeropuerto. El hotel superó mis expectativas realmente, hacía años que no lo visitaba y me agrado estaría nuevamente allí. Lo tendré en cuenta para próximas estadías.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Mala relacion calidad precio
Lo mejor los camareros. Lo peor la habitacion ya antigua y que realmente no es un todo incluido porque hay muchas cosas que no estan incluidas
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

José Ramón Rafael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Muy cómodo
Excelente, buenas atenciones, buen servicio.

8/10 Good

Henry

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel muy tranquilo y de buen servicio al cliente.
Un lugar muy tranquilo, ideal para descansar, servicio al cliente excelente. La comida no es muy buena...pueden mejorar. Las habitaciones no muy comodas.