Barcelo Puerto Plata All Inclusive Rating: 2.5 Pearls

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Billiards at La Bodeguita

The guests at the Barcelo, primarily European families, came a long way to party and they don't seem to waste a minute -- drinking starts early and ends late. During the day, guests pack the pool area and the beach. At night, they fill the amphitheater to watch "The Comedy Show" or "Miss Puerto Plata." Whether it's in the lobby or at the bars, guests seem especially social here. Combine that with great food, and the Barcelo ranks high on my list.

The Barcelo has a Spanish colonial design -- white stucco buildings with red tile roofs. The grounds are well kept, with flowers planted in embedded planters on the balconies. A tight golf-cart path cuts between the buildings. Unlike at a lot of hotels, the Barcelo lobby actually functions as a popular social spot. People are always lounging, playing cards, watching soccer, and talking. It helps that the space is comfortable and there's ample seating.

La Hacienda Restaurant Chef

Service here, like at most all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic, was really friendly but not always useful. The activities staff, entertainment staff, and bartenders were all super nice. And as is the custom in the D.R., there were fist bumps all around.

Check-in was crazy. As it turns out, frustration sounds the same in any language. I came early, at around 1 p.m., and was told to come back at 3 p.m. Apparently, I wasn’t the only guest told to return at 3 p.m. When I returned, at least a dozen people were lined up to check in. Then a busload of French tourists arrived. Soon some 40 people were waiting to get into their rooms. I was helped at 3:30 p.m. and was in my room by 3:45 p.m. -- other guests were stuck waiting much longer.

View on a Larger Map

The Barcelo is located inside the gated Playa Dorada complex. Playa Dorada (“golden beach”) is located about 15 minutes west of the Puerto Plata airport. Preset cab fares to various hotels within the complex range from $30 to $35.

Playa Dorada is a gated complex of 15 hotels, a golf course, a convention center, two casinos, and a shopping mall located just east of downtown Puerto Plata. The neatly manicured mini-city has horse-drawn carriages that promenade up and down the main street at all hours. It’s extremely safe and walkable, even at night -- it sort of feels like a gated golf community in the United States. The hotels in the complex range from Casa Colonial at the peak luxury end to a plethora of budget all-inclusives and timeshares geared toward families and young partiers, like Viva Wyndham, Grand Paradise, and the Celuisma Tropical. In the center of the complex is Playa Dorada Plaza, a two-story open-air shopping center that caters heavily to tourists with souvenir stalls, sundry and tobacco shops, a playground, and a few liquor stores. There are also a few ATMs and banks, as well as restaurants and bars including Hemingway’s, Senor Rock’s, Coco Bongo, and even a Pizza Hut.

Plenty of loungers, and plenty of shade

The walk down the beach takes guests through a tunnel of trees, over a bridge, and through some wetlands. The beach has tons of lounge chairs and also a beach bar tucked under some trees.

I saw a lot of topless bathers. Though the water along the north coast of the Dominican Republic is generally a bit harsher and less clear than in Punta Cana, the shallow water in Playa Dorada is fairly calm. (It's protected by a reef.) It was popular with snorkelers.

View from the balcony at The Superior Room

Rooms are clean but a bit worn. Like the rest of the hotel, they have a Spanish colonial look -- the main piece of art in the room is a coffee sack stretched over a frame. The lampshades are made of burlap, and the room is painted tan. But the rooms are clearly worn, as evidenced by the sagging mattresses.

The bathroom has seen better days. In my room, the sink area was a little worn and had paint splotches and various marks of wear and tear. The hot water knob was kept in place with a wad of toilet paper. The soap comes prepackaged, but the shampoo, conditioner, and body gel are inside a pump dispenser mounted to the shower wall. Lots of little ants, which are common at many Caribbean resorts, crawled around the sink area.

The old TV, a Zenith Space Command model, didn’t look like it was going to work, but it did! And well! I guess they don't make things like they used to, because I got clear reception and the remote worked. I got about 50 channels, and a good 10 or 15 of them were in English. The alarm clock was new and had an iPod dock. Such a basic thing, but it really improved my stay. The mini-fridge was stocked with the standard all-inclusive supply -- two beers, two sodas, and two waters. The mini-fridge also comes with the world's smallest ice trays; although I didn't use them, I appreciate the sentiment.

The balcony is really nice, with embedded flower beds. In there, little purple flowers blossomed. The balcony furniture is basic green plastic. However, the sliding door to the balcony doesn't have a screen -- kind of a bummer, especially for people sensitive to bugs.

Overall the Barcelo was very clean. I had some small ants crawling around my sink, but this is common in the Caribbean. Other than that, the grounds were well maintained and the interior of the hotel was always clean.

Fresh lobsters at La Hacienda Restaurant

The buffet is better than most Dominican Republic all-inclusive buffets. For dinner, there’s a pasta station, various fish and meat dishes, a salad bar, breads, rice, and veggies. There were multiple decent vegetarian options as well.

In a rare shift, I disagree with TripAdvisor reviewers who complain that the food is vile. Compared with other all-inclusives, the buffet was pretty good -- but that’s not saying too much.

La Hacienda, the open-air Mexican restaurant, is a thatched-roof building built over the pool. Reservations are needed for it, as well as for the Brazilian and Italian restaurants.

There are also lots of bars at the Barcelo, and they’re the primary hangouts. The lobby bar and the Bodega Bar were the most popular during my stay. Crowds gathered at the Bodega Bar to shoot pool and watch the evening entertainment. The Bodega Bar is wedged between the theater, shops, and the pool, so it's in a central place.