Casa Colonial Beach and Spa Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Bellhop in crisp white uniform

From the start, Casa Colonial is extremely discreet -- there's not even a sign at the turn-off road. It's located within the Playa Dorada complex, a gated community that includes 14 other resorts, two casinos, and a shopping plaza. It’s the only resort within the complex that's further protected by a large wrought-iron gate, reminiscent of a Bel Air estate. Past the cobblestone driveway, bellhops clad in crisp white uniforms and safari hats usher guests into the modern two-story lobby and the check-in area, which is just an ornate concierge's desk. The main building also houses a large bar and the gourmet restaurant Lucia. Cobbled paths take guests out the back of the lobby and through an orchid garden to a second building, which houses the guest rooms, the gym, the pool, the Bagua Spa, and the second restaurant, Veranda. An exhibit of illuminated amber, the local gemstone, lines the marble ground-floor hallway, which is cool, beige, and hushed.

The chic exclusivity seems well appreciated by its honeymoon-heavy clientele. For romance-driven couples, all rooms feature large soaking tubs or Jacuzzis, many with unfettered ocean views. Families sometimes visit, and nannies are available, but the hotel doesn’t offer much for kids to do -- no entertainment, kids' club, or poolside games.

Everything within Casa Colonial’s walls is hushed, discreet, and mellow, but it can be awfully hard to maintain that Zen cool when you can almost feel the bass pumping from the Allegro Playa Dorada next door until 11 p.m. Up on the rooftop pool deck, even at midnight, you can still hear the music coming from the disco on the other side, at the Barcelo Premium Puerto Plata. From the guest rooms closest to the Barcelo, you can hear the noise until 2 a.m. -- it's not exactly a relaxing escape, as you can find at the Sanctuary Cap Cana or the Agua Resort (both of which are in Punta Cana).

The wait staff is extra attentive

The service is superb -- warm, yet professional (excusing the late night staff, who do not seem to be as well informed as the daytime staffers). When I pulled up to the hotel, a friendly bellhop extended a hand and escorted me to the low-key reception area, an antique desk surrounded by artwork. He offered me a choice of cocktails from the nearby bar -- I went with a mojito -- and while I signed the check-in forms the concierge made my reservation for dinner that night at Lucia. Within minutes, a bellman escorted me across the property; he was sure to greet me by name for the rest of my stay. In the evening, the hotel offers a turn-down service, and a housekeeper was at my door at about 9 p.m. offering delicate chocolate cookies and bottles of spring water.

View on a Larger Map

Casa Colonial 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 from the airport 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 time-shares geared toward families and young partiers, like Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada, Grand Paradise Playa Dorada, 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. Casa Colonial is the only non-all-inclusive in the complex, a distinction underscored by the giant wrought-iron gate that sets it apart from the other hotels.

Hotel's elegantly furnished beach area

I found the beach kind of underwhelming. Though some publications call it private, Playa Dorada is completely public. Each resort has some sort of vaguely fenced-in section, but guests and locals wander freely along the beach past all of the resorts. Casa Colonial's stretch is extremely well marked, clean, and elegantly furnished. I marveled at the discreet and efficient security staff, clad casually in polos and chinos. They had only to raise an eyebrow for vendors to move quickly down the beach.

There are plenty of wooden lounge chairs and thatched umbrellas for all guests, and even tables for guests who wish to take their lunch or a drink on the beach. It's a pleasant enough setting, but since the water is kind of murky most guests prefer swimming in the pool.

Many guests complain about the beach's proximity to two all-inclusives, as well as the topless sunbathing (permitted throughout Playa Dorada). In addition, because it had rained a great deal a few days prior to my stay, there was a lot of debris on the sand along the water. Surprisingly, no one from the resort had bothered to clean it up.

Beautiful marble bathrooms

The rooms at Casa Colonial are easily some of the best and most luxurious in the Dominican Republic. The Caribbean-chic decor -- a sisal rug, a plush white linen loveseat and wingback chair, modern artwork, and a mahogany four-post bed topped with Frette sateen linens -- is similar to the rooms at the pricier One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas (also one of the best honeymooner hotels in the Caribbean). The only difference: Casa Colonial’s rooms are much larger and have a vastly superior bathroom.

Features include a Bose wave radio/CD player, one of the most upscale mini-bars in the Caribbean, and a large, albeit tube, Zenith television.

A large window separates the bathroom from the bedroom, allowing guests to watch TV from the massive Jacuzzi. (Blinds can be lowered to give more privacy.) There’s also a separate marble walk-in shower, his and her sinks, a dressing area, and a separate toilet room. Neat bathroom trinkets include a "dental kit," with a mini-tube of Crest and a toothbrush, and a shaving kit, with a razor and small tube of shaving cream. With the fluffy Frette robes and slippers that came with the room, I would have been happy frolicking in the bathroom for the entire stay.

This was the only hotel in Puerto Plata that 1) provided Internet in the room and 2) did it for free. Although the welcome booklet claimed that there was Wi-Fi (no signal), the bellhop advised that I use a plug-in cable. I was more than happy to make do. The resort also rents laptops for 12 or 24 hours at a time, for about $10 or $18, respectively.

There were two drawbacks to my garden view suite. Though the actual garden view -- a fountain framed by lush vines and tropical leaves -- was quite lovely, it smelled like a swamp. The instant I opened the sliding glass door, my camera lens fogged up. The air in my room was cool and dry, but the humidity I encountered in that one particular spot was stronger than anywhere else in Puerta Plata. I tried to sit on the patio and flip through one of the oversize photography books from the coffee table, but the stench gave me a headache after about 10 minutes. The second issue -- I spent the entire night listening to the loud entertainment booming from the Allegro Playa Dorada resort next door.

The large, airy, and modern Bagua Spa

The resort has just 50 rooms and clearly caters to adults. Compared with its all-inclusive neighbors, it’s kind of low on activities and special features. However, what it does have, it does very well.

Casa Colonial has a 24-hour infinity pool. It’s much smaller than the pools at most Caribbean resorts, making it not entirely kid-friendly, but it was hands-down my favorite part of the resort. The pool sits on the roof, up a small stairway from the spa. It's surrounded by wooden lounge chairs covered in plush white cushions, and the Aqua Bar is off to the side. (Too bad it closes at 5 p.m.) The pool gets great sunlight, but its top-floor location also provides gorgeous views of the beach below and the ocean to the north. I went up again at midnight (just because I could) and nearly lost my breath at the marvelous view of the stars overhead. Four Jacuzzis run along the edge, facing the beach -- a perfect place for couples.

The resort also has easy access to the Playa Dorada Golf Course, which is just down the street. There are no tennis courts on-site, but guests are able to book the court at the resort’s sister property, the Gran Ventana all-inclusive resort, around the corner. The hotel provides a free golf-cart shuttle to get between properties.

The small, L-shaped gym was a bit cramped but had all the key equipment, including new Cybex ellipticals, treadmills and bikes. Every cardio machine also came with a TV, not to mention an ocean view. I recall the gym with a bit of nausea, however, as it was not air-conditioned and the air got quite stuffy and pungent with sweat. Fortunately, plenty of bottles of ice-cold water were on hand. In retrospect, I would have preferred to run outside or take one of the resort’s beachfront yoga or Pilates classes. (Classes cost extra and require advance notice through the spa).

On the third and top floor of the resort is the Bagua Spa and Salon. Since everything at the resort was top-quality, the spa was unsurprisingly large, airy, and modern. There is even an adjacent tea bar to encourage the ultimate Zen state, as well as lovely massage beds set in a tranquil garden close to the beach.

One of my favorite features of the resort was its lovely orchid garden, located just outside the lobby and beyond the Lucia restaurant. Guests can sit in one of the giant Adirondack chairs surrounded by vines and banana leaves, with no noise except the tiny gurgle of a nearby fountain.

The resort was the most spotless place I stayed at in the Dominican Republic, and as clean as any resort I've stayed at, period. The marble hallways seemed to glisten, and all the white linens and furniture in my room were perfectly pristine.

Crab on yucca cake tarts at Lucia

Casa Colonial has two restaurants. Veranda serves breakfast and lunch, and the upscale Lucia serves French-Caribbean fusion cuisine. Reservations are required for Lucia, it can be a special destination for non-guests itching to ditch the buffets at their all-inclusives.

The food at Lucia is wonderful -- flavorful and inventive, with such menu items as crab on yucca cake tarts, scampi-style Caribbean lobster, and majarete topped with cinnamon (a traditional Dominican dessert similar to rice pudding but made with cornmeal).

I took breakfast at Veranda al fresco, dining under an umbrella on a deck with sweeping views of the ocean. The deck is bordered by lush green trees, and birds chirp overhead to the slight breeze off the water. The menu features standard continental fare as well as Dominican specialties like grilled bananas and strong Dominican coffee.

The Veranda Restaurant, site of the cocktail hour

• Wedding Size: Up to 300 people; only one wedding performed daily

• Extra Fees and Restrictions: At least 20 rooms need to be booked in order for a wedding to be held; the couple must book a package and one of the set menu options; 20-percent booking deposit required in order to reserve the ceremony and reception space.

• Wedding Packages: The standard wedding package, the "all-inclusive package," costs $685 to $760 per person, and it covers just about everything -- two nights' stay for all guests in a Junior Suite, a wedding on the beach and a five-course dinner reception overlooking the beach, decorations, flowers, transfer to and from the airport for the couple, a breakfast buffet, a minister's fee and wedding certificate, one bottle of champagne for the bridal toast, and a cake; alternative packages range from $1,410 to $4,290.

• Ceremony Locations: The garden, the deck, the beach (which is in view of other guests at other resorts, mind you), and the gazebo (the most popular choice)

• Reception Locations: The cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres is typically held at the Veranda Restaurant and the reception is either held at the gazebo (up to 50 people) or on the beach under a white tent (over 50 people, and the tent comes at an additional cost).

• Food: If you don't opt for the all-inclusive package: hors d'oeuvres range from $22 to $40; buffets from $85 per person; three-course dinners from $75 per person; five-course dinners from $105 per person.

• Drinks: An open bar with domestic beer and liquor costs $28 for the first hour, $22 for each additional hour (per person); imported costs $50 for the first hour and $45 for each each additional hour (per person).

• Photographers and Videographers: Photo packages start at $400 for 24 8-by-6 photos and videography starts at $499. Outside photographers and videographers are permitted at no additional cost (unlike at most resorts in the D.R.).

• Music: Options range from a DJ ($800), to a pianist ($300 for two hours), to a jazz band ($1,400 for two hours), to a Caribbean guitar trio costs ($250 for two hours). Outside bands are not permitted.

• Cake: Included in the standard package; choice of caramel, pineapple, vanilla, chocolate, and a host of other flavors

• Spa Treatments: Manis/pedis, massages, hair styling, facials, body wraps, and makeup is all available at the on-site spa.

• Honeymoon Suite: With the standard package, couples get upgraded to a Deluxe Suite, which includes a king-size bed, an ocean view, and a large living room.

• Airport Transportation: About a $30 to $35 taxi from Puerta Plata International Airport, one-way