Everything was amazing. Velero Beach Resort on the eastern end of town was the best hotel - 4 stars. The staff was excellent -especially Jose at the front. Breakfast on the beach front - so-so - but at least you're on overlooking the ocean and it was included in the room. You don't have to fight for chairs in the morning around the infinity pool and their are beds/canopy's overlooking the ocean - can't beat it!! It's the last hotel on the "beach strip" so it's quiet but 5 minute walk to all the restaurants/nightlife. Also - very close to Janet's supermarket. Very clean, helpful hotel - worth every penny!

Restaurant - Casanova has a great happy hour 5-6 50% off pizza/pasta beer. Great happy hour at Lux as well. Both have great atmosphere and feet in the sand:)
the best restaurant is Ali's fish camp - great steak and seafood - great prices. Ask where it is - a little confusing to get to.

Iguana Mama - very helpful. Whalewatched and went Cascading. Cascading totally worth it - up to 30ft jumps so a little scary - and only $75. Whalewatching I would pass on. If staying in Cabarete it's a 3 hour drive to Semana and you have to get up at 5:30am. Only saw 1-3 whales - not too exciting and not worth the money - $125.

Must try kitesurfing if you have time. Allot 3 days to learn and enjoy it.

Overall - very laid back town and cost effective!!! Love the weather and the people.

Enjoy

This was the 3rd time that I took a small group (36 persons, 25 rooms) for a week-long conference at the Velero. My group members loved the location (each room/suite faces the ocean), the nice Caribbean decor, the friendliness of the staff, and very nice food (we had all our breakfasts and lunches at the resort). I enjoyed dealing with Mario Magnan, the general manager, who is a real great problem-solver and sets the tone for the entire property. One of my group members said to me that one really discovers the quality of the property when something goes wrong and the management has to react. In our case, whenever there was something wrong (a stuck lock, or a/c stopped working in the room), the maintenance came running to help within minutes. I already made a reservation to return with a group next January - and also for a wedding later this year. One caveat - the conference room is smallish, and can seat only about 27 persons conference-style.

My family and I stayed here over the Christmas break. 16 of us, from ages 83 to 4. We had 4 superior suites (floor plan is on their website.) From Check in to Check out, the service was superb. We had wanted to have a special Christmas dinner, which they provided in their beautiful beach bar/restaurant. The food was so good and priced decently that the hotel provided it 2 more times during our stay. The Chef makes a great chicken dinner in coconut sauce

The rooms all face the ocean. The pool is right outside all the rooms. Going out to the pool, we felt like it was ours. it was close, comfortable and plenty of chairs, lounges for all. the beach of Cabarete is long and beautiful; velero is located on one end. it means a 10 minute walk (walk on the beach, not on the road-the main road is a mess in cabarete) to the center of town.

The rooms were clean, the kitchens were adequate for our needs (and included a powerful blender to make Bahama Mama's) We made breakfast and lunch in our kitchens for our group but you can buy breakfast and lunch right at the resort. Also there is a small restaurant right across from the lobby. A grilled chicken lunch costs $3. Also there is a breakfast lunch place, Claro's, right next to the grocery store, 2 minutes away.

Security is excellent at the hotel. There is a guard on duty on all times, making sure that no peddlers bother you at the pool. There are safes in the room. The place is quite small so you don't have to worry about someone getting into your room while you are at the pool.

The place is 20 minutes away from Puerto Plata airport. ($30-35 cab ride) 100 minute taxi ride from Santiago ($80-90) The hotel will arrange a cab to meet you.

If you have any questions before your arrival, the hotel staff will respond promptly to all emails. WiFi is available at the hotel; The wifi service wasn't good in our rooms but fine if we walked out to the pool

We initially were booked at the Coconut Palms Resort. We won't even get into what a mess that place was. After consulting the locals and the phone book we found the Valero. It literally saved our trip. Rooms were clean and nice as was the staff. Restaurants and clubs were a short walk down the beach. If we ever go back I can't imagine staying anywhere but at the Valero.