We've spent two wonderful vacations at Hotel Alisei, which is much more than just a beach front hotel. Its amenities, style, and high level of service (especially considering its low price!!) makes Alisei truly one-of-a-kind.

Its location in Las Terrenas is ideal-- it's close to the town's restaurants and nightlife, but is only steps from the ocean, and a few minutes' walk to one of the loveliest stretches of beach. Having explored the rest of the area, we found this beach to be our favorite, with lots of space to lay out and calm waters to swim.

The hotel itself is gorgeous, with a modern, bright style that sets it apart from the other hotels in the area. The pool area and grounds are impeccably maintained. Palm trees and lush tropical flowers give the impression of seclusion. We stayed in a two-bedroom/ two-bath apartment with two floors, a cute kitchen, and a very large terrace.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the staff is incredibly friendly and provide fantastic, individualized service.

We will definitely return!

We selected Hotel Alisei based on its Trip Advisor reviews and were not disappointed. Mind you, this is not a luxury experience, but it is a great place to stay for a mellow week in the sun, and with the low prices and friendly service, it's an excellent value.

Location:
The Hotel is well located just across a little dirt road from the beach. It's a 10-15 minute walk from the majority of the town's little restaurants and 15-25 walk away from the main town. The front desk was helpful in arranging taxis for us when they were needed to get to the airport or El Limon. Important to note is that the beach is very small and although pretty, is not nearly as attractive as many Caribbean beaches or even the nearby Playa Bonita. There is a lot of sea grass in the ocean on this part of the beach, so it's not great for swimming. Playa Bonita is a short motococho ride away and is quite lovely for sunning or swimming. The roads are bumpy and there is not a ton to do in this town, so this is definitely a place to go for relaxation more than entertainment.

Quality of facilities:
Quality was high, especially considering how relatively undeveloped much of Las Terranas is. The pool area is lovely with comfy, cushioned sun chairs, and their are 20 or so beach loungers on the small beach across from the hotel. We had some problems with our key card, but they were solved quickly. The on-site restaurant is lovely if a bit overpriced for what it offers. That holds true for nearly all the restaurants in town (first world prices but merely so so food at most), so Barronda's prices were not a big surprise. We had been excited to try the spa, but you have to call someone outside of the hotel to make arrangements and find out prices, and we never got motivated to do it.

Our room was spacious and well appointed with 2 TVs, a patio, full kitchen, and king bed. One warning, somehow mosquitoes were getting into our room and we got bitten nearly to death our first night. Bring bug spray and be wary of any cracked windows or doors.

Service:
We were a bit frustrated by a workman making a lot of noise outside of our room 2 mornings in a row at 9:30 am, but when we complained, he was promptly asked to stop what he was doing.
The front office was consistently friendly and helpful, making calls to help us make arrangements and help us find our lost camera.

Other:
We were expecting crowds given it's high season in the Caribbean, but Las Terranas as a whole was fairly empty and quiet. Not sure why that was the case other than it being a bit hard to get to. We enjoyed the peace and quiet, but those looking for nightlife will be disappointed. The bars/clubs are there but they were largely empty.

We were looking for a place in Las Terrenas and found Hotel Alisei on tripadvisor. Had great results, emailed hotel a few times with questions. They answered all emails promptly, place sounded great. When we got there, this impression did not change.

Check-in was a breeze. They always seem to have someone at the desk that speaks English, although Italian and Spanish seemed to be the preferred languages there. They gave us the lay of the land and keys to the room and we were all set.

Rooms were very roomy with bottled water, stove top (no stove or microwave), fully equipped silverware and dishes. Plenty of pots and pans to cook in. Full size refrigerator to store food and leftovers.

Bathroom had a bidet and hair dryer. Shower is walk-in type, no tub. Layout of bathroom could use some improving, but for a week, it was fine. Plenty of room in there, just the layout suffered.

Only slight issue was we were told it would be $40-50US from El Catey to hotel. Turned out at airport, all cab drivers were saying its $60 and nobody budged. We paid the money and that was that. Hard way to start the trip, but not the worst thing.

Meals at restaurant were hard since we only speak English and they had not translated menu yet. Very few people in restaurant speak any English. We were told they just translated the menu as we were leaving. The food we managed to order was excellent and very fresh.

Overall, we were extremely happy with our stay there. Everyone was always smiling and saying Hola when we passed them. Any request for more water, toilet paper, etc was quickly taken care of. Would easily stay here again on next visit.

We stayed in the penthouse studio which is more than adequate for 2 if you dont need a kitchen. We paid $100 a night which was great value, the accomodation was well equiped and we liked the sterilised water cooler machine inside the room, nice and welcome touch. Rooms cleaned daily and to a high standard.

Location is good as its nearer the better beaches than some other hotels earlier up on the strip.

In general you need to check your change when paying the bill in DR but more so in this place as the staff were a little bit cheeky at times in the restuarant!


Rav