So I'm not alone in my story
So it seems that Mr E and Charles Pooter both had an encounter with my mute lady in the DR. Yes fellas, that is indeed her and I have to admit that I'm surprised that she's been around that long. Her body is still pretty tight.
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Let's hear it for the Sosua Bay Beach Club. Not sure about that!
Just thought I would add a quick review of the Sosua bay beach club complex here since several guys here on the last few pages going on about how great it is. I have stayed there 3 times this year, in February for 2 weeks and again this September first for a week and once I returned from Santo Domingo, for another 10 days. Firstly, it does have a great location, views, a great breakfast, the pool is fine, and some of the front desk staff are very helpful. However, on the downside, they have frequent total power cuts, which are bad enough when you are in your room, but when they happen when you are casually running down the stairs outside at night, and suddenly fall into total darkness, they are downright dangerous! The water in the shower also ran cold and even cut out completely several times during my stay there, which was a total pain when it happens when you're trying to get out of the room for the day. A fellow visitor told me the reason why they have frequent power cuts is because they only have their own generators to rely on. They are not connected to the Dominican power grid because a while back they were caught stealing from it, and are now banned from using it.
The worst thing about this hotel is the following though. On my first stay there this September I had a good room in building 5, however when I returned a week later was told this was full and had a smaller room in building 6. On returning to my room a couple of times and turning on the lights, I saw cockroaches scrambling to disappear between the cracks. I told the front desk, who did send somebody straight away to fumigate my room. However the damage was done, I cannot deal with the likelihood of cockroaches appearing at any moment. I had asked to change again back to building 5, top floor (where the rooms are larger as there are no balconies). I was promised such a room within 2 days by the front desk staff and reminded them, and was assured several times this would be available. However when it came the day to change the manager tried to convince me all these rooms were full, even thought the cleaning lady had shown me they were empty. What had really happened was that he had already promised the rooms to other American guys arriving later that same day, and they had all tried to just bullshit me. I cannot deal with liers and people taking me for an ignorant tourist. Only after wasting over 4 hours of my time going back and forth to the front desk, having to tear them new ones and making enemies out of at least two of them, did the manager finally relinquish and give me the room I had been promised. I can be very good at arguing when I need to be, but this is not what I go on vacation for! However, this incident left a really bad taste in my mouth, and because of this and the cockroach incidents (I also saw several huge one's dying outside my room in the morning several times) , I doubt very much I will be returning. On top of this, the head of security has dumped his crashed car right outside the beach entrance, which looks terrible and gives a rotten impression of the hotel (photo's attached). What else, well the elevator was out of order, as was the one going up to the gym at the Casino next door. You have to walk up 4 flights of stairs instead. I also have my concerns about security there, once a group of 3 American guys (who were not guests there) were allowed through the beach entrance without showing any I'd's, as they said they wanted to go to the reception and could not be bothered walking up the hill outside again. Twice also guys were allowed to bring in chicas without showing any I'd's in the early morning hours, they were asked for it but when they protested just kept going and were not stopped. There is no internet available in the rooms either, and the signal only works fleetingly in some very extreme corners of the outside patio. If you are not all-inclusive (ie just paying 50 USD per day) , you cannot even buy a drink at the bar uptsairs or a snack at the bar on the ground floor. However the local Dominican patrons, (who basically take over the hotel on the weekend and the pool area turns from dead to a cacophony of noise) , only pay around 60 USD for all-inclusive, and can eat and drink as much as they want for this price! So, let's hear it for the Sosua bay beach club? Well. Not sure about that !
