We booked this hotel after reading positive reviews which turned out to be overall accurate. Everyone we spoke to had enjoyed their stay at this resort. It was our first time in the D.R. so I use the two previous years holidays in Cuba as a comparison.

Staff
The staff here are the most friendly hotel staff that we have ever meet. They all made an effort to say hello to you and were very polite and helpful. The bar staff were very good and would never let people queue jump. Entertainment staff work very hard and put on 2 weeks of different evening shows.

Rooms
They were cleaned every day and were in decent condition. The T.V. had many chanels but the reception was not that great on many of them. The satelite T.V did not work for the last 4 days of our stay which was a comon problem. Some rooms had T.V. working while others did not.

Pools and jacuzzi
The 3 large jacuzzis on the cliff top are fantastic. You can sit in them with drink and watch the sun set. There were three different size pools and a couple of very small paddle pools for small kids. The pools looked clean enough but the largest pool could get a little noisey and crouded at the weekend .

Beach
There are two very clean and quiet beaches on either side of the hotel. Sosua beach which is only 10min walk is also nice and clean and has better snorkeling.

Food
It won't win any Mitchelin stars but the buffet food was overall better than expected. The three restaurants are a different matter. The mexican is the best but its nothing fantastic. The Italian was very average. The Sea food was diabolical with more than one person we spoke too saying they threw up the sea bass not long after eating it. You just want a grilled fish but you won't get it here with very slimmy fillets served up. Not even Gordon Ramsey could sort this nightmare out.

Bars
There are a number of places to drink with 4 bars near the sea, calipso nightclub and a bar near show amphitheatre.

Tips
Get a cab to and from the airport as its only 10mins away and costs 20 US dollars.Go outside the resort as it is very safe with a number of bars and restaurants. The shop keepers do ask you to go in their shops all the time but just say no and walk past if you don't want the hassle.. If you are travelling from the U.K. let your bank know as almost everyone we spoke to had their cards stopped. We had 3 cards no of which would work. Take some U.S. dollars. The cable car up the mountain is great. Deep sea fishing is cheap but check how many are on the boat as you could find yourself on a boat with 12 people and only 3 fishing seats.

Negatives
Locals do stay at this hotel at weekends. They stay from friday evening until sunday. I am not exaggerating to say there could have been 200 locals stay at the resort on one of the weekends we stayed here. It was like an invasion and the resort was noisey for a couple of days. The buffet and large pool were much busier. It did not ruin our stay and the next weekend had fewer locals stay. Not enough on this resort for very small children. Kids evening shows were often moved from one place to another if they were on at all. Ice cream was only seen once a week but there is a nice ice cream shop to the right of the resort. No fresh orange or any juice for breakfast just squash. Toast machines are slow and rubbish. T.V.s not working.

Recently was at the Casa Marina Reef for 2 weeks with my girlfriend and enjoyed it!! it was our first holiday together and was exactly what we had expected, and that was 3star:) we were happy with our room which was no 2329! it had a tv, phone & air conditioning and was cleaned daily by our cleaner Angela. some people we me out there was not happy with there rooms but luckily we were fine and had no problems. There were power cuts couple time a day but they never lasted long a couple of mins at the most. there are 2 beaches one busy one with all games and stuff going on all day which was fun but we ended up going don to the other quiet beach to catch some rays and relax a little. The food was good and there was lots to choose from and the staff were all very polite and helpfull, there are 3 restrnts which you can book which are the Mexican, italian and Fish Restrnt which was our favrt:) the locals do seem to overcroud the main pool and make some noise fri & saturdays but are harmless and you do have the option of 3 pools and 2 beaches to go to so that wasint a problem for us at all. free drinks are from 10am - 11pm.

My boyfriend and I have just recently come back from a stay a Casa Marina Reef and had a great time, even though having a few teething problems at the start....

When we first arrived at the hotel we were allocated a room that had a really loud generator right next door to the room, it was that loud I could not hear my boyfriend speak if outside the patio door, we got moved to a room above - same noise !! We eventually got moved to the other end of the block but the reception staff were not that keen in doing so and decided at the last minute that we weren't worth a pool side room - made out that it suddenly wasn't available when we had been promised it from another person on reception. My advice is do not believe anything the receptionists tell you and do not leave until you get the problem sorted...we also had no end of problems booking a table for the 3 restaurants - so be adamant and you'll end up not getting as frustrated as us.

Other than that...we loved the Dominican. As others have said definately go on the Paradise Island trip, it is paradise, you don't need your own snorkelling gear as eveything is provided, including lunch. We booked through Mels Tours which is down the road from the hotel, Thomas Cook charge double for the same trip. We also went on a half day trip to the cable car and the rum factory which was good. I would suggest that any trip you go on take plenty of water and a snack to keep you going.

For what we saw of the enterainment it is pretty professional, we went to see the Pirate night and we were pleasantly surprised!

We wanted a relaxing holiday of sitting by the pool, if you want that don't lie by the main pool as that is where the games are played and the music is blaring, the next pool along is a bit quieter apart from occasional kids which mainly belonged to the locals that decended on the hotel at the weekend. We went on the beach for the day and hired boogie boards for free which was great fun.

Food - the food was fine, i think that we would have got bored of it after 2 weeks but was only there for a week. Make sure that you book the italian, fish and mexican restuarants to make a change from the buffet. Breakfast is good, there is a chef who makes you omelettes, fried eggs etc. If you are expecting a full English - go to Spain for your hols!

When you leave the hotel, don't speak to the locals otherwise you will never get rid of them, girls give them a stern look and drag your boyfriend/husband down the road - its the only way!

Things to buy - you can buy Rum for about £3 a bottle, at the amber shop we visited on the half day trip you can haggle for the best price and make sure you do, the flea markets by the beach can get you a good bargain but most of the stalls are the same. If you want Havaianas you can get them everywhere and much cheaper than the UK.

So, overall we had a fantastic time, the weather was very hot, humidy high but pools and Jacuzzis were there to cool you down. My only caution is make sure you stand your ground if you get placed in the 'generator rooms'., you'll know it if you've got one!

Lastly, have a fantastic time!

take a dead cat with you here, when you arrive swirl it around your head and let go, if you miss a chav you get a prize! My God , talk about the great unwashed british public.

However, on the brighter side, the place is situated in a great spot, nice beaches, and the fish restaurant is as good as it gets overlooking the sea. If you dont like chavs, top tip is to wander down to the Sosua beach and enjoy mixing with the locals. Eat in Sosua if you get tired of the stodge in the resort, and take a trip up to cabarete, top 10 beach worldwide (so they say). The Domicans are friendly, but will take your last penny given half a chance so pay 30% of what they ask!.
Also, the horse riding is great fun, stunning backdrops, watch jurassic park if you want a preview, it was filmed there!

So all in all, dead cheap, avoid the chavs in the resort by venturing outside (most dont) and explore.