Hotel/Casino
$109 per night
Restaurants, Disc, Bar, Large Pool

This is the worst Renaissance - really, any Marriott high-end property - I've ever been in. Without a doubt. The staff are dumbest fuckers I've ever met and while the rooms are ok, they're subpar - dirty carpets, musty smell from the AC units, that sort of thing. Very, very chica unfriendly - the first thing the dumbass told me at checkin was "even though you're Platinum we still can't allow guests upstairs". That's not a major deal - I'm uncomfortable in real 3rd world spots in letter hookers in my room because even though they might not steal my shit who knows what they'll steal from the room and put me on the hook. But, I don't like the upfront nature of it.

This place is a putaria downstairs - hookers in the bar, in the coffee shop, all around the casino. I guess they feel that if they let the girls upstairs the whole place would turn into a bordelo.

All of one person I've met who works here speaks much English, and I've had three fights so far over shit that I was told was in my rate - buffet breakfast and free internet - they tried to charge me for. The dumb cunt at the restaurant this morning said "yes, the breakfast in the concierge lounge is in your rate, not here" "I'm Platinum, I get the concierge lounge for free" "Yes, that's your free breakfast" that kind of shit.

For all you New Yorkers on the board who think the Dominicans in NYC are stupid motherfuckers, you should see them on their home turf. I'm used to getting the "gringo I'm your friend, let me steal from you" on the streets but this is the second Marriott property in Santo Domingo where I felt the hotel was trying to fuck with me. Nowhere else on this planet have I had this feel from a Marriott property.

RT here. As much as I can't stand the Jaragua (dirty, noisy, ugly hookers and rude employees in the casino -- and those are the good points), I've got to hand it to them: they threw a hell of a Super Bowl Party tonight.

Instead of the sports bar, they outfitted the theater with three projection TV screens and filled the place with tables. Admission was 500 pesos, which was deducted from your check. You got a free plate of wings and incredibly attentive service, considering where we were.

The TVs stayed on the whole game, the Giants won, and our check was only 1,030 pesos -- 30 pesos after the admission deduction. And the Giants won.

I'm going to lower my feelings about this place from Hate to Strongly Dislike.

Glad you had a great environment in which to watch the big game. It beat my superbowl experience here at home with my cat who decided to "think outside the box" at halftime. Most of my energy was spent looking for my cellphone and did not really enjoy the game that much.

Halftime was pretty lame. Tom Petty has never really done much for me. But I no longer get him confused with Martina Navratilova since he grew the beard.

(Message edited by EyesRight on August 21, 2008)