Catalonia Gran так себе Catalonia Gran so-so

Just returned. Family (three people) in the Dominican Republic was the first time. And last. About the Catalonia Gran Dominicus. Would not recommend to friends. Pros: nice sandy beach with palm trees, lots of space and sun loungers, beautiful (albeit shallow) sea, fairly large well-groomed green area, good food and service in the restaurant, high-quality undiluted beer Cons: old rooms (decrepit broken doors, rattling air-conditioning, old plumbing, occasional smell from the drain hole in the shower, there is practically no hot water during peak hours). And it’s not specifically we were not lucky - at least two more families (from America and Germany) with whom we communicated there had the same numbers. There is nothing much to do in the evening - there is nothing interesting nearby outside the hotel, the animation is creative, but the show is only in Spanish and their peculiar English, there is not a single Russian channel on TV either. And a special "decoration" of the hotel - every weekend Dominicans come there to relax with numerous families. From Friday to Sunday, the noise, bustle, queues and gluttony in the restaurant, the fullness of the beach, pool, sea and the only (! ) bar increase sharply in the hotel. On the third day of rest on Sunday evening, the flimsy door was wrung out in our room and some valuable things were taken out, which we did not consider it necessary to put in the safe (there were passports and most of the money in the safe). Judging by the reaction of the hotel employees and the tourist police, it is in the order of things there (and don't yawn! ). By the way, I would like to say a big and sincere THANK YOU to the representative of Natalie Tours in that area, Tatyana - she spent quite a lot of time on us in this situation and helped in communicating with the police. But this is a separate story… From the general impressions, the majority of Dominicans are lazy indifferences, very selfish and freedom-loving, and therefore unwilling to strain themselves, in particular, to work. Expensive gasoline and quite expensive excursions. And just in case, for those who go for the first time - when we have summer, there is a rainy season. Four days of our vacation were ruined by the weather. And the repellent does not hurt - in the evening mosquitoes are small, but biting. Our summary - for a family holiday, there are countries with light sand and palm trees closer, more comfortable, and with the best price-quality ratio.