I had a blast at Villas Jazmin. Puerto Plata is secluded, private village situated in a lagoon with a lot of expensive mansions nearby. I was there in January and the greenery and the flowers were in abundance. The water is light green and warm even at this time of the year. There are barely any waves, so swimming is great. The villas are very comfortable and clean. The staff is the friendliest i've ever experienced. The food is plenty and very fresh and flavorful. At the front desk, I booked trips to coffee plant, fruit plantations, caves, etc. Villas Jazmin is RCI only resort, so I met a lot of people from Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia, and other countries.

Arrival at Puerto Plata airport – There were 4 more flights arriving at the same time,12/24/05 at 2:30 pm , and the line for immigration was extremely long. First we had to stay in a line to buy the immigration card: $ 10. Secondly we had to wait in the line for the immigration officer. It took around 45 minutes to go through the process.

Taxi – It is $ 40 from the airport to Villas Jazmin. The cab vehicle was dirty, with no AC. The one-way taxi trip from Villas Jazmin to Puerto Plata is $ 17 and two-way trip is $ 25.

Accommodation – RCI told us this was a 4 star hotel! What a joke! Please do your due diligence and research before you exchange your weeks/points through RCI so you do not have to have similar experience we had. This was absolutely the worst accommodation we had in the last twenty years. Villas Jazmin is not a resort, and it is not a hotel. The reception is inside a little office with entrance from the street. The only entrance to the complex is through the one and only restaurant / bar. The unit is one level. The windows on the unit are small and ceiling is low. Once inside the unit we had the feeling we were in the basement. For the first time we entered the unit there was a weird smell that eventually we got used to. The unit we were in has the air conditioning but it only works when you lock the door from inside. You have to buy purified water, $ 2 per container, since it is not wise to wash the teeth with tap water. We did not have hot water for two days. There is no shampoo in the bathroom. We only got two hotel-size soaps for the entire stay.

Food – The RCI confirmation states that one can buy the meal plan, breakfast and dinner, at the rate of US 160 per week per person. We were charged US 213 per week per person. The quality of food and choice was terrible.

Safety - Villas Jazmin is inside the semi-gated community. It is relatively safe inside the gate during the day, however all houses have the metal bars on every single window for safety reason. The villas have an armed guard during the night. We paid additional US 15 to have the safe in the unit.

Bugs and pest – I found some strange, small, flat, speedy bug in the bed after couple of dozens of bites on my legs. On the street nearby the villas I saw a rat run over by a car.

Trip to Puerto Plata – Do not go, there is nothing to see except poverty.

Beach – Beach is 4 blocks from the complex. The old, broken beach chairs charge is $ 1.5 per chair per day. You also have to deposit $ 5 for a beach towel. Water is clean and warm. The space for swimming is limited due to the huge rocks in the water.

Tips - The last night of our stay we got two envelops with our name on it to place a tip for the restaurant staff and for the housekeepers.

Overall – It was horrible, see pictures. Would not recommend it to anyone.

The Dominican Republic is gorgeous and the beaches in the area are not over-crowded. The property of Club Villas Jazmin is well maintained and is clean. Do not expect to arrive at a hotel that is standard of the United States. The cleaning staff is fantastic, but the rooms are a bit run-down: old pillows and beds, cracked tile and some broken furniture. The restaurant at Villas Jazmin is good, we ate there almost every night because the food was so good. The staff at Villas Jazmin seems to be "spotty" at best. We witnessed several occasions of the staff offering to go out of their way for the other guests (ie: making special meals or arrangements), however, we did not receive this kind of treatment. We are aged early 30's and did not bring our children with us, we observed that typically the older guests or those with children were given "special treatment" by the staff. We were treated with a quiet disdain, which was unexpected, since we read such wonderful reviews about this resort. That being said, we were in the Dominican Republic to experience the land and the culture...and we did do that. The excursions that were planned were fantastic. We highly recommend the Jungle Safari...you will need to be in relatively good shape and be able to swim, but the experience is well worth it. Be prepared to barter for EVERYTHING...even in the grocery stores. We recommend that you take some time to learn a few words and phrases in Spanish and familliarize yourself with the conversion rates into Pesos before going. This country survives mainly on the tourism dollars and you will be taken advantage of if you do not understand how much things cost.

Warm, Friendly and Caring @ CLUB VILLAS JAZMIN

Got back 2 1/2 weeks ago March 22.
Hope to go back this Aug. (gotta go back)
I was impressed with how Helene manages it all and how
Professional and Caring each and every Staff Member is.

Compliments to the Chef.
Talk to Bill about the wonders of time share.
Thanks Bill see ya soon.
Excursions to do.
Beaches to enjoy but in need of grooming

Brugal Extra Viejo Rum and Chinola (passion fruit juice)!!,
Presidente Beer. Dancers, Singers, Cigar Night
I didn't have a chance to go to Barba Negro Bar nearby etc.
I can go on and on - another time perhaps

15th trip in as many years - 1st time at CLUB VILLAS JAZMIN

PS. I hope they were able to convince Luci the
Massotherapist from a neighbouring complex (exceptional)
to set up shop on prem ..... Then What a SPA.!

Don M