Villas Jazmin will appeal to a select number of travelers. The hotel is in a residential neighborhood and is about 4 blocks from the beach. I noticed several people said it was two, but they must live in cities with really long blocks. There are no ocean breezes to keep things cool or mosquitos and other insects at bay. The rooms or villas are clean but basic. The furnishings are the typical local stuff and have about as much charm as the furniture you could buy at Wal-Mart. The AC only works when you're in the room. There is a closet but no dresser. The staff are not overly friendly but respond positively when approached. Let me be clear that they were not in any way rude. They just weren't weren't particularly friendly with the exception of that Bill guy. He seemed to be a cruise director kind of guy.

The beach is something to behold on weekends. At least on Sunday, we arrived late Saturday night. It is a popular locals spot and it draws a huge crowd. Lot's of music blaring out of speakers mounted on cars, lots of partying. Everyone having a good time. Monday morning it's like a ghost town with just the trash left behind to tell the tale. Really, there is NOBOBDY there. As another reviewer said, it's very Gilligan's Island as you feel like you could be there for years and no one would ever know. (Not sure where the bathroom facilities were) The beach is okay. It reminds me of the beaches at Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The one big difference is the this beach does not have a nice sand bottom. I'm not sure if it's coral or old lava but you would need some sort of footwear.

We tried one of the local restaurants and were quite disappointed to be served frozen fish. Hello. the ocean is about 200 yards away. Cab fare to Puerto Plata is $40USD round trip. There is a tour each day, or at least on weekdays.

So to sum up, if you're going to Dominican for a beach vacation, you should look at another resort. Kids would be bored to tears here. To my knowledge there were no water sports equipment (ie boogie boards) available. If you're looking to get away, and I mean AWAY, from it all you might like this place. We were absolutely bored and moved to a hotel on Cabrete Beach after two days. We loved it there.

Villas Jazmin is the perfect place for those seeking a quiet, relaxing vacation. It is not a four star hotel with all the amenities, but a small residence with plenty of charm.

We stayed in a one bedroom villa which had a couch, kitchen table with chairs, refridgerator and a microwave. Cable tv and a DVD player along with a CD player were also provided. Each section has its own private pool area with a main pool located at the Villas Jazmin restaurant/bar.

Two blocks from the beach which can only be described as a Gilligan's Island scene. It is quiet during the week and on the weekends locals will come to the beach with music and food to relax.

Do not expect soft, white sand. The beach is protected by a coral reef which prevents rough waters from breaking down the seashells. However, the water is warm and clear. Carlos, the beach boy, will provide you with beach chairs for a little over $1 US per chair per day.

The nightlife consists of several local bars providing happy hours and karoke. The scene will not be like spring break given that most of the Villas Jazmin visitors are older than 35.

Each day there are excursions leaving the hotel for those wanting to do more than lie on the beach. I recommend the Jeep Safari tour.

There is the optional food plan for $160 per person for the week which includes your breakfast and dinner. While the food is excellent, many repeat visitors opted not to do the food plan. Costambar provides many restaurants with great food for cheap prices. The most I spent on a meal was $10 US.

The community is safe to walk around and explore during the day and night. I would highly recommend this for families or couples looking to have fun and relax.

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.