Casa del Mar Lodge Barahona

I had a horrible experience at this restaurant. The food was uncooked, extremely nasty, and the coffee was just as bad. The manager displayed extreme unprofessionalism and rudeness, showing no interest in addressing my concerns about the food's quality and the restaurant's cleanliness. Their only concern seemed to be collecting payment, not the deplorable state of the meal they served. With the owner away in Italy, the staff appeared utterly clueless about proper customer service, seemingly more interested in overcharging American and European tourists. This establishment desperately needs a health inspection and should be avoided at all costs. A complete rip-off and a place to steer clear from!

I absolutely loved it here. I'll start with the only negative thing to note for me, was that food at the restaurant took a little long to come out BUT I understood it was because the chef was in there alone working on all the orders. It was really cool to be able to see in the kitchen and watch him prepare the food. The food was delicious and the free breakfast was perfection. I highly recommend the pasta plates and the seafood. The rooms where really big and the beds super comfortable. I enjoyed the organic wood all over the room and I was so excited to have hot water after weeks without hot water. The view from the rooms to the beach and the yard are immaculate. I could wake up every day there. If you're not accustomed to mosquito nets and sleeping with a fan or the breeze from the trees and ocean, might not be for you. But if you're looking for a more traditional eclectic spot, this is it. The beach is literally two minutes. Quite and private. I never wanted to get out. I wish we could've stayed longer but I plan on coming back. I loved it so much, I'm hoping to plan my wedding here.

Barahona offers many wonderful experiences but this establishment is not one of them. Some Background: - My family is from Barahona, I've been visiting the area for over 30 years, my family and I speak Spanish with native fluency. - As commonly practiced in the area, visitors are welcomed to visit and enjoy a day pass at many of the local hotels and villas. A reserved minimum consumption is generally required in some places. This is a common practice, but not what we experienced here. Our Experience: We visited the Casa Del Mar Lodge on a Sunday afternoon seeking to spend the afternoon with family and friends. In total, we were a group of 11 plus our driver. Upon arrival we were informed of the following policies by their staff: A) Price Gouging: A minimum consumption of $1,500 pesos per person was required. (Note: "Playa Azul" has no minimum, and "Oasis Hotel" has a $500 pesos minimum.) We had 9 adults in our group, and as a result would have had to spend $13,500 pesos or $257 dollars. This would have been fine had we arrived earlier that day, and planned on spending a few hours. However, we arrived at 5:00pm looking to spend 2 hours. The confusing part, is that it would have been physically impossible for us to spend the $13,500 pesos in two hours, because their menu items aren't priced accordingly. While it tries to portray itself as luxury experience, it is managed and operated like a budget level inn. Don't let the glass enclosures and architectural decor fool you. B) Poor Management: If you use the pool, you are not allowed to come into the restaurant wet (this is normal and understandable). What confused us, is that they do not serve food or drinks by the pool. Thus, placing us in a catch-22 where we could not use the pool, or have a drink at the same time. I know this doesn't make sense, but it was what we experienced (Note; there was no language barrier or room for misunderstanding). It gets worse: Due to the price gouging and poor management policies; we decided to go to Playa Azul (Highly recommended). However, as we all boarded our private transport bus; we noticed that our driver was outside talking with a lady. Our driver later informed us that this lady is the manager of the establishment, and was accusing us of stoping by their hotel to have a child use a bathroom. This means we had 11 people enter their facility, unload their luggage, and inquire about the facility all for the sole purpose of using a bathroom. As you can imagine, this solidyfied our bad experience and compounded the proof of inept management. C) Deceptive Photos: We've all seen wide angled real estate photos that make spaces look larger than they really are. The photos taken at this facility are of a similar kind. Upon entering the pool area, the space is quite restrictive. Furthermore, I agree with other reviews that the place looks poorly maintained. One of the issues with white pools and walls, is that they requi