Vasiliy’s place is as advertised. It took some trying to figure out the stove but mastered it. Beach access was great and we could have been fine without a car. We love to golf but it’s too expensive on this island. We loved the hands off approach to this place and Dominican overall. Some islands pair you with a housekeeper or maid. This place was clean and no one was there to disturb our privacy. Vasiliy responded quickly to every inquiry. While there Alex and Nico were equally responsive and friendly. Thank you!
The apartment was great. Right on the beach no need for flip flops to get to the water. Rooftop setting was nice for star gazing and BBQ. Highly recommend the restaurant called Wacamole and get the crispy pork guacamole. It's on the road heading to the main gate.
I found that using your US dollars to pay for everything worked out better than transferring money into local currency at any of the money exchange places. You get a better conversion rate it was about 45-48 pesos to the dollar. Airport wanted to exchange for 38 pesos for the dollar.
Enjoy!
Anna greeted us early at the property and showed us everything. The beautiful 360 views from the roof top. The large rooms, the patio terrace, and the dining room. It was walking distance to amazing restaurants, and walking distance to the beach.
Cons:
The apartment is right on the beach. Vasiliy, Alex, and Ana are very nice and accommodative. The host replied promptly. The beach is excellent! The apartment is super safe.
Pros:
We thought this was the front apartment unit on the picture, actually, it is not the front one. It is the one by the side. The water from all taps was salty, we asked our host, and he said that is normal since the apartment is right on the beach. It was not easy to get used to the salty water for us.
We had a wonderful time at Vasiliy's.
The house distribution is very private and confortable.
The are is very nice and secure, with a beautiful beach close by the house.
They have restaurant were we had our breakfast every morning at couple steps of the house (Delicious home made mermelada).
Alex when to get us and drive us to the house, he is very friendly and helpful. Explain very well all we need to know about were was the beach, a good supermarket were to shop, local restaurants and bars, etc...
Rooms have air conditioners and the electricity we paid separate however was reasonable....
the beds are extremely confortable, the are is very quiet.
Is a perfect place for family vacations.
We will definitely comeback to Vasiliy property with our eyes close.
If you want to spend a nice vacation in a very nice place, with your family or friends these will be the best place.
Kontakt mit Vaciliy als Gastgeber, die Erreichbarkeit, check in und check out und der Aufenthalt in Vasiliys Haus - alles war PERFEKT ***** Die Anlage, in welcher sich das Haus befindet, ist wunderschön und der schöne Palmen-Strand sehr nah, alle Mitarbeiter sehr nett. Gefrühstückt haben wir in dem schönen, niedlichen Café Joy, was sich ebenfalls in der Anlage befindet. Alles soooooo schön und wir haben uns wirklich super wohl gefühlt und werden wieder kommen 🙂 Vielen Dank für alles! Sehr zu empfehlen.
The location of this condo is great. Steps to the beach and walking distance to some great restaurants and fun places. Vasilly was very helpful and responsive. The place does a have a slight odor but not due to cleanliness- the place is very clean. It is from the outdoors. Just suggest you bring an air freshner if you have a sensitive nose. Otherwise it was awesome.
The apartment is beautiful and just as described. It is right on the beach and the view is spectacular. It is spacious, clean, and well-equipped. Restaurants, shops and activities are all within easy walking distance. Vasiliy is very easy to communicate with, and both check-in and check-out went very smoothly. We had a wonderful stay.
This place was really amazing. It is exactly as seen in the pictures. I would definitely recommend especially if you have a group of people. The roof top is also really amazing I would come back here again with a group of 8 and do a little party on the roof. The area is also very vibrant and I felt very safe the entire time. So glad we chose this area over Punta Cana Village which is much more subdued. The rooms were very cost and touches like the iron and ironing boards were really appreciated.
Alex was also amazing we didn't have to bother him much but he provided great information about dealing with the locals and where to go to enjoy the nightlife.
TIPS: Go to the Macao and Drink Point. Also, we rented a car at the airport but had much more fun and felt like we saw more after we got scooters from around the corner to rent.
Vasiliy's apartment complex is a great alternative to staying in a resort - it's literally a 2 minute walk from the Larimar and shares the same beach. If you don't care about some of the resort amenities you'd otherwise have, you can save yourself a pretty penny and still have prime location. There are great restaurants (check out Citrus - amazing) and bars all within walking distance.
The apartment was a bit darker than the photos, but we didn't mind as you don't spend much time there! The two downsides I'd note are that the noise can be quite loud at night - the walls are very thin, and there was a bit of a smell in the bathroom/second bedroom.
The host is wonderful in every regard. He arranged for transportation from and to the airport. His staff greeted us and gave us an overview of the apartment and the area and could not have been friendlier. Whenever we had any problems or questions, the host immediately responded and was willing to do everything in his power to make us happy, including being flexible about our check out time and providing more filtered water upon request.
That being said, I would not recommend this apartment to friends who are visiting the DR. It makes me sad to say this because the host is so welcoming and the location is absolutely ideal. It is directly on the beach and could not be more convenient. The beach chairs and umbrellas are included as well, along with towels that are changed every 3 days.
The problem is the state of the apartment which desperately needs updating. The bedrooms are nice, but you won't see photos of the kitchen or bathroom which are both in states of disrepair. The most unfortunate part was a terrible smell of sewage that comes from the bathroom area and is very strong in the bedroom next to the bathroom. It made it very unpleasant to sleep there.
Because of the state of the kitchen, it's not the kind of place you would want to eat meals. We ate all of our meals out (with the exception of breakfast). As long as we were outside, we were happy, but we did not want to spend any more time than we had to inside the apartment.
The building itself is great and perfectly located. When we checked in, the apartment was not clean, but the host immediately sent a cleaning crew and also sprayed for mosquitos and provided candles since it had recently rained and the apartment was full of mosquitos. That took care of the mosquito problem, so were very grateful. It also addressed the dirty plates and utensils. With no dishwasher, it's difficult to get anything clean because you need to be very careful not to drink the water. The host does provide filtered water for drinking, which is great! All in all, I would recommend this apartment only if you spend all your time on the beach and only use it for sleeping (not enjoying meals). Even then, you need to overlook the state of the kitchen and bathroom and tolerate a bad odor (like sewage) in the bathroom and back bedroom. One final note: it's on the ground floor and often noisy at night. If you are sensitive to this, it's probably not for you.
Apartamento de gran tamaño, posee una terraza inmensa en la parte superior con jacuzzi, parrilla, bar, un tercer nivel con tumbonas para tomar el sol de verdad bastante agradable esta terraza, también posee un gran balcón, en pocas palabras el apartamento es inmenso y esta muy bien cuidado, no me llamó la atención es el edificio donde se encuentra el apartamento me parece desorganizado, algo desordenado, no me género confianza, pero nada de que preocuparse, tiene estacionamiento pero no es fijo la última noche tuve que estacionar afuera, hay un hotel al lado por lo que en las noches entre las 8 y las 10 vas a escuchar música alta si te gusta el ambiente de fiesta esto no será problema, en conclusión tremendo apartamento de gran tamaño tiene todo lo que necesitas para pasar un momento agradable, tiene muy buena ubicación, la comunicación fue excelente desde que reservamos el apartamento muy atentos en especial Anna que fue con la que tuvimos contacto
La ubicación es inmejorable! La vista maravillosa ! El penthouse hermosisimo! Pasamos súper lindo con toda la familia! Ana nos ayudo en todo y Vasily nos respondió siempre al instante! Lo recomiendo sin reservas! Que puedan disfrutar tanto como nosotros! Gracias Vasily , Gracias Ana y a todos los demás!
This was our family's New Year's holiday, and it was a great one thanks to Vasiliy and his assistant Alex who made sure our whole stay went without a hitch.
The great service started with our arrival, when they offered to arrange for our transportation, and so once we got off the plane there was a private driver with a sign waiting to take us to the property. He was very polite and helpful and even kind enough to make a quick stop at a pharmacy before getting to the apartment.
Once we got there, Alex (Vasiliy's assistant) was there to greet us and to inform us that since we got there before check-in time, they were still cleaning the property, but that we could wait in one of the surrounding restaurants while he made sure to take our bags upstairs (beware, it's 3 stories up, no elevator).
After our short wait, we went inside the apartment with Alex and he explained everything and gave us the "grand tour", we exchanged cellphone numbers and he left us to settle in.
From then on everything went smoothly, we really enjoyed the view (absolutely stunning), the comfortable beds and linens, the A/C in every room, and even took advantage of the big TV with Netflix.
The WIFI works very well and it has good speed, just as long as you stay on the top floor. I don't know why, but it wouldn't really reach the downstairs bedrooms very well. But since we really didn't have any real need for it, it did not pose a big problem for us... Just something to keep in mind.
But overall, we only had a couple of mishaps where the water in the apartment was cut-off for a little while due to issues in plumbing that were out of Alex's and Vasiliy's control. But nevertheless, they BOTH acted as fast as possible, and made sure it was all sorted out as quickly as they could. So it was not a big deal.
They also offered a cleaning service (at an additional cost) which we used twice during our week-long stay, and we were pretty satisfied with it.
The place is incredibly well located, with all sorts of shops, restaurants, beach clubs and attractions just a short walk away. The beach is mere steps away from the apartment, and there are sun-chairs available which come in really handy. There's also a private pool you can use just as long as you order something from the bar (I would recommend the local beer: Presidente).
The beach is super calm and family-friendly, and on top of that, there are no big waves so my nieces (9 y/o and 1.5 y/o) really enjoyed it.
Over all, it was a GREAT stay and we would definitely come back to Vasiliy's property, no question about it.
Thanks again for everything! We had an amazing time!
Excellent 5 star location steps from a wonderful beach and great restaurants! Loved the local people - very friendly. Great host communications, always a timely response. However, the place itself is maybe a 2 star - was not as clean and luxurious as depicted.
My wife and 3 children had a great time for 2 weeks over Christmas at Vasiliy's place. The apartment is in a very safe location - we never felt threatened or unsafe in any way while in the gated community. The apartment is just like the pictures show. As others have said, the patio/deck is very nice and spacious - we used the grill frequently. The apartment had all the amenities we needed for the week. We had an issue upon arriving at the airport in Punta Cana with our car rental, which we made over a month before the trip. Even though we had a confirmed reservation with National, when we arrived at the counter there was an irate customer in front of us who told us he was being told they had no cars available in stock. After an hour of him arguing with them, they gave him a much smaller car at double the rate of what he was quoted. We had tons of luggage, so that was not an option for us. We ended up after 2 hours, taking a taxi to Vasily's place. I contacted our travel department and we made another reservation through National with the Down Town Punta Cana office. Same frustrating scenario, despite a confirmed reservation they had no cars in stock. Being there for 2 weeks we definitely needed a car rental (unless you plan on just going to the swimming pool and playing golf, you do need a car rental to visit the beaches or other attractions). This is where Vasiliy's assistant, Ana was such a great help. She arranged for a local car rental for us (even though it was a very small car that had clearly been in a fender bender or two - and a cracked windshield, it allowed us to get around where we needed). The weather was gorgeous every day for 2 weeks. It is very hot during the day and you definitely need the air conditioning on at night, but we kept it on most of the time, along with the fans. Also used the washing machine a few times. You have to heat the water before if you want a hot shower and remember to turn it off since it uses a lot of electricity. We probably maxed out on the amount of electricity you could use and it was quite expensive (worked out to $280 for 14 days or exactly $20 per day - again this would be a maximum...I had read in other reviews most people spent less than $10 per day) I golfed twice ($140 green fees, $55 cart rental, $55 for club rentals), so not something I could do more than a few times. Golf course is very nice, in great shape and would be a great place to go if you were going for a golf vacation. The mall close by has a lot of what you need including a grocery store that has most things you would...
This is the second time my family has stayed at Los Corales, but the first time we stayed at one of Vasiliy’s properties. I would like to note that we are exceptionally familiar with the area, as well as some of the “quirks” that are just part of life in the Dominican Republic, like occasional water/power outages. Pros: The information in the listing for this property has been updated since the time when we booked it (about 6 months before our arrival), which makes guests aware of important factors that we personally would have liked to have known prior to booking. We understand that listing a property on AirBnb is a learning process, and we appreciate the effort to be more transparent with guests in the future. If you don’t care about an ocean view, this property is fine. Cons: This apartment is farther from the beach than a 3 minute walk. It is much closer to the front gate of the property than the ocean. The day after we arrived, we pointed out several maintenance issues that were mostly resolved, but some that were not. The TVs in the two bedrooms either do not work at all or have very, very poor quality, which is misleading because television with cable is included in the list of amenities. Even so, it’s unreasonable that the issues existed before we arrived and we had to request that they be fixed. The washing machine does not work, and if you want any cleaning other than changed linens every 3 Days, there is a fee. Furthermore, we were told that the ride from the airport would be $35, but were then told the next day that we needed to pay an additional $10 because of a “mix up”. Perhaps the most troubling issue for me as someone who enjoys traveling with AirBnb because it allows me to stimulate the local economies of the places I visit and support local people financially instead of large corporations is how this host portrays local Dominican people. It’s no secret to those who have visited the DR for any period of time that it is an impoverished country and people who are native to the country have to work very hard just to get by. Tourism is huge, and truly the lifeblood of the local economy. It’s also common knowledge that the only people who can afford to buy rental property for the most part are Americans and Europeans who come here to benefit from the tourism industry. I take no issue with that. What I do take issue with is being told that local Dominican people who work selling excursions to tourists like myself are all “pirates” who cannot be trusted because they will cheat you and lie to you. I know from personal experience that among these merchants there are good people who work all day, every day to earn an honest living and who rely on this business to feed their families. In many cases,...
As does not often happen, this place definitely exceeded expectations ... and the expectations were very high. The entire front of the condo is glass looking out over a beautiful palm lined beach. Just walking out the front door placed you on the sand of the beach in an excellent location for any activity. The owner was very responsive and in spite of a couple of small Inherently Dominican challenges, they made everything perfect. It is an incredibly relaxing place to just sit and watch the world pass by. The pictures are accurate and nothing disappointed us in any way. The condo was very well stocked and since we did most of our meals at the house, it was great to have everything you needed to prepare any meal.
The rooms were clean and comfortable and we just couldn't get over the view from the spacious front room. We enjoyed every minute there and look forward to another visit soon. This is one to remember.
The location of this place can't be beat! It is literally a minute away from the ocean which is just a big plus and the main reason we chose it. It made up for a lot of what I am about to share below.
I should also note that the host was very communicative during the booking process and his contact person, Anna, was very hospitable and attentive during our stay. Niko, the maintenance person was wonderful as well.
During our 3 day stay we had several issues though. On the first day there was some sort of neighbor dispute that got REALLY UGLY and we wound up right in the middle of that fight because a neighbor left her car double parked and we could not get into our spot. It sucked because she saw us, left to go to her own place and get away from the conflict, left us right in the middle and we basically had to wait for her to come back and move her car.
That night we also had issues turning on the stove as it is a really old model. We turned on the gas, could hear it running but could not get it to light. The wonderful Niko showed up and showed us the trick to it, but unfortunately it delayed our dinner even more, right after being delayed because of the fight.
The second day, we lost power (which yes, it's not that rare in the DR) but it lasted about 4 hours and delayed eating plans yet again (we had brought groceries and were going to eat in during our stay - another reason we chose a place with a kitchen). When the power went off we also lost water and that one was gone for about 6 hours. We were uncomfortable for hours covered in sand and such and not being able to even rinse off.
We did talk to the host's contact person for this trip throughout all of this and we are aware that some of these things are out of their control. Despite their best intentions and politeness these issues were a big inconvenience and we had to spend a lot of our time there dealing with them.
Its a nice apartment, the view is spectacular, and the rooms are very spacey.
We expected 4 big bed, for 8 people but one of the beds was inflatable, it was ok, but expected a bed for the price we were paying. the cleaning needs a little help but its manageable. The owner and his assistant are very quick to respond to all your needs.
2018-02-03 19:57:14
Vasiliy’s place is as advertised. It took some trying to figure out the stove but mastered it. Beach access was great and we could have been fine without a car. We love to golf but it’s too expensive on this island. We loved the hands off approach to this place and Dominican overall. Some islands pair you with a housekeeper or maid. This place was clean and no one was there to disturb our privacy. Vasiliy responded quickly to every inquiry. While there Alex and Nico were equally responsive and friendly. Thank you!
2018-01-27 17:21:17
Amazing view on the ocean, well located, we had a blast
2018-01-25 18:53:55
True to description and great location.
2018-01-22 19:43:19
The apartment was great. Right on the beach no need for flip flops to get to the water. Rooftop setting was nice for star gazing and BBQ. Highly recommend the restaurant called Wacamole and get the crispy pork guacamole. It's on the road heading to the main gate. I found that using your US dollars to pay for everything worked out better than transferring money into local currency at any of the money exchange places. You get a better conversion rate it was about 45-48 pesos to the dollar. Airport wanted to exchange for 38 pesos for the dollar. Enjoy!
2018-01-22 18:43:37
Anna greeted us early at the property and showed us everything. The beautiful 360 views from the roof top. The large rooms, the patio terrace, and the dining room. It was walking distance to amazing restaurants, and walking distance to the beach.
2018-01-21 20:29:27
Cons: The apartment is right on the beach. Vasiliy, Alex, and Ana are very nice and accommodative. The host replied promptly. The beach is excellent! The apartment is super safe. Pros: We thought this was the front apartment unit on the picture, actually, it is not the front one. It is the one by the side. The water from all taps was salty, we asked our host, and he said that is normal since the apartment is right on the beach. It was not easy to get used to the salty water for us.
2018-01-19 19:22:53
I enjoyed the fancy appartment, close proximity to the beach. The roof is a highlight. Thanks!
2018-01-19 18:19:13
We had a wonderful time at Vasiliy's. The house distribution is very private and confortable. The are is very nice and secure, with a beautiful beach close by the house. They have restaurant were we had our breakfast every morning at couple steps of the house (Delicious home made mermelada). Alex when to get us and drive us to the house, he is very friendly and helpful. Explain very well all we need to know about were was the beach, a good supermarket were to shop, local restaurants and bars, etc... Rooms have air conditioners and the electricity we paid separate however was reasonable.... the beds are extremely confortable, the are is very quiet. Is a perfect place for family vacations. We will definitely comeback to Vasiliy property with our eyes close. If you want to spend a nice vacation in a very nice place, with your family or friends these will be the best place.
2018-01-16 19:49:33
Kontakt mit Vaciliy als Gastgeber, die Erreichbarkeit, check in und check out und der Aufenthalt in Vasiliys Haus - alles war PERFEKT ***** Die Anlage, in welcher sich das Haus befindet, ist wunderschön und der schöne Palmen-Strand sehr nah, alle Mitarbeiter sehr nett. Gefrühstückt haben wir in dem schönen, niedlichen Café Joy, was sich ebenfalls in der Anlage befindet. Alles soooooo schön und wir haben uns wirklich super wohl gefühlt und werden wieder kommen 🙂 Vielen Dank für alles! Sehr zu empfehlen.
2018-01-16 19:20:20
The location of this condo is great. Steps to the beach and walking distance to some great restaurants and fun places. Vasilly was very helpful and responsive. The place does a have a slight odor but not due to cleanliness- the place is very clean. It is from the outdoors. Just suggest you bring an air freshner if you have a sensitive nose. Otherwise it was awesome.
2018-01-15 21:51:50
The apartment is beautiful and just as described. It is right on the beach and the view is spectacular. It is spacious, clean, and well-equipped. Restaurants, shops and activities are all within easy walking distance. Vasiliy is very easy to communicate with, and both check-in and check-out went very smoothly. We had a wonderful stay.
2018-01-15 18:02:46
This place was really amazing. It is exactly as seen in the pictures. I would definitely recommend especially if you have a group of people. The roof top is also really amazing I would come back here again with a group of 8 and do a little party on the roof. The area is also very vibrant and I felt very safe the entire time. So glad we chose this area over Punta Cana Village which is much more subdued. The rooms were very cost and touches like the iron and ironing boards were really appreciated. Alex was also amazing we didn't have to bother him much but he provided great information about dealing with the locals and where to go to enjoy the nightlife. TIPS: Go to the Macao and Drink Point. Also, we rented a car at the airport but had much more fun and felt like we saw more after we got scooters from around the corner to rent.
2018-01-12 20:32:58
Vasiliy's apartment complex is a great alternative to staying in a resort - it's literally a 2 minute walk from the Larimar and shares the same beach. If you don't care about some of the resort amenities you'd otherwise have, you can save yourself a pretty penny and still have prime location. There are great restaurants (check out Citrus - amazing) and bars all within walking distance. The apartment was a bit darker than the photos, but we didn't mind as you don't spend much time there! The two downsides I'd note are that the noise can be quite loud at night - the walls are very thin, and there was a bit of a smell in the bathroom/second bedroom.
2018-01-12 19:18:22
Appartement propre, bien équipé et bien placé, a conseiller.
2018-01-12 17:36:42
10/10 stay
2018-01-10 19:06:49
The host is wonderful in every regard. He arranged for transportation from and to the airport. His staff greeted us and gave us an overview of the apartment and the area and could not have been friendlier. Whenever we had any problems or questions, the host immediately responded and was willing to do everything in his power to make us happy, including being flexible about our check out time and providing more filtered water upon request. That being said, I would not recommend this apartment to friends who are visiting the DR. It makes me sad to say this because the host is so welcoming and the location is absolutely ideal. It is directly on the beach and could not be more convenient. The beach chairs and umbrellas are included as well, along with towels that are changed every 3 days. The problem is the state of the apartment which desperately needs updating. The bedrooms are nice, but you won't see photos of the kitchen or bathroom which are both in states of disrepair. The most unfortunate part was a terrible smell of sewage that comes from the bathroom area and is very strong in the bedroom next to the bathroom. It made it very unpleasant to sleep there. Because of the state of the kitchen, it's not the kind of place you would want to eat meals. We ate all of our meals out (with the exception of breakfast). As long as we were outside, we were happy, but we did not want to spend any more time than we had to inside the apartment. The building itself is great and perfectly located. When we checked in, the apartment was not clean, but the host immediately sent a cleaning crew and also sprayed for mosquitos and provided candles since it had recently rained and the apartment was full of mosquitos. That took care of the mosquito problem, so were very grateful. It also addressed the dirty plates and utensils. With no dishwasher, it's difficult to get anything clean because you need to be very careful not to drink the water. The host does provide filtered water for drinking, which is great! All in all, I would recommend this apartment only if you spend all your time on the beach and only use it for sleeping (not enjoying meals). Even then, you need to overlook the state of the kitchen and bathroom and tolerate a bad odor (like sewage) in the bathroom and back bedroom. One final note: it's on the ground floor and often noisy at night. If you are sensitive to this, it's probably not for you.
2018-01-07 19:16:14
Excelente ubicacion y una vista maravillosa!
2018-01-07 18:00:27
Apartamento de gran tamaño, posee una terraza inmensa en la parte superior con jacuzzi, parrilla, bar, un tercer nivel con tumbonas para tomar el sol de verdad bastante agradable esta terraza, también posee un gran balcón, en pocas palabras el apartamento es inmenso y esta muy bien cuidado, no me llamó la atención es el edificio donde se encuentra el apartamento me parece desorganizado, algo desordenado, no me género confianza, pero nada de que preocuparse, tiene estacionamiento pero no es fijo la última noche tuve que estacionar afuera, hay un hotel al lado por lo que en las noches entre las 8 y las 10 vas a escuchar música alta si te gusta el ambiente de fiesta esto no será problema, en conclusión tremendo apartamento de gran tamaño tiene todo lo que necesitas para pasar un momento agradable, tiene muy buena ubicación, la comunicación fue excelente desde que reservamos el apartamento muy atentos en especial Anna que fue con la que tuvimos contacto
2018-01-06 20:26:37
La ubicación es inmejorable! La vista maravillosa ! El penthouse hermosisimo! Pasamos súper lindo con toda la familia! Ana nos ayudo en todo y Vasily nos respondió siempre al instante! Lo recomiendo sin reservas! Que puedan disfrutar tanto como nosotros! Gracias Vasily , Gracias Ana y a todos los demás!
2018-01-06 19:09:24
Safe, beautiful & clean apartment
2018-01-04 17:04:22
This was our family's New Year's holiday, and it was a great one thanks to Vasiliy and his assistant Alex who made sure our whole stay went without a hitch. The great service started with our arrival, when they offered to arrange for our transportation, and so once we got off the plane there was a private driver with a sign waiting to take us to the property. He was very polite and helpful and even kind enough to make a quick stop at a pharmacy before getting to the apartment. Once we got there, Alex (Vasiliy's assistant) was there to greet us and to inform us that since we got there before check-in time, they were still cleaning the property, but that we could wait in one of the surrounding restaurants while he made sure to take our bags upstairs (beware, it's 3 stories up, no elevator). After our short wait, we went inside the apartment with Alex and he explained everything and gave us the "grand tour", we exchanged cellphone numbers and he left us to settle in. From then on everything went smoothly, we really enjoyed the view (absolutely stunning), the comfortable beds and linens, the A/C in every room, and even took advantage of the big TV with Netflix. The WIFI works very well and it has good speed, just as long as you stay on the top floor. I don't know why, but it wouldn't really reach the downstairs bedrooms very well. But since we really didn't have any real need for it, it did not pose a big problem for us... Just something to keep in mind. But overall, we only had a couple of mishaps where the water in the apartment was cut-off for a little while due to issues in plumbing that were out of Alex's and Vasiliy's control. But nevertheless, they BOTH acted as fast as possible, and made sure it was all sorted out as quickly as they could. So it was not a big deal. They also offered a cleaning service (at an additional cost) which we used twice during our week-long stay, and we were pretty satisfied with it. The place is incredibly well located, with all sorts of shops, restaurants, beach clubs and attractions just a short walk away. The beach is mere steps away from the apartment, and there are sun-chairs available which come in really handy. There's also a private pool you can use just as long as you order something from the bar (I would recommend the local beer: Presidente). The beach is super calm and family-friendly, and on top of that, there are no big waves so my nieces (9 y/o and 1.5 y/o) really enjoyed it. Over all, it was a GREAT stay and we would definitely come back to Vasiliy's property, no question about it. Thanks again for everything! We had an amazing time!
2018-01-01 20:14:16
Excellent 5 star location steps from a wonderful beach and great restaurants! Loved the local people - very friendly. Great host communications, always a timely response. However, the place itself is maybe a 2 star - was not as clean and luxurious as depicted.
2017-12-30 19:42:15
My wife and 3 children had a great time for 2 weeks over Christmas at Vasiliy's place. The apartment is in a very safe location - we never felt threatened or unsafe in any way while in the gated community. The apartment is just like the pictures show. As others have said, the patio/deck is very nice and spacious - we used the grill frequently. The apartment had all the amenities we needed for the week. We had an issue upon arriving at the airport in Punta Cana with our car rental, which we made over a month before the trip. Even though we had a confirmed reservation with National, when we arrived at the counter there was an irate customer in front of us who told us he was being told they had no cars available in stock. After an hour of him arguing with them, they gave him a much smaller car at double the rate of what he was quoted. We had tons of luggage, so that was not an option for us. We ended up after 2 hours, taking a taxi to Vasily's place. I contacted our travel department and we made another reservation through National with the Down Town Punta Cana office. Same frustrating scenario, despite a confirmed reservation they had no cars in stock. Being there for 2 weeks we definitely needed a car rental (unless you plan on just going to the swimming pool and playing golf, you do need a car rental to visit the beaches or other attractions). This is where Vasiliy's assistant, Ana was such a great help. She arranged for a local car rental for us (even though it was a very small car that had clearly been in a fender bender or two - and a cracked windshield, it allowed us to get around where we needed). The weather was gorgeous every day for 2 weeks. It is very hot during the day and you definitely need the air conditioning on at night, but we kept it on most of the time, along with the fans. Also used the washing machine a few times. You have to heat the water before if you want a hot shower and remember to turn it off since it uses a lot of electricity. We probably maxed out on the amount of electricity you could use and it was quite expensive (worked out to $280 for 14 days or exactly $20 per day - again this would be a maximum...I had read in other reviews most people spent less than $10 per day) I golfed twice ($140 green fees, $55 cart rental, $55 for club rentals), so not something I could do more than a few times. Golf course is very nice, in great shape and would be a great place to go if you were going for a golf vacation. The mall close by has a lot of what you need including a grocery store that has most things you would...
2017-12-24 19:51:04
The apartment is right on the beach! Amazing view from bedroom!
2017-12-23 18:08:59
This is the second time my family has stayed at Los Corales, but the first time we stayed at one of Vasiliy’s properties. I would like to note that we are exceptionally familiar with the area, as well as some of the “quirks” that are just part of life in the Dominican Republic, like occasional water/power outages. Pros: The information in the listing for this property has been updated since the time when we booked it (about 6 months before our arrival), which makes guests aware of important factors that we personally would have liked to have known prior to booking. We understand that listing a property on AirBnb is a learning process, and we appreciate the effort to be more transparent with guests in the future. If you don’t care about an ocean view, this property is fine. Cons: This apartment is farther from the beach than a 3 minute walk. It is much closer to the front gate of the property than the ocean. The day after we arrived, we pointed out several maintenance issues that were mostly resolved, but some that were not. The TVs in the two bedrooms either do not work at all or have very, very poor quality, which is misleading because television with cable is included in the list of amenities. Even so, it’s unreasonable that the issues existed before we arrived and we had to request that they be fixed. The washing machine does not work, and if you want any cleaning other than changed linens every 3 Days, there is a fee. Furthermore, we were told that the ride from the airport would be $35, but were then told the next day that we needed to pay an additional $10 because of a “mix up”. Perhaps the most troubling issue for me as someone who enjoys traveling with AirBnb because it allows me to stimulate the local economies of the places I visit and support local people financially instead of large corporations is how this host portrays local Dominican people. It’s no secret to those who have visited the DR for any period of time that it is an impoverished country and people who are native to the country have to work very hard just to get by. Tourism is huge, and truly the lifeblood of the local economy. It’s also common knowledge that the only people who can afford to buy rental property for the most part are Americans and Europeans who come here to benefit from the tourism industry. I take no issue with that. What I do take issue with is being told that local Dominican people who work selling excursions to tourists like myself are all “pirates” who cannot be trusted because they will cheat you and lie to you. I know from personal experience that among these merchants there are good people who work all day, every day to earn an honest living and who rely on this business to feed their families. In many cases,...
2017-12-22 20:23:23
As does not often happen, this place definitely exceeded expectations ... and the expectations were very high. The entire front of the condo is glass looking out over a beautiful palm lined beach. Just walking out the front door placed you on the sand of the beach in an excellent location for any activity. The owner was very responsive and in spite of a couple of small Inherently Dominican challenges, they made everything perfect. It is an incredibly relaxing place to just sit and watch the world pass by. The pictures are accurate and nothing disappointed us in any way. The condo was very well stocked and since we did most of our meals at the house, it was great to have everything you needed to prepare any meal. The rooms were clean and comfortable and we just couldn't get over the view from the spacious front room. We enjoyed every minute there and look forward to another visit soon. This is one to remember.
2017-12-22 18:39:56
Veryyyyy greatttt thank you
2017-12-22 17:35:57
The location of this place can't be beat! It is literally a minute away from the ocean which is just a big plus and the main reason we chose it. It made up for a lot of what I am about to share below. I should also note that the host was very communicative during the booking process and his contact person, Anna, was very hospitable and attentive during our stay. Niko, the maintenance person was wonderful as well. During our 3 day stay we had several issues though. On the first day there was some sort of neighbor dispute that got REALLY UGLY and we wound up right in the middle of that fight because a neighbor left her car double parked and we could not get into our spot. It sucked because she saw us, left to go to her own place and get away from the conflict, left us right in the middle and we basically had to wait for her to come back and move her car. That night we also had issues turning on the stove as it is a really old model. We turned on the gas, could hear it running but could not get it to light. The wonderful Niko showed up and showed us the trick to it, but unfortunately it delayed our dinner even more, right after being delayed because of the fight. The second day, we lost power (which yes, it's not that rare in the DR) but it lasted about 4 hours and delayed eating plans yet again (we had brought groceries and were going to eat in during our stay - another reason we chose a place with a kitchen). When the power went off we also lost water and that one was gone for about 6 hours. We were uncomfortable for hours covered in sand and such and not being able to even rinse off. We did talk to the host's contact person for this trip throughout all of this and we are aware that some of these things are out of their control. Despite their best intentions and politeness these issues were a big inconvenience and we had to spend a lot of our time there dealing with them.
2017-12-22 17:08:58
Had a wonderful stay here. They helped us book excursions and find the best local spots to shop and eat.
2017-12-17 19:44:06
Its a nice apartment, the view is spectacular, and the rooms are very spacey. We expected 4 big bed, for 8 people but one of the beds was inflatable, it was ok, but expected a bed for the price we were paying. the cleaning needs a little help but its manageable. The owner and his assistant are very quick to respond to all your needs.