If anyone recently returned would like to add their review, please do so HERE
Pippy

OOOOH without shadow of a doubt Casa del mar! perfect, perfect holiday!

Check out http://debsdrtravels.proboards47.com/index.cgi?board=PC look for posts by Baltobabe she is a regular at the CDM going 2 times a year. Also read reviews here http://www.debbiesdominicantravel.com/southcoast.html

thanks everyone. yes beanie65 ive already looked on the debbies domican site and been lookin at all of the posts and pictures. think im going to go there but i think april 2009 cos that seems drier month then may and june and had the lest rainfall. i must say i think the casa del mar looks fantistic mind and i really didnt think goin to the carribean was that cheap. it only comes to around 1£800 for 2 weeks for 2 people and that is for everything and i think that is really good.

love mel
xxx

£1800 is very good for 2 of you...we paid 4.5k for our last holiday Aug 07 to the Riu Palace Punta Cana, that was flying premium and with a 12yr old in tow...

I have to say the rain is really not a big issue, we have been in june, july, aug and sept and always come home looking like a local...

I would have a look at the airport transfer times as a consideration too. I believe (not positive tho') that the Casa del Mar is a lot farther away??? Perhaps someone could give you accurate info. on this point?
Lorraine

yes the transfer from punta cana airport takes approx 1.5hrs...but well worth it. besides its gives you an insight into the real domincan republic

The factor we took into consideration is that many of the trips have to go past or to Bayahibe so we figured out that by doing the journey at the beginning and end of the holiday we were gaining.
Take something like the Saona Island trip. 10 minutes down the coast for us to meet the boat whereas the trippers had already had a tiring 1.5hr start to their day. At the end of the trip we were dropped of on the beach and back in the hotel pool bar by the time the others were getting on the bus! Our trip to Santo Domingo was 3 hours shorter etc.
On the other hand if you don't intend to do any westward trips, you don't need the journey in the first place.
I was told the CDM was changing hands and management last October so there may have been teething problems, but best to keep checking for fresh reviews.

yes i was planning on doing the saona island trip as i have seen pictures and it looks great. have just read some reviews though on the trip advisor website from people havin gone this month and the reviews dont look very good. people complaining about dirty rooms, horrible food and unfriendly staff? it made it seem like a completely different place from the reports i have been reading on the debbies dominican site etc. so now i have been looking at the grand palladium bavaro resort aswell. i dont wnat those reviews to put me off though cos the cdm felt like a really great place and i thought i had made up my mind up but now not so sure. anyone been to either cdm or grand palladium bavaro recently.

thanks mel

I can highly reccomend the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus 10 mins down the road from the CDM i think it comes out the same price, its a 5* you can book via thomson or thomas cook but tc dont fly direct on return flight they stop off at peurto plata to collect passengers from north side. well they did 2 yrs ago so unless thats changed i would check first. First choice also do IHD. We usually stay at the IHD but opted for Bavaro last year to avoid the long transfer. But the beach and sea was not a patch on the South Coast. It was nice but had a strong under current in comparrison. It was pulling grown men over. It scared our daughter so much so that she decided not to go in past her ankles! she is just over 5ft and 13 yrs old. Needless to say we will venture back to the South Coast in future.

mel.w.76, I haven't been recently, went 3 years ago but going back again in July.
I too was very nearly put off by the Tripadvisor reviews, but I kind of decided in the end that these were few and far between and while what they said was bad, they were also able to give other aspects of the hotel praise. Can completely understand the doubts though.
Oh well, I've 'bit the bullet' and booked so hope that it's not all that bad.
Hope you have a fantastic holiday wherever you choose