Sunscape Casa Del Mar - Dominican Republic Review - Casa Del HELL
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Jon & I got back last week from a trip that we took to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at Sunscape Casa Del Mar in the Dominican Republic - La Romana.
As you saw in my previous post, called Photos Part 1, we were having a blast. There is no part 2 to those photos because all hell broke loose for us and we had to leave the resort and we were gay bashed for 3 nights straight.
We booked the resort through CheapCaribbean.com . They are the best on the web for finding deals and it is no NO WAY their fault for what happened to us. Below, I am pasting everything contained in the report I had to file with the company we booked through. It is also pretty much the same as I am filing in my police report and giving to my lawyer.
This review is ONLY about the horrible things that happened to us, it is not my final review about the resort in its entirety which I will be posting as soon as Jon helps me write it. The resort is NOTHING as advertised. It is unsafe and even if you are not a gay male couple, do not go. It was hell. I am not one to complain about such things but after this experience, I cannot leave this story untold or it is just going to happen to somebody else and maybe they could get hurt worse than we did.
Nobody deserves to be treated the way that we did, our human rights were violated and I guess I can leave it up to you to read the story. Please note that i removed certain names of certain people that we met to protect their identity.
COMPLAINT FORM:
Scheduled Arrival Date: 05/03/2008 Departure Date: 05/10/2008
We arrived on the resort and everything was great until the 3rd day, we traveled to the ‘public’ beach after being advised from the staff that we could barter for cheaper artwork and jewelry. We went to see what equipment we could use from the resort that was ‘inclusive’ and we noticed that the public beach was 10 feet from the section of the resort where we needed to go to use the equipment that they advertise as free and then try to make you pay for such as kayak use, snorkeling gear, etc. We decided to wait and walked to the market where we were told that we could barter. Within seconds after passing the ‘security line’ from the hotel, which is just a few palm trees, a man came to us and we said we would like to see the paintings that he had for sale. I had purchased one the day before from the resort and was told by resort staff that the paintings are hundreds of dollars cheaper at this beach.
The person we dealt with tried to sell us drugs, first marijuana and then cocaine. We said no and that we did not do drugs. He said, “I am not police, no worry. Come back at 3:30 with USD$260 and you have painting and 2 grams cocaine”. He handed us the painting and refused to take any money for it, telling us we better be there at 3:30. The moment we got back to the lobby we contacted the head of security at the resort, who was nice enough to take the painting back. He said he knew exactly who it was that did it to us and that he was going to give him a warning and that we should not feel unsafe about going back to the beach because he would not bother us again. He was wrong.
On Wednesday the 7th, we had booked with Turinter a horseback-riding trip. The person in charge was great in trying to help us. We explained to him before booking that we did not want to leave the resort if it required us to go back anywhere to the area where the guy who tried to sell us drugs were. I also explained that I am an animal rights activist and could not go riding if I saw the horses being neglected. He assured us that everything would be OK. We took a taxi to the horse ranch and were greeted by a nice woman and a cute puppy. She was 7 months pregnant and said it was her first child and we congratulated her. I explained to them that I was a professional horse rider and we brought 2 apples for the horses. I noticed right away that the horses were neglected because they were skinny. I tried to give the horses that they had ready for us the apples and they did not know what it was. It was then that I knew the horses were sick and I looked at the horse they assigned to Jon, my partner, and saw a huge gash on her neck that was clearly untreated. When they made us mount our horses for a photo, my horse nearly collapsed. We got upset and left via taxi and in the end we asked for a refund of both the horse riding trip, and the scheduled trip to Catalina Island for Friday. We did not receive any refunds even though we were promised them.
The rest of the night we took it easy and went to bed early. On Thursday morning we woke up early and had a great breakfast and I did my work in the lobby from my laptop for a few hours. We got a paper slipped under our door telling us that there would be a Toga party at the Japanese disco. We ended up meeting a few excellent people who convinced us to go to the disco with them. First we had dinner together and then we listened to some live music in the lobby. During the Toga party, we saw a few people that we had met earlier that day and we were having a blast. My partner Jon and I were dancing together, hugging, when a security guard grabbed us, pulled us to the door, removed the Togas that they put on us and said “no men, no men”. They also removed another gay man that was at the party with us. We were really upset but I decided it would be best to wait until the morning and talk to the head concierge about it, so we just left. We all went to the hot tub and decided to take a dip and try to forget what had happened when a security guard came up and told us we had to get out of the hot tub. We did not understand why. He said it was from a chemical treatment, but there were other people swimming and he did not ask them to leave.
We left the pool area and went to the beach. We were swimming. There were 3 of us. We were not drinking or being loud, just swimming and talking when a guard came up and told us to get out. We started walking out of the water when he pulled out a video camera and started to film us naked. I screamed that he had no right and he replied with “you are going to be arrested”. I asked for his name and he would not tell us or shut off the camera. I proceeded to ask the name of the guy and he would not give it, so Jon and I ran back to our room. He chased us to building 4 but we made it in our door and shut it before he could see which room we ran into, nevertheless he was running to catch up with us. I watched through the door hole and saw him walking past our room. I waited about ten minutes so that he would not hear us on the phone and then I called security. They asked us what happened and I asked them to call the police. I then heard the phone click and they put me on speaker and I realized we were being listened to by not only the guy who chased us, but a few other staff members. I demanded he take me off of speaker and I asked him again to call the police and he laughed and said “police no help you faggot, you will die”.
I hung up the phone and text messaged a friend in the US to call my room. I asked her to look up the number for the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic and when I received the number I called. They were concerned and took all of our information. They transferred me to a gentleman who works for the embassy in La Romana, his name was Roberto and he said that the police would come soon. He tried 6 times to have the local police come but they did not show up. When Jon and I decided to try to sleep, we looked out the window to our porch (1st floor) and saw 2 men standing on the grass and looking in our window. I shut the lights off and made sure the doors were locked before we tried to sleep.
In the morning I reported everything. Everyone said that they would help and I believe that they tried as best they could to help us but in the end, they said that any changes to leaving sooner, I would have to pay for myself. We tried calling US Airways to get a sooner flight. They had one but all they cared about was the increase in price and the $100 change of flight fees and in the end it would have cost us over $800 just to leave early. The resort suggested that we wait it out, have cocktails and go home the next day as scheduled. We did just that and even got offered a free ‘Romantic Dinner On The Pier,’ which ended up not working because the gentleman serving us would not even stop to listen to us because we were a gay couple. When he finally did seat us, it took him 20 mins to get our soup and then another 45 minutes passed and we didn’t even have the bottle of wine that was supposed to be included. So we left him a 2 dollar tip and went back to our room, the next morning we both woke up with food poisoning… Weird pattern right? They said that the report they had got from what happened was different from our story. They said that they did not know the name of the security guard who kicked us out of the Toga Disco, or the name of the staff members who chased us to our room, photographed us, and then threatened our lives and called us faggots on the phone when we asked for help. They assured us that such behavior on behalf of the staff was unacceptable and that anyone responsible for such things would be held accountable, but they still managed to collect a “report” from this “unidentified” source.
We could not wait any longer at the resort so Friday evening I called another airline and got us out of the country sooner, to Miami. The flight cost about $500 and then we had to pay a rental car fee of $300 and a hotel fee just to leave sooner and feel safe.
We went to Miami for a few days just to feel safe and get out of that HELL of a country.. When we left the resort in the morning, there were 2 small pieces of paper slipped under our door that were disgusting, both with different handwriting but basically saying the same thing, along with a drawing of a penis. I believe that it was the same people who threatened us the night before and we are completely offended and will never return to that country or book any Sunscape resort.
I traveled to the Dominican Republic in 2003 to a section of the country called Punta Cana. It was amazing and the best trip of my life. I will suggest that if you are on a limited budget and booking through Cheapcaribbean.com STAY AWAY from La Romana. It is not safe. If you have no choice, go to Punta Cana, you will have a blast.
12 Comments on this post
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Barry said:
Hey Aden, that’s terrible!! I can’t even imagine how frightened you were during that trip. I can’t believe this happened to you. But you are a strong person and got through this.
That’s just fucking awful though… if you need to talk you know who you can call.May 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 pm -
Mom said:
I am just so happy you both didn’t get hurt and made it home safely, thank God!
Love you, Mom
May 26th, 2008 at 7:45 pm -
sha said:
hi ,my friend and i decided that we wanted to do a quickey vaction that wouldnt break our pockets. we were told by numerous co-workers that the dominican republic was the place to go. not only were we told it was beautiful, but very affordable. we searched thru a ton of diffrent vacation sites and decided to book thru cheap caribbean. when we found our resort we were beyond excited! we read our reviews before we booked and was happy with what we read. luckily enough for me my friend is all about perfection, she continued to read more reviews and this is where the headaches and worries began. we both booked the supersaver room, and to our shock and horror the rooms were disgusting! thank god a couple who had just returned from vacation had posted the real pictures of what the rooms looked like. obviously the pictures on the website had not been updated. we immediately called and complained, but unfortunantely we were told if we wanted to upgrade we would have to pay. of course we were very upset and even tried to go to another resort. we were told that if we wanted to switch the resort we would be charged a penalty. we both decided that paying a penalty wasnt worth it, so we just settled on upgrading the room. problem solved right? not! my friend continued to read more reviews and found one where a woman states that she was almost raped in her room! after reading that review i had nightmares, i couldnt sleep for almost 2 days. not only was i scared for myself but my friend as well. im rooming with my boyfriend and my friend, with her young son. we are scheduled to leave june 8th and i have to be honest iam nervous about whats to come. words cannot express how i felt when i read your review. hearing what you and your boyfriend went thru moved me to tears. no human being deseves that treatment. i hope that you guys contiue to go thru with legal action. thank you so much for your review it was very helpful and informative. by the way what are the best rooms besides the clubroom?
May 27th, 2008 at 2:58 pm -
jane said:
wow, i found this link from tripadvisor, because my bf and i are scheduled to go in june.. and i am definitely a little worried about our personal safety and very sorry for what happened to you. i’m glad you made it home safely…
May 28th, 2008 at 11:42 am -
Stella said:
I read this blog from info I saw at tripadvisor too. I’m really sorry that this happened to you and I believe that you had a bad experience. But there were some things that didn’t sound right to me who has visited this hotel lots over the last five years. I’ve gone alone as a single woman, with a girlfriend, with my mom, and with a boyfriend. On my first visit I didn’t want to be at the edge of the resort cuz I was afraid to walk home late at night after the disco so moved to a more central room. Since then I’ve NEVER been afraid on the property. I walk to town a lot and while I had my senses alert, I’ve never felt threatened at all. I don’t think that straight couples and straight individuals need worry for their safety at this property or in the area or in the country.
The dive shop does ask for a deposit to borrow the equipment. Were you maybe confused about that? thinking they were trying to charge you but just wanted you to pay for insurance? (I never do, by the way. I sign their waiver and let it go at that.) The property line is further than 10 feet from the dive shop, I know that as a fact. And the line is watched. They have somebody up at the gatehouse (very small, you may not even see it) and somebody down toward the beach at most times of the day. Certainly at night. When I have walked back onto the property and tested security, they have followed me and asked for proof that I was a hotel guest. Very rarely they’ve let me go but they may’ve recognized me at that point. I show them my key and they check me on their list.
There is no swimming in the ocean at night. The hotel doesn’t want to be responsible for what might happen. The other parts of that portion of your story are unacceptable for sure, but you weren’t being singled out when you were asked to return to the beach. Same for some of your other complaints, these things apply to all people (like chemicals in the whirlpool. Of course I have no explanation for allowing others to remain there, but maybe they were actually trying to help you out!).
I don’t know what it’s like to be a black man in the US and I don’t know what it is to be gay and traveling. I was recently asked by a gay couple from South America what the situation is for gay men at the hotel and I said that I didn’t know but I thought it would be the same as being a gay couple anywhere. It is not accepted by certain individuals all over the world and people may act on that, even if it’s not right. For that portion of your story, I will alert them to the situation, but I feel some of your general criticism is defensive and extreme. Thank you for your honesty and respectful way of telling your story though. If you were coming out with guns blazing, I wouldn’t have read what you wrote. I hope your next vacation is better, and I hope that those who have imminent travel plans to this hotel will have an experience more like mine than yours.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:51 am -
aden said:
Stella,
Thank you for taking the time to write your opinions.
As I respect your opinions of the resort and your experiences, ours were different and these things did not happen to you.
We are a gay couple, but we were not walking around the resort holding hands, or rubbing our sexuality in everyones faces. We were just being ourselves. Everything was fine until the night of the toga party, the one time we actually embraced and it was in a “safe” place that is owned by the resort.
We are a gay couple and we were chased, threatened and harassed by the night staff which is why I am telling people that the resort is NOT safe.
I understand that it was only a select few staff members who did this to us, but the issue is that it is a violation of our human rights and should not happen to anybody, ESPECIALLY when done by members of the staff. They hotel is simply not secure.
As for the dive shop, after 4 attempts at trying to get things and the man asking us to PAY (not a deposit), the man at the towel hut told us “tell him i say you do not pay, it is free and you tell him my name”. We did just that and then suddenly the money he was trying to take from us was no issue. The 1 time we did use a kayak, after 4 times trying to with him asking us to pay, he simply made us sign the waiver as you said in your response.
You feel my general criticism is defensive and extreme.. What do you expect? We had our lives threatened, we were chased, we were called faggots and told we were going to die. We called the police and got no help, we called the US Embassy and even they could not get the police to help.. and the response we got the next morning was that it was not acceptable that it happened and that we should just wait it out in the lobby and have cocktails.
Thank you for offering to alert the hotel about this but there is no need. They are aware. I have been in contact with the parent company AMresorts, the better business bureau, the attorney general, Cheap Caribbean and more. My lawyer is going to be handling it.
It is not an issue of money, the trip has already been refunded to me by my bank. It is because if I do not do something about it then nothing will change in the resort and this will happen to another gay couple another time. The resort needs to change their security and monitor who them employ a lot more closely. They need surveillance cameras in every building hallway and they need to take action on their employees when something like this happens.
Aden
May 29th, 2008 at 7:22 am -
Vicki said:
Aden, Where are all the other pictures from Casa del mar? Julie and I have pictures of us with the security guard on the beach. I am really sorry you guys felt so unsafe.We had fun while we were there and we are glad we met you and Jon. Take care of yourself and we will keep checking in to see more pics.Love ya
June 1st, 2008 at 11:11 pm -
Helena said:
Aden,
OMG! This is horrific. I am sitting here too stunned to move. This certainly stopped me from booking tonight. I am booking myusual at Riu Palance Las Americas in Cancun. You should give it a try when you are up to another trip.
I hate it that there are still people in this world like those you describe. Much less that they are employed by a resort chain! I certainly hope you receive something if nothing more than a true apology. Though it should be as public as their disdain and harassment.
HelenaJuly 9th, 2008 at 3:50 am -
nicole said:
consider the money that was not refunded as a donation for the care of the horses; if you were really that upset by the lack of care they were receiving
July 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm -
Suzanne said:
Hi guys
I’m really sorry you had such a terrible time on your vacation Have you ever tried Cuba (Just book through Canada, and leave and return to Canada, really cheap).. There are resorts/areas in Cuba that are very gay friendly, and many have clothing optional beaches for skinning dipping. Hope your nex experience is better than your DR trip!
Suzanne
August 14th, 2008 at 11:01 am -
Yalda said:
Hi Aden, I read your story about what happened to you and it makes me sick to hear such a thing like that. I am a 23 year old female from Vancouver Canada and I just came back from Sunscape, this was my 3rd visit there and it was just horrible. They charged us $300 American for a sheet that they say we burned. I tried talking to the security there and the manager but nobody was helpful, everyone was rude and they just wanted to make money. Anyways shit happens to everyone but I am just glad that you are back home and safe. Thank you for posting your story to advice others.
YaldaNovember 6th, 2008 at 6:39 pm -
Msutton said:
Sorry about your experience. Just a note about the apple and the horses. Apples are all imported and a delicacy dominicans buy around the Christmas season. Horses in the D.R. would typically never see an apple. On a similar note, there are no dog “treats” in the D.R., so when I brought Milkbones to give to some dogs, I had to teach them that it was O.K. (& delicious) to eat! Animals in developing countries are treated so differently than the U.S. where they are like family members! That’s a hard pill to swallow to see the state of animal care in developing nations. Most dominicans mean well, they are just repeating behaviors they’ve been taught, in regards to animals.
January 16th, 2009 at 4:27 pm