Debauchery in Santo Domingo

We booked two hotel rooms online at the rate of US$89 per night. Four girls were to share one room with two double beds. I suppose we missed the fine print when we paid for them, because when we checked in, the rate only applied to a maximum of two people per room. The clerk told us that in order to check in four people in a room, we have to pay the $89, plus the fee for the two extra persons. It ended up doubling the original rate because the fee is not an Internet promotion. We would have fared better if we booked two people in a room with the Internet rate.

It was our fault for not reading the fine print, but the staff could have been a bit more forgiving. There were eight girls in the lobby waiting to check in, and none of the staff would give us a discount until we finally asked to see the manager. It got so annoying that I walked over to the hotel next door to try to give them our business instead. Finally, the manager relented and gave us a small discount to accommodate four people in a room.

Amenities include air-conditioning, coffee maker, TV, hair dryer, a safe, and a minibar. The malecón (boardwalk) is across the street, but for some reason, it wasn’t lit at night when we were there, and therefore, we couldn’t see the ocean view from our room after dark. The ghastly casino sign next door was intensely lit, however, and it provided us with color through our windows.

Once we’d settled in our respective rooms, we noticed that there were only two bath towels. We called the front desk to ask for six more per room—a couple of us needed extra towels to dry their long hair. A staff member brought up four towels. When my friend inquired for the other two, he suggested using a shower cap instead. I don’t think we’ve laughed harder the entire weekend after that.

Minus that quirky incident worth telling, we all would returned to our rooms some time in the afternoon and saw our beds tidied up and our rooms cleaned. The staff during the early morning shift—we would come back to our room no earlier than 4am—were extremely understanding whenever we needed assistance.

I had to schedule my bus ride back to Santiago at 5am after a long night out, and I was meticulously instructed to be in the lobby in 45 minutes to catch a cab that would take me to the bus terminal and allow me to catch the 6:30am bus. The bellboy also advised me that I should tell the bus driver to let me off at the stop before the final one, since the international airport in Santiago is closer to that stop than from the main bus terminal—a fact not written in any of my guidebooks.

Outside Japan, sushi has taken to mean raw fish when it is actually the Japanese short-grained sticky rice mixed with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, konbu (or edible kelp) and sake. Aqua’s menu only consisted of makizushi (rolled and cut into smaller pieces) and temaki (cone-shaped hand rolls). When we dined, they didn’t provide any raw fish, nor did they provide a selection besides tuna or salmon. None of the makizushi we ordered had any nori (seaweed), so they all ended up looking like California rolls you buy from a Korean deli in New York City. The rice itself was a bit on the dry side because it wasn’t sticky enough. I wondered if they should have named their establishment a sushi restaurant at all.

One of the girls ordered the makizushi with platano maduros (or sweet plantains, so talk about fusion!) and jalapeno paste. The sweetness of the bananas did not match well with the hotness of the peppers. They made her run to the bathroom after only a couple of bites. It didn’t help my cause. I get a weak stomach if I’m around someone who does, so I also made the trip to the bathroom after I tasted my king crab makizushi. I would have preferred it if my crab came untouched and without the mayonnaise-consistency cream they mixed it with. At least my salmon skin roll was edible. If Dominicans can do anything right, it has to be something fried.

Aqua is one of the restaurants taking Santo Domingo by storm. I realized that it was a handsome restaurant as I sat back and looked around me. The décor could have easily fooled anyone used to New York City or Los Angeles interiors. The locals who frequent it obviously have money and they have no qualms about spending RD300pesos (almost US$10 at the US$1=RD31 peso rate) for a roll.

Nine of us went to dinner, and the several times I went to use the bathroom, not once was my napkin refolded on my chair or on my table. Our water glasses were never filled unless we asked. The servers were never told in the kitchen who ordered which dish, so they ended up standing around until we voluntarily raised our hands to take ownership of the plates they were carrying. One girl decided to order the steak and avoided the fish choices completely—a good call on her part—but she received a pair of chopsticks and a soy sauce bowl anyway.

Whether Aqua is a sign of prosperity or progress, it still needs to improve the service it provides. The proprietors should know that no Jaguar or Cayenne on the driveway will do that for them.

Other reviews for this restaurant have an acute accent over the e in "pate" but their table napkins simply use an apostrophe. Perhaps the Dutch owners just wanted to be playful when they opened the restaurant in the 1990s.

The bistro has a nice location, right in Plaza Colon, where a stage was set with a band playing live music the night we visited because of the approaching holidays. We made a reservation for eight women right outside, where other diners stood up in the middle of their dinner to dance to the music whenever they were compelled. A staff of at least three men made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meals. Our martini glasses were filled in a jiffy. My only complaint is about how they handled their wine list. A pet peeve of mine is when a wine list is presented to me without any notice about which wines are unavailable. I will assume all wines are, especially if they are not crossed out on the list. I selected two different red wines and I was told in both cases that they weren't available that night. Let me know of my limited choices immediately when you hand me the wine list, before I waste my time selecting something unavailable. I don't want to have to ask, "Well then, what do you have?" Waiters do it for their menu all the time and announce the specials and let you know in advance that they have run out of something. Pat'e Palo should do the same for their wine list.

In terms of food, Pat'e Palo did not disappoint. I started with a bowl of tomato soup with mozzarella cheese, which they called a tomato cappuccino because they served it in a big cup. I liked that my otherwise normal bowl of soup had personality because of the new name. The consistency was perfect, and it warmed me up and allowed me to sit comfortably outdoors for the next two hours. A friend ordered a shrimp plate served with sugared apples, which was delicious, even for someone like me, who won’t order shrimp off a menu even if it's the only thing available. For my main course, I loved the lamb chops served with homemade mint sauce. I wanted to make sure that they did not overcook my meat--which is a very easy thing to do in the Caribean--so I specified for my lamb to be cooked "tres-cuatros" or three-fourths, because I could not think of the Spanish word for medium rare. A few also ordered the Argentinean steak served with coriander and lime, which lifted the meat's flavor and gave it that oomph. A salmon dish was mediocre, but that's just because I think salmon is the most boring fish in the world unless it's served raw or smoked, so don't take my word for it.

Book a table at Pat'e Palo when you're in Santo Domingo and see for yourself.

For a fee of US$45, you can use the Hamaca Coral’s Hilton facilities and sit on their beach all day. The fee includes an all-you-can-eat buffet and an open bar. The price was a little too steep, and it keeps the locals who can’t afford it away, but such is life in a country like Dominican Republic, where the rich and poor are obviously divided.

The beach is located on Boca Chica Bay which boasts Santo Domingo’s "white sand and warm azure waters." Small huts made of dried palm trees pepper the sand for extra shade. Lounge chairs are also available for all visitors if compelled to sunbathe closer to the water. I was mostly directly under the sun the entire time because I wanted an even tan, but I also wanted to avoid the loud staff near the pool, blasting music and playing parlor games with the hotel guests and visitors. Everyone else was having fun, but they forgot that some people wanted to sunbathe in peace, without the occasional screams of “Jackpot!” to wake them up. They were dangerous with a microphone and loud speakers.

If you are unlike me and prefer to be active, there is a station for all kinds of water sports. All you have to do is sign and pay up. You can rent a kayak, ride (and fall off) a banana boat with your friends, wind surf, or try scuba diving for the first time. There is also a pool and a Jacuzzi if you prefer to keep your bathing suit sand-free during your stay.

The food buffet choices tasted like, well, buffet-style, but I wasn’t complaining after spending two hours under the sun, and all I wanted was a hamburger and a plate of oily fries. Once in while, I actually woke up from my slumber and walked over to the bar for some lemonade spiked with rum or a nice cold bottle of Presidente beer.

The entire weekend was to celebrate with girlfriends, but the main festivities for our bachelorette took place at Loft, a happening night club in Santo Domingo. It’s a huge lounge with a bar in the middle for early visitors and it turns into a night club complete with a smoke and confetti machine after hours. We walked in at 1am on a Saturday night, past the bouncers and the velvet rope outside. The place was already packed and smoky when we arrived. It was also very difficult to get a table where all nine of us could park ourselves for the rest of the early morning. Everyone trendy—and with money—in Santo Domingo must have been in this club, judging by the way they were all dressed.

We stood by the bar and ordered our first round of drinks until a set of two tables were cleared for us. It’s very typical for Santo Domingo clubs to require bottle service in order to get a table, so we ordered a bottle of Grey Goose to secure the space for the rest of our group.

The DJs play a variety of dance music, from the 80s to merengue and salsa to what they call Spanish rock. It was interesting to see how the crowd would disperse from the dance floor when an English song was played and how easily they came back when a familiar Spanish song blew from the speakers. But whatever music you prefer, there was so much energy in this place that it was hard to stay seated. If you need to witness the nightlife of a Dominican Republic city, Loft is the place to be.