Hotel Freeman, Santo Domingo

I stayed at both Freeman Hotel and Freeman Aparta Hotel in Aug 2009 with my husband. The service we received was exceptional. The staff is friendly and accommodating to English-speakers. The taxi service provided by Ramón was prompt and enjoyable. He was very finicky about having a nice car to drive us in. Ramon is also fun to talk to in English or Spanish and he will tell you anything you want to know about his country. Ramon also accepts US dollars which is convenient when you first arrive because the airport’s currency exchange is always more expensive than anywhere else. I cannot begin to describe how much fun I had talking with the owner and all the staff and their friends. Everyone at both locations was helpful with our questions and recommended good places to go and found us the best taxis. We also just talked about anything and everything. If you want to know what the Dominican is really like, this is the place to go. And if you want to be a mindless sunbather, they can show you where to go for that too. For our first night, I made the mistake thinking that Freeman Hotel land Freeman Aparta Hotel were the same. I reserved a room at Freeman Aparta which is on the east side of the city instead of Freeman Hotel which is at the center of the historical Zona Colonial and tourist area. The owner was very understanding and gave us a room at Freeman Hotel that night. The rooms at both hotels are nice. The hot water, air conditioning and tv at Freeman Hotel are great. They also have a water cooler available which is a wonderful convenience most people don’t think about. There are numerous good restaurants within walking distance as well as stores and booths where t-shirts, crafts, and mamajuana abound. Freeman Aparta is not as fancy, but it is just as neat and has a nicer price. Another wonderful service they offer is currency exchange and it is at a more than fair rate. Every time I go to Santo Domingo (and I will be back often) I will be staying at Freeman hotels.