I stayed at the Hotel Intercontinental January 27-30, 2008. I've stayed at Intercontinental Hotels before and perhaps that is why I expected a lot from this property. While it was not a five-star experience, by any stretch of the imagination, it was not a bad place to stay.

My check-in and check-out were slow. It was a bit difficult to know exactly what took so long, but it took longer than an average check-in, -out. Perhaps 15 minutes or so for each.

My room was fine, not what I expected, but it was clean (although it had a pervasive smell that I think was supposed to cover up the mustiness). Leaving the window open helped (I was very happy I could open the window).

The view from my room was beautiful. I overlooked the street and Caribbean Ocean. Very nice!

The desk in the room was big and accomodated my needs. The TV had a number of English-language stations which I apprecaited, and the bathroom was clean and spacious. The bed, however, appeared to be uneven and I felt myself rolling to the left all night as I slept. It was also a little hard for my tastes.

Breakfast was okay, but nothing special. I got an omelette the second day which would've been nice the first, but there was no one on hand to cook one for me. The melon juice is awesome, especially when combined with orange juice.

I ate dinner in the Brasserie once and while it was not fru-fru, it was good. My dining companion had lamb chops which he said were very good. I had a steak with chimmichurra sauce that tasted out of this world.

I ate dinner in the bar one evening. There is only one bartender/server, so sometimes Ihad to wait a while. I ordered a sode, and two appetizers for dinner. Because one came from the kitchen, and he had to wait, the bartender didn't bring anything out for the 20 minutes he was waiting for the 2nd appetizer. I finally asked him to at least bring me my soda. I have to say that the ham and cheese appetizer was wonderful and I wish I would have had a reason to eat there again because it was incredible.

The bartender remembered me the second night and my service improved that night, I think, because he did remember me.

I did not try the pool or fitness area.

The ATM in the lobby wouldn't give me money, but when I used the ATM in the attached casino, I got money. At least I got some!

All in all, my stay at the Intercontinental wasn't what I expected from a hotel chain with its reputation, but it wasn't the worst place I've ever stayed either.

Just came back from a short trip to the DR and stayed here for several nights. The room we stayed in was dank and needed to be renovated. The service at the hotel was below average too. Consider other hotels.

We stayed at the Intercontinental /Santo Domingo .
We checked in on Xmas Eve ,and the staff were very friendly and helpful ,and the checking in went smoothly and quickly.
The room was clean and well equipped.
Food in the hotel is good but very expensive .
The hotel is on the sea front , so you can enjoy the sea view from your room or the lobby .
The nearest beach is half hour drive ,please bring your own towels to take to the beach ,the hotel policy is not to allow guests to borrow towels ,we managed to take from the hotel ,but it took us 40 minutes to do that with a deposit.
Location is very good ,you can walk (ONLY DURING THE DAY TIME )to nearby cafes and Colonial Zone.
Night time ,we took a taxi and asked him to pick us up at a certain time .
The people there are down to earth ,very friendly and very kind.
DO not hesitate to take the 4 hour day tour provided by the hotel ,its worth it ,you will enjoy it and will also have enough time to eat and shop.
The hotel is wonderful in every aspect.

We came to the Intercontinental through our travel agency. We've stayed at the Intercontinental chain before, and (compared to other hotels in the chain) would rate this hotel with 4*, rather than 5.

The staff is nice and friendly..The check-in went smooth although not all the electricity sockets worked in our room and the safe also was out of order..When we asked to take another room, we were given a much nicer one...
The breakfast buffet is really good, a variety of fresh juices and good food to chose from (had better, but this is really good, a 4/5)

What I didn't like is the fact that there was some repair taking place in the hotel...While I was still in the room, there was a small knock on the door...I went to see who it was, and saw the door knob turning and the door opening (I guess they had the key to enter). I opened the door and saw strange repairmen who wanted to come in and do some repairs..They had also been doing something for days in the room across from ours...I didn't let them in, said to come back later and they excused themselves. I saw them doing repairs in the other room for days to come...Didn't really understand what it was they wanted from our room, but didn't really care...They didn't come inside while we were there....I felt it was rude not to have been notified by the reception ahead of time that someone would need to enter our room and do some repairs there.

The gym is well equipped...There's also an outdoor pool which wasn't crowded at the time...so do enjoy.

The hotel is in an OK location... I walked around without much troubles...The people are extremely nice, speak some English and always smile...It shouldn't shock you to be greeted by a passer-by with an "Hola"..Do respond as a sign of courtesy.

For shopping, go to the Colonial City, Mercado Modelo...nice and (relatively) cheap handcrafts and small jewelry things... other places, such as the many shopping plazas they have are more expensive and you don't have the feeling of being in the DR, as if you went to the Mercado Modelo. You can also enjoy freshly squeezed juices at every street corner...For about 20-30 pezos (0.70c) you'll get freshly squeezed mango, papaya and pineapple...Or ask for them slices...it'll cost you double the juice price..but WELL WORTH IT!

That's it..Enjoy Santo Domingo... Stay at the Intercontinental..I give it a 4/5...

T.
p.s. If you need additional info, drop a line here and I'll reply...I'm always checking these forums out, because I travel a lot and appreciate fellow travellers' advice.