What is it that makes a hotel a good one? My mother and I spent two nights in this particular hotel, and our feelings about this hotel are definitely positive, but at the same time it feels necessary to explain a bit as to how this is the case. The Hotel Discovery is certainly a rough-looking hotel, by no means a luxury one, with spartan rooms with small, hard beds, but it manages to do a lot of things well. For example, the service at the hotel is superb and the people at the hotel, including check-in staff, restaurant staff, and the resident taxi drivers, all combine to make a very wonderful travel experience. For a reasonable price you can stay in a quirky place full of statues and artwork that manages to be in a very small amount of space along a busy road near the Colonial City of Santo Domingo.

The price is definitely right at under $45 a night, and for that modest price you get a pleasant experience in a quirky part of town with the possibility of a walk (if you are feeling particularly brave–there are a lot of police and soldiers in the area if that makes you feel safer or not) or a short taxi drive to plenty of amazing historical and cultural locations. In many ways this particular hotel experience is the inverse of our previous one on St. Thomas. While on St. Thomas we had a fantastic view, the view from this hotel was the more modestly crowded city view of Santo Domingo, although there are sea views from the other side of the hotel. But where we were isolated in St. Thomas, here the hotel is bustling, full of life, and with excellent customer service. And it also had hot water, unlike our other room. If you judge by outside appearances, this place may not come off well, but it’s worth a stay if you like a quirky and friendly boutique hotel in the heart of the city of Santo Domingo.