***Note- we rented two units from the property manager, Carlos. Both were great so you will find this review posted under the other unit also***
My family and I were traveling down from New York to stay in Juan Dolio. For those who may not have traveled to the DR before, Juan Dolio is a hidden gem... it's the best beach within easy driving distance if you want to stay near the capital, Santo Domingo on the south coast. For us, Punta Cana is too "tourist-resort"-ish, Las Terrenas/Samana is too remote (even with the new highway) and in Puerto Plata it's really just the beach, not too many things to do outside the resorts. Juan Dolio combines a great beach that's within driving distance of malls, other dining, sightseeing & activities in the capital (we have 5 kids, all tweens/teenagers).
In Juan Dolio, Marbella Towers is (IMHO) the best place to stay. They REALLY keep the property up. They keep the beach (which is more of less private), immaculately clean. The pools are super clean and the largest ones in Juan Dolio. They have a real nice play ground/fort/slide area for smaller kids and a game room onsite for teens etc. and SUPER SECURITY, IT'S VERY SAFE. And since each apartment is owned (and rented out when the owners aren't there), they're fully furnished and well maintained as a home would be unlike if you rent a room at a hotel where you never know what it will be like until you open the door!
From the moment I made an inquiry Carlos was VERY responsive (I'd literally email him and receive a response always within 5 minutes!) We actually rented 2 of his units (7-25 & 7-27) as we were meeting with some relatives and both units were top-notch! They were extremely clean and fully-ready. There's nothing we had to do, we just checked in and enjoyed our vacation. Everything was "as advertised" in the posting (and better). We needed to add/change certain days we were staying... Carlos accommodated with NO PROBLEM. If we needed anything he let us know we could contact him any time (and since I don't speak Spanish having a local resource like that for my family is gold. The last thing you want on a vacation is any surprises!)
Our vacation was a 5-star experience, Carlos was great to work with and the unit was EXCELLENT! (it's really impressive, you won't be disappointed!).