Casa Colonial La Verandah / Lucia Reviews

Gary, the retired Canadian who I just met at the golf course, tells me among some more trivial things, that he has built his own house in Cabarete and that Casa Colonial gets the honors for being the best restaurant in Puerto Plata. It is already around noon and I agree with myself that I should treat myself and pay a visit to this place right now.

Not that much later I arrive at an impressive gate where I am being stopped and greeted by a guard. Casa Conial is a 5 star hotel and obviously proud of demonstrating its “grand allure”. I tell the gentleman who I am and inquire if there is someone available to show me around the hotel before I sit down for lunch on the terrace by the beach. The guard makes a quick telephone call and raises the barrier that blocks my path. I proceed to walk on the gravel towards the hotel.

Two porters, dressed in a white outfit stand each on one side of the large glass entrance door. Julián, a tad overweighed, slightly feminine man wearing some kind of sailors uniform and a topi on his head, kindly greets me and shows me around the premises in a way he must have done a thousand times before. My tour starts with the hotel and the adjoining building, we pass the plush restaurant, which only opens for dinner, the spa, the rooftop terrace with infinity pool and finally arrive at the raised terrace at the back of the hotel. Due to the quiet season, the tables, all with crème colored parasols, are being set at half capacity meaning that just 2 chairs per table have been dressed up with a pillow. I figure that the only other guests are Dominican, probably hotel staff. Their loud behavior does not fit well with the ambiance and is inconsistent with the ambition of the hotel.

Luz, the waiter, hands me a menu, which I study meticulously. The sandwiches, quesadilla and salads are priced between expensive and way too expensive. Based on my extensive restaurant experience I can I tell you that none of the food offerings are worthy of the excessive prices. Today I will end up paying too much.

Food:
Although the Club Sandwich does also appeals to me, I decide to go for the chicken filled Quesadilla, which without upfront intend also turns out to be the cheapest item, ringing in at 390 pesos ($11.75). The plainly served, average sized, good tasting quesadilla comes with three small dishes filled with Crème Fraiche, Guacamole and a freshly prepared salsa consisting of tomatoes, bell pepper and onions while a glass of fine white wine arrives with a small basket containing two kinds of French bread and butter. To round of the experience I order a double espresso that would pass the taste test of the most discerning espresso buff.

Service:
The service is how it should be, clean, courteous and fast. My astray is being refreshed after every cigarette. A piece of moist paper prevents the ash from being blown all over the place by the wind.

The final bill comes to 1115.10 pesos ($ 31) for a simple lunch. I come to terms with the fact that it is the location and the reputation of the hotel that also needs to be compensated. Before I can afford dinner at the Casa Colonial, I have to save up a little longer or marry an affluent man.