Barahona is a rather popular spot for Dominicans needing respite from the city for the weekend.

Hotel María Montez (Calle Jaime Mota 48, tel. 809/524-6503, US$25 d) was named after the famous Hollywood actress from the 1940s who was born in Barahona. The hotel was built in 2000 and is in a quiet neighborhood. There are shared balconies on each of the three floors where you can enjoy the crisp night air. There was talk of creating a fourth level for a restaurant.

All the rooms are similar in size, very clean and comfortable with private bathrooms. All have air-conditioning and cable TV—no phones yet but there is a pay phone in the lobby that you can use. There’s a generator for extra power. The owner, Doña Gladys, is very hospitable and friendly. Parking is available. When we passed through, the sign was down but hopefully it will be back up by the time you read this.

Hotel Cacique (Av. José Francisco Peña Gómez 2, tel. 809/524-4620, US$11 d) is an amazingly cheap budget option one block away from the Malecón. There are 16 clean rooms with cable TV, air-conditioning, fan, and private hot-water bathrooms. While this is cheap, the comfort that you’ll get at a hotel for just a little more money might be worth the good night’s sleep, because you might not get one on these mattresses.

Gran Hotel Barahona (Jaime Mota 5, tel. 809/524-5353, US$35 d) offers 39 clean rooms with hot-water bathrooms and cable TV. This is a good choice for location’s sake, near Parque Central—so restaurants, banks, and other services are near.

Hotel Caribe (Av. Enriquillo 27 and Duarte, tel. 809/524-4111, US$ 30 d), although not as nice as some of the others, does include breakfast in the rate Tuesday–Friday (excluding holidays). The 31 rooms have air-conditioning, telephones, hot-water bathrooms, and TV in each. The restaurant is right next door and is called La Rocca. Hotel Caribe is across from Hotel and Casino Guarocuya.

One of the first hotels in Barahona, Hotel Guarocuya (Av. Enriquillo, tel. 809/524-2121, US$30) is showing its age. Once the holiday spot of Trujillo himself, unfortunately it looks like it could have already had its glory days and is now resigned to settling into a gloomy old age. It is right on the oceanfront, so the rooms facing the water have great views. All rooms have air-conditioning, cable TV, and telephone. The restaurant is open at 7 a.m. Julio Felix is a bird-watching guide based out of this hotel (Spanish only) and can take you on a one-day excursion (US$70) to see some of the island’s endemic species.

Hotel Costa Larimar (Av. Enriquillo 6, tel. 809/524-5111, www.costalarimar.com, US$80 d includes breakfast) is Barahona’s rather limp attempt at an all-inclusive hotel. The rooms are spacious and have comfortable beds, ceiling fans, working but very loud air-conditioning, and private baths. The windows are nice, but not all of them open to let in fresh air. There is a big pool with a good-sized bar next to it where meals are served along with drinks at night, and sometimes there’s live music or karaoke.

Although some call it the five-star hotel of Barahona, one should seriously ponder how many stars are possible on that scale. The beachfront was rather a letdown. But if you’re looking for a good room in a hotel that has a pool, this might be your only choice in the town of Barahona. They offer all-inclusive (US$20 per person), but don’t bother. The town offers better food options and the hotel restaurant isn’t that great.