Villa Flamingo was a great place to spend a week with our family of 10. As a Christmas present every other year we (the grandparents) give our kids and grandkids (4 of them, now ages 2 to 14) a week together somewhere warm. We've vacationed as a family 8 times in different locations. Having never been to the Dominican Republic, but having heard mixed reviews, we decided to take a chance, and we're very glad we did. All the adults agreed it was the best property so far - enough bedrooms/baths for all, beautiful infinity pool and right on the beach. The kids had a ball swimming in the pool, playing in the sand, walking the beach and looking for crabs at night. Other reviewers have mentioned the rough water, but we are used to Atlantic Ocean waves in the Northeast, and we all went in the water during our stay. We had fun experiences in the local community and never felt uneasy in our forays outside the villa. Our experience may have been different, as none of the other villas in the complex were rented, so we had the entire property to ourselves. Miguel, the maintenance guy, always asked if everything was okay, and immediately addressed any problems. We were happy that our son is more fluent in Spanish than the rest of us, as it helped to converse with the staff. The maid (who also turned out to be our chef) spoke very little English, but we got along just fine with sign language when we didn't have our "translator" close by. An added bonus for us was the direct flight and only a 20-minute transport to and from the villa. Great experience!