Hotel Be Live Grand Carey Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Built into the side of a hill in the small town of Cofresi (about 15 minutes from Puerto Plata) -- the Be Live Grand Carey is a quiet, laid-back, beautifully landscaped property (it even has its own flamingo habitat). Off the highway, a narrow road to the resort descends a steep hill -- private villas are on the left and the sister property, the Bungalows, is on the right. Security guards patrol the road at all hours. A bit further down the hill is the roundabout entrance to Be Live Grand Carey. Because of its unique location, there are fantastic views of the surrounding hills and the ocean from both the marble lobby and the nearby Oasis pool.

The impressive lobby is a tall marble rotunda, draped with gauzy fabric and supported by columns, though the roof is thatched with palm leaves. The resort's architectural style is vaguely Mediterranean, and I've read romanticized descriptions comparing it to a seaside Italian village. This is a bit of a stretch, but what's true is that the resort requires a lot of walking. Accessing the lobby and restaurants from virtually any room on the property, regardless of direction, requires a trip up or down a steep, narrow stairway. This is why a bellhop needed to drive my bags to my room in a large golf cart. It’s definitely not a place for young children or anyone with mobility challenges. In the morning, I found myself tripping outside the lobby on the way to breakfast (I just can't walk that well before I've had my coffee).

I saw a decent mix of families, groups of 20-somethings, and couples young and old. Management told me that the bulk of guests are Canadian (like most resorts in the D.R.) and even American (a rarity in the D.R.). During my weekend stay, I also saw a lot of Dominican families with kids.

Though management explained that the resort is quite popular with American and Canadian college students during spring break in March and April, it didn’t seem like the place to party. There’s no disco and most guests go to bed early. Furthermore, because the resort is self-contained (unlike the resorts in Playa Dorada), there are no other nighttime alternatives within walking distance, or even within a short drive.

Like at most Dominican resorts, nearly everyone I encountered was warm and friendly. Check-in and check-out were both fast and easy -- two bellhops even tugged on my suitcases and argued over who would take me to the room.

After I arrived in my room, someone called within five minutes to ask if everything was to my satisfaction. I replied, "To be honest, no. The floors are filthy and it kind of smells bad." Ten minutes later, two cheerful housekeepers arrived at my door armed with a broom and a mop. I greatly appreciated the gesture and speedy response. Likewise, service at the popular beach bar, Lovewrecked, is fast and friendly. The gentleman manning the nearby water sports and scuba hut when I was there was pleasant and informative.

But, like one reviewer on TripAdvisor explains, "The service was hit or miss. Some people were really nice, some OK, some drunk, and one in particular cursed me off in Spanish thinking that I wouldn't understand." No one cursed at me, and I never spotted any employees drunk, but I got mildly miffed when a woman at the Juice Bar took orders from two Spanish-speaking customers who cut in front of me. Likewise, it took an hour and six calls to the front desk just to make a single outgoing phone call. Call one: The front desk put me on hold, but never returned. Call two: The phone rang 15 times without anyone picking up. Call three: Same ringing, no response. Call four: The receptionist told me to hang up and he would call back within a minute. Call five: I waited 10 minutes with no response, so I tried calling back again. Naturally, no one answered. Call six: Finally I got through, and they were able to connect me.

View on a Larger Map

Be Live Grand Carey is located in the small village of Cofresi, a 35 min., $45 westbound taxi ride from the airport. The room buildings dot the property on various levels connected by marble steps. The resort affords stunning views in any direction of either the water or the lush, green mountains to the south.

Cofresi is a sleepy village with little beyond a smattering of hotels, the expansive (though less pristine) Cofresi Beach, and the Ocean World adventure park, one of the north coast's most popular tourist destinations, mostly because visitors can swim with dolphins. Otherwise, the area is a mostly barren stretch of low-rise time-shares and small public greens that host the occasional stickball contest. Though a casino and the Canadian-owned Chris & Mady's restaurant draw sizable crowds, a relative lack of activity drives nightlife-seeking tourists 15 minutes east to Puerto Plata and the gated resort complex, Playa Dorada.

With nothing but a small strip of dark, wet sand, there were actually very few chairs laid out on the actual beach. The waves at the beach in Cofresi, which is actually more of a cove, are fairly large and the water is fairly murky. I constantly felt foreign objects around my legs, freaking me right out of the water. Furthermore, all beaches are public in the D.R. At times, it was quite crowded with locals and vendors.

Beside the beach, there’s the Sonora Mexican Cafe, Lovewrecked Bar, and a midday snack bar with fried foods and cold cuts. There's also a mini-mart selling things like sunscreen and hats. An extensive water-sports hut offers scuba lessons (at additional cost), kayaks, boogie boards, floats, banana boats, and windsurfing boards.

After the renovation in 2010, things are looking up for the Be Live Grand Carey. Several new buildings housing larger rooms, suites and penthouses were added to the property. However, some of the old rooms remain, and nothing much there has been changed -- so make sure to book a room in the newer buildings.

Junior Suites can be well worth the upgrade. They’re far airier and have terra-cotta floors. They actually seem reminiscent of something Mediterranean, unlike the other rooms. They have flat-screen TVs, iPod docks, and large balconies that overlook the ocean and surrounding hills.

Some rooms, even standard rooms, have flat-screens. But my room came with a 20-inch standard-screen Samsung TV. Rooms in the older buildings can be hit or miss.

All rooms include:

• A/C and ceiling fan
• Coffeemaker
• Iron and ironing board
• TV with cable access
• Mini-bar

Room types:

• Standard Room: 460 square feet; one king or two queen beds; garden view
• Junior Suite: 613 square feet; one king or two queen beds; Jacuzzi; flat-screen TV; garden or ocean view.
• Spa Room: 495 to 603 square feet; one king or two queen beds; garden view; separate living area upon request
• Penthouse: 1,400 to 2,088 square feet; master bedroom with a king bed and a bathroom with Jacuzzi; guest bedroom with two double beds and bathroom with a shower; separate living area with a 42-inch flat-screen TV and DVD player; kitchen; iPod docking station; PC and free Internet

Be Live Grand Carey has seven different pools for its guests, perhaps because not much property fronts the water and the beach isn't that great. Fortunately, the pools are amazing -- especially the three-level, Oasis/Adult/Kiddie pool complex off the lobby. The Oasis pool is landscaped with an island in the middle and offers stunning views and in-water lounge chairs. A level down, the adult pool has a walk-under waterfall and more loungers for sun-worshippers who also like peace and quiet. A level below that, kids have a smallish, slightly dark pool at the base. But the kids I saw were happy with the waterslide that leads down from the top of the steps.

There’s a spa on site with a particularly gorgeous spa pool and a top-notch menu of services. But the prices are a bit higher than most all-inclusives in the D.R. It is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

The gym is in an airy, bright room with wide views of the leafy property. The Vision Fitness cardio machines are in good condition, and there’s a full supply of dumb bells and weight machines. Decent gyms in the D.R. are hard to come by, but this is one of the better ones. It opens 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Like one astute Trip Advisor reviewer notes, the resort inexplicably stuck its ping-pong and foosball tables in a dark, windowless basement below the lobby. "I like to play these things in the sun next to the beach," she points out. I agree. Nearly every other resort tries to place these games next to either the beach or the pool.

At 10:30 a.m., I showed up for the advertised "Spanish lesson,” but no one was there. Many other reviewers on TripAdvisor complained about the resort's lack of activities. At one point, I saw a staff member halfheartedly try to gather guests for a morning stretch, but no one took him up on the offer. This isn’t the type of place where guests like to party with the animation team. For that, check out the Iberostar Costa Dorada.

Be Live Grand Carey is enabled for Wi-Fi, but just barely. I paid $13 via credit card for 24-hour access, but service was hard to find. There’s a stronger connection in the Wi-Fi lounge in the lobby, but it still requires guests to pay for access.

In addition, the property also has three tennis courts and a beach volley court.

The resort says it's geared mainly to older kids, families, and honeymooners (probably because it would be a nightmare to schlep a stroller up and down the hundreds of stairs around the property). But I saw my fair share of toddlers and found the kids' club and kids' pool -- replete with water slide! -- to be among the best children's facilities in the D.R. The kids' club is staffed between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Though scarce during the day, there’s lively nighttime entertainment. At about 9:30 p.m., I heard an MC call up eight male guests to participate in a game called "positions," which was basically an adult version of Simon Says. Highlights included men partnering up and being required to jump into each other's arms. The main show was an evening of Latin dance, featuring six dancers in sparkly costumes and hot pants performing a combination of ballet, Latin, and modern dance routines. Two of the dancers were particularly talented, but the show got a boring after a while. I couldn't believe it, but I actually found myself missing the verve and zaniness of the Viva Wyndham.

After the dance performance ended, the MC jumped back onstage and basically said, "Now this is the disco, so come dance!" Not surprisingly, most guests stayed planted firmly in their seats around the stage. Others filtered out. No one went up to dance, and I understood completely -- who wants to dance like an idiot with an audience of people sitting around just watching you? The scene was actually quite surreal -- just a bunch of people sitting at cocktail tables, staring at an empty stage while music blared. Unlike other resorts, there is no activities team dragging guests up to dance in order to get the party started. In my experience, the best discos are those with flashing lights and lots of dark corners. Be Live Grand Carey had neither. Nightlife seemed to be a low priority.

For the price, the room where I stayed was filthy. But this may have just been rotten luck. Many rooms are clean and modern, but mine had a cracked, dirty floor, bugs buzzing around, and a smell that forced me to throw open the sliding door (later leading to a lizard coming in). The sheets felt dirty, the towels were threadbare, and the soap wrapper was damp and soggy before I even touched it.

To be fair, the housekeeping staff works extremely hard. After I complained about the floors, two housekeepers showed up almost immediately to sweep and mop the floor.

In addition to its main buffet restaurant, Malibu, the resort has three à la carte restaurants, and a beachside grill with hot dogs and cold cuts.

The breakfast buffet also features a wide assortment of choices, from omelet stations to French toast, waffles and pancakes to Dominican sausage to fresh fruit.

In addition, the hotel has five bars and a disco that opens every day of the week.

• Malibu: Buffet service open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Rodizio: Serves Brazilian cuisine and meat cuts; open 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Asian: Serves Thai food; open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Mexican: Serves Tex-Mex food; open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Spring Snack Bar: Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Poolside Bar: Open 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• Wet Bar: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Health Bar: Serves juices and non-alcoholic drinks 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Disco bar: Sunday through Thursday 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., and 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday
• Beach Bar: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Theatre Bar: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.