Sun Village Resort and Spa — Hotel Review Rating: 3.5 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Kate M.
Updated: July 7, 2009

 Scene

Built into the side of a hill in the small town of Cofresi (about 15 minutes from Puerto Plata) -- the Sun Village 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 Sun Village. 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. But there aren’t any rooms near the beach. The best rooms are at the top of the hill, and others (like mine) surround the pools and other activities.

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.

 Service

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.

 Location

Sun Village resort 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.

 Beach

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.

 Rooms

Few TripAdvisor reviews complain about the rooms at Sun Village. The resort's Web site touts features like iPod docks and flat-screen TVs. But these are only in select buildings scattered throughout the property. I was in the room that time forgot. From the outside, the building looks like a typical Florida condo. Inside, the white tile floor is not only dirty, but also cracked and stained. The room itself smells like bleach and is beside a series of humming AC vents. Surprisingly, this isn’t even the cheapest room. It is a “Superior” room (the next level up) because of its proximity to the Juice Bar and Dolphin Pool. The Superior is definitely not worth the upgrade -- people lounge just a couple feet from the door and there’s tons of noise from the pool (most pointedly loud children splashing and screaming).

Superior Deluxe rooms, however, can be well worth the extra cash. They’re set further up the hill, just above the lobby. 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-rate rooms, have flat-screens. But my room came with a 20-inch standard-screen Samsung TV. The remote barely works and there is a messed up aspect ratio. That is, the screen seems to be magnified so I couldn't see the score or clock of a basketball game on ESPN. On the bright side, all rooms have cable channels like TBS, HBO, USA, the Food Network, and all three major networks. Other room features include a mini-fridge stocked with soda, water, and Brahma beer.

My king bed is sturdy and soft enough, but the sheets feel like worn socks. Rather than using a fitted sheet, they topped the bed with a single flat sheet. It came untucked while I slept, revealing nothing but a mattress -- there is no mattress pad or other protective covering.

The bathroom is OK, but I found the towels to be almost gray and extremely scratchy. When I opened the soap by the sink to wash my hands, the wrapper was completely damp and had melded to the soap bar. In the shower, the water is not particularly hot, nor is the pressure very strong. As with the rest of the room, lackluster housekeeping is only part of the problem -- the room is just worn out.

On a final note, I saw a small lizard scurry across the floor, near my bed. It likely entered through my patio door, which doesn’t have a screen. To steer clear of the critters, request a room on the second floor or above.

 Great Pool

Sun Village 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.

 Features

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.

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.

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.

Sun Village 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.

 Family

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.

 Evening Entertainment

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. Sun Village had neither. Nightlife seemed to be a low priority.

 Cleanliness

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.

 Food

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. Citrus, the Italian restaurant, is the go-to spot, but there’s also Tex-Mex at Cafe Sonora by the beach and Asian food at Lemongrass.

The Italian restaurant, Citrus, is excellent (especially for an all-inclusive). TripAdvisor reviewers also loved it. Not surprisingly, it’s the only à la carte mentioned in the resort’s welcome letter. Advanced reservations are highly recommended. Located in a round stone building with large wooden doors like a Mediterranean monastery, it actually feels like a real Italian restaurant. (Most resorts just slap on cheesy Italian name -- like “Pastafari” at the Breezes resort -- then call it a day.) When I arrived, my table wasn't quite ready, but the host invited me to help myself to the cheese and antipasti table set up near the bar. An additional hors d'oeuvres table offered mini-pizza bites, multiple kinds of bruschetta, and fresh bread. I started off with Caesar and caprese salads, the latter featured little balls of fresh mozzarella, one sprig of basil, and chopped tomatoes. I tasted two pasta entrées -- Penne Arrabiata and Fettucine with Porcini Mushrooms in a Cream Sauce. Both were well-presented in unique pasta dishes, and both were hearty and flavorful. Dinner came with a choice of red or white wine, though guests also have the option of selecting a bottle of nicer wine from an extensive wine list (at an additional cost).

Dinner at Malibu is also a cut about most all-inclusives. The most notable dish: the fully cooked Suckling Pig at the center of the room. 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.

 Drinks

Aside from the Brugal rum, the D.R.’s national brand, all the liquor that I saw was Papillon brand, whatever that is. Strangely, the resort doesn't carry the most popular Dominican beer, Presidente, but instead stocks Brahma (a pretty decent Brazilian brand). At 24-hour lounge, Aqua, repeat guests (or perhaps time-share owners) are able to stock their own personal liquor in locked cabinets near the bar. It had been so long since I'd seen a bottle of Patrón, it actually felt like a mirage. Also, at dinner, guests can order a bottle of nicer wine from an extensive wine list (at an additional cost).

In general, perhaps this Trip Advisor reviewer puts it best: "Don't expect top-shelf liquor. (This is not a problem for mixed drinks, but if you're a single malt type of guy, this is not the place.)" For a little better booze (scotch is nowhere to be found in the Caribbean) check out the Grand Oasis Marien or Iberostar Costa Dorada.

 Bottom Line

A large, hilly, step-laden family resort with 7 great pools, a modern spa and gym, and pretty good food (for an all-inclusive). However, its beach is along the D.R’s worst stretch -- just a small shred of dark sand next to less-clear water. Booze is sub-par and dancing is scarce. Partiers, plan on a loooong vacation.