Living the Vida Dominicana

Sun Village Resort and Spa

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Hotel | "EMI Sun Village Beach Resort"

View from the lobby pool Photo - Sun Village Resort and Spa, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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If you are in need of ultimate relaxation, the Sun Village Resort and Spa-Cofresi in Puerto Plata is the perfect place for you; just watch out for lots of rain, even outside the rainy season. The grounds are well kept (even during torrential rain storms), the resort is quiet, and the spa atmosphere prevails throughout the lush cobblestone paths. From the landscaping to the pools, Sun Village is well kept. There are beautiful plants and flowers around every corner, and even though it rained (poured) every single day of my 6-day stay, there were always grounds people sweeping up the debris and water from the walkways. I even met the resort manager, Mr. Jimmy, who I spotted as early as 7am and as...Read More

If you are in need of ultimate relaxation, the Sun Village Resort and Spa-Cofresi in Puerto Plata is the perfect place for you; just watch out for lots of rain, even outside the rainy season.

The grounds are well kept (even during torrential rain storms), the resort is quiet, and the spa atmosphere prevails throughout the lush cobblestone paths. From the landscaping to the pools, Sun Village is well kept. There are beautiful plants and flowers around every corner, and even though it rained (poured) every single day of my 6-day stay, there were always grounds people sweeping up the debris and water from the walkways. I even met the resort manager, Mr. Jimmy, who I spotted as early as 7am and as late as 11pm doing his rounds and making sure that everything was just so for all of us.

The pools are crystal clear and numerous—7 in total, with a few exclusively for adults. There were always plenty of lounge chairs , and when it really rained, I liked reading under the little huts at the Serenity Pool with soft music playing in the background. I think the lower pools by the beach would have been livelier if the weather had been better. The most active area was the bar by the hot tub on the beach. People who were more enthusiastic about chatting and drinking seemed to hang out there.

I booked an all-inclusive package with Cheap Caribbean, which meant I stayed in a standard room: simple yet adequate. The room was cleaned and stocked every morning I hung the service sign on my door. For more picky travelers, there were luxurious suites and massive villas. *Tip: If you plan to spend the majority of your time in the room sleeping, then save your money and go standard!

The public areas, like the lobby, theatre (stage) and buffet dining area, were always clean and well staffed with friendly and accommodating people. Same goes for the restaurants. Servers were always quick to bring exactly what I asked for and were equally speedy in setting and re-setting tables so that guests rarely had to wait.

Beware travel addicts: this vacation was a lesson in relaxation for me! I am typically a travel warrior, waking up early and going to bed late in order to make heads and tails of every little part of a new place and all that surrounds it. The rain made this trip challenging for me because I couldn’t take advantage of the pool and beach due the weather, the lack of safety in the surrounding area prevented me from doing any excursions, and the entertainment was nonexistent. What I did manage to do was to drink a lot of (strong) drinks, eat a lot, work the food and drink off at the gym, and do a good amount of reading. Overall I had a very nice time, but based on way I like to travel, I would not return to this location. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on April 9, 2007

Sun Village Resort and Spa
1 Playa Cofresi
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
809-970-3364

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Citrus

Restaurant

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My boyfriend and I had a great date-night at this restaurant. Although we had to wait a couple of nights to get our reservation (make sure to make your reservations for the restaruants at Malibu ASAP!), it was worth it, especially because it was included in our package!This little Italian restaurant was peaceful, yet not stuffy. The staff was very accommodating and ready to use their english as often as possible. The decor is very stylish and provincial Mediterranean at the same time. We got a great table with a view of the resort. If it had been a nice evening, I imagine the sunset would have been breathtaking.We started our dinner with a glass of the house red wine, which was dec...Read More

My boyfriend and I had a great date-night at this restaurant. Although we had to wait a couple of nights to get our reservation (make sure to make your reservations for the restaruants at Malibu ASAP!), it was worth it, especially because it was included in our package!

This little Italian restaurant was peaceful, yet not stuffy. The staff was very accommodating and ready to use their english as often as possible. The decor is very stylish and provincial Mediterranean at the same time. We got a great table with a view of the resort. If it had been a nice evening, I imagine the sunset would have been breathtaking.

We started our dinner with a glass of the house red wine, which was decent. They brought a basket of bread with garlic and melted cheese on top, which was very good, but easily something a young child would make from a kids' cookbook. For an appetizer, we split the delicious bruschetta-breads and pita with cheeses, prosciutto, and various spreads. On to ordering our entrees.

I ordered the pasta with seafood and my boyfriend ordered the chicken parmesan, but neither of these dishes were quite what we expected. I thought seafood might mean shrimp or crab in a tomato-based fish sauce. Instead, the sauce consisted of a lot of local seafood: octopus, squid, and other fish. It was tasty, but hard to get past which creatures I was ingesting. My boyfriend's chicken parm was very uniquely presented--pieces of breaded chicken drizzled in marinara propped up on a tower of whipped mashed potatoes next to a bed of steamed vegetables. This was a very tasty alternative to the usual chicken parm we get in Jersey.

For dessert, we had a slice of "strawberry" cheesecake, which was actually cheesecake with a guava sauce, and the chocolate mousse. Both were rich and wonderful.

The quick and friendly service and not having to reach for our wallets at the end of the meal made this a very enjoyable and romantic evening. I think that both picky eaters and food critics could find something yummy to nibble on here. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on April 12, 2007

Citrus
Sun Village Resort & Spa
Puerto Plata
(809) 970-7538

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Lemongrass

Restaurant

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We visited Lemongrass the night after Citrus and were delighted again by the decor, but less impressed by the food. The service was again impeccable and the mood? Chic. I loved how the breeze from the pools below cooled us as we ate. You must make a reservation for this restaurant a couple of days in advance at the Malibu buffet-style restaurant. If you are going with the all-inclusive package, this restaurant will be included.We tried the red wine again, but it was very vinegary. First, we had the tempura vegetables and spring rolls. The tempura was tasty, but heavy on the batter and not quite asian-style. Think onion-ring transferred to various other vegetables. The spring rolls were crisp...Read More

We visited Lemongrass the night after Citrus and were delighted again by the decor, but less impressed by the food. The service was again impeccable and the mood? Chic. I loved how the breeze from the pools below cooled us as we ate. You must make a reservation for this restaurant a couple of days in advance at the Malibu buffet-style restaurant. If you are going with the all-inclusive package, this restaurant will be included.

We tried the red wine again, but it was very vinegary. First, we had the tempura vegetables and spring rolls. The tempura was tasty, but heavy on the batter and not quite asian-style. Think onion-ring transferred to various other vegetables. The spring rolls were crispy and while my boyfriend loved them, I thought they had a strange flavor. I am sure it was just a spice I had not tasted before.

For dinner I had the thai vegetables and chicken in a coconut curry sauce. My boyfriend had the sweet and sour pork and chicken. The lighting was dim, so when our dishes came, all we could see was a deep red sauce (sweet and sour pork) and a black sauce (my coconut curry sauce). This was a bit daunting! My food had a flavor new to me, not too strong, that was surprisingly pleasant. Unfortunately, there was a lot of gristle on the pieces of chicken, which were obviously not cut from the breast. My boyfriend's sweet and sour sauce was too sweet and not sour enough to compete with our Chinese restaurants. I guess that is an unfortunate bias we carried with us.

For dessert, we had the friend tempura ice cream. The waiter tricked us by telling us they were out of it and then bringing us what he called (and looked exactly like) a fried potato. We said, "No, that's ok. We don't want it." Then he told us it was the friend tempura ice cream and we all had a good laugh. It was very yummy, with green tea ice cream and a sweet, crunchy shell.

All in all, I would not return to this restaurant, but this has nothing to do with the service or atmosphere. It was worth the experience. A little improvement on the cooking would go a long way for this spot. Read Less

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on April 12, 2007

Lemongrass
Sun Village Resort & Spa
Puerto Plata www.sunvillagep
(809) 970 7538

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Un-Entertainment at Sun Village-Cofresi

Attraction

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The entertainment at this resort just plain stunk. Because it rained every day, many of the performances (group dances, bands, etc.) seemed as though they had been thrown together by members of the staff the night before in an effort to pacify bored guests. No such luck. All entertainment took place in the theatre. There was supposed to be some sort of beach party by Sonora Mexican restaurant on the beach one night, but either we missed it or it just didn't happen due to rain. Some of the performers' voices were good, but there was a lot of electronic backup and little in the way of instrumental ability. The staff were friendly and the dance lessons were fun the first 10 minutes and th...Read More

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on April 10, 2007

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Swim Time: The Pools, Hot Tubs and Beach

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The seven pools at Sun Village were incredible and ranged from kid hangouts to topless to spa-like. My favorite was the upper pool by the lobby, for its view. Lounging in a chair, drink in hand, you get a spectacular look at the surrounding mountain range, the ocean, and a majority of the resort. The pools were kept at a slightly chilly temperature, but that didn’t stop them from being used.Aside from the view, the lobby pool is adults-only. It’s the only pool with a swim-up alcoholic bar. The servers at this bar were great and since I took my own (larger!) cups with me, I made fewer trips. Since this pool is right by the lobby and theatre, I could always run right inside whenever it rained. ...Read More

The seven pools at Sun Village were incredible and ranged from kid hangouts to topless to spa-like. My favorite was the upper pool by the lobby, for its view. Lounging in a chair, drink in hand, you get a spectacular look at the surrounding mountain range, the ocean, and a majority of the resort. The pools were kept at a slightly chilly temperature, but that didn’t stop them from being used.

Aside from the view, the lobby pool is adults-only. It’s the only pool with a swim-up alcoholic bar. The servers at this bar were great and since I took my own (larger!) cups with me, I made fewer trips. Since this pool is right by the lobby and theatre, I could always run right inside whenever it rained.

The Topless pool, just below the lobby pool was empty every time I walked past it. This pool is the deepest at 8 feet, but was very small and lacked a view.

The pool just below the Topless one was the shallow children’s pool, which always seemed to have a few kids on the water slide, or wading around. There was a tent right next to it which parents used as a little camp and as a shady spot for the times when the sun emerged.

The Spa pool was extremely calm. There was a nice hot tub next to it, which was never crowded or noisy.

Just below the Spa pool was the Serenity pool, which was a great spot for reading or sleeping. Quiet music gave it a surreal effect and the little huts surrounding the water held out the rain. A swim-up juice bar was a nice addition.

The last two (adult/child) pools are located just above the beach at the bottom of the resort. These Activities pools were host to multiple water sports and lessons, and were right by the Sonora Mexican restaurant, which was a buffet lunch spot during the day.

On the beach, by the Lovewrecked Bar, is a bustling spot with another hot tub.

The ocean was murky and not good for snorkeling, so if that’s what you want, don’t come here! The beach is very clean, so I would have gone swimming here a lot more if the weather was better. The only topless woman I saw the entire trip was on the beach.

A good thing to know about using the pools (beach) is that when you check in, you will receive a pool pass. This pool pass gets you a towel for the day, which must be exchanged by 6pm for a towel pass for the following day. If on no other day, make sure to return your towel the evening before you leave or you will be asked to pay $10. The only thing harder than paying $10 is leaving this amazing pool environment!

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