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.
From journal Living the Vida Dominicana