Sun Village Beach Resort in POP

[Annie]

vacances a Sun Village Resort in Cofresi

Well,
I guess since you are already going...... try to look on the positive side of things. Just enjoy the vacation, the weather, the people the scenery (the hotel is very beautiful, I saw pics). You never know, you might be one of the lucky ones that does not get sick. I am sure not everyone that goes there gets sick. If I were you.....this is what i would bring....bring imodium, pepto bismol, tums etc. Anything for you stomach or digestive system that could help if you start feeling sick. Also I am not sure where you are from but go buy treats to bring on the resort with you EXAMPLE peanuts, jelly beans, corn nuts, trail mix, etc... These are things that you could snack on if you feel afraid to eat somethings. Just be prepared. Eat the food that you feel safe eating and the ones that you have no idea what it is don't.

Relax, have a good trip......you never know you might love it!!

I wouldn't worry, people exagerate tremendously. I live five minutes away from Sun Village and yes around March April ALL the hotels had problems with food poisoning even the Flamenco Resort. A lot of people get sick but if you are careful you WILL NOT. DO NOT drink the water, not even the bottle water, just drink beer and pops, be careful with your salads. Eat lots of fruits and veges, wash your hands twice as much as you do at home and you will see everything is going to be Fabulous. It is a beautiful resort. Ask Fredy the Maitre D' to look after you, tell him you are a friend of Anita of Costambar! Good luck.

 

[jmcgodfrey]

Just returned from Sun Village

Lulu,
My husband and I just returned from Sun Village Beach Resort and had an awesome time. Yes...we read all the reviews as well and were a bit nervous as well. We had a fabulous time, the resort is beautiful and the main pool is where we had the most enjoyable time. We didn't get sick except for drinking to much rum..hehehe. You really have to go with an open mind and realize, you are in a different country and things will be different. Remember as well, you are the foreigner and the minority. You are not in America so don't have such high expectations as to how things should be.

The sewage smell you are talking about is not really all that. Every so often you could smell it, nothing more than you would experience at home when a bad smell would permeate the air for a little bit. We didn't run into anyone being sick, just drink the bottled water and you will be fine. You will find bottled water readily available at all the bars and in your room. You can brush your teeth and shower with the water there, just don't swallow it. The folks who live there are immune to the water so it is safe for them to drink it. Take pepto bismol with you just in case. I can tell you the people who work the bars and restaurants don't move to quick like us Americans, it is very hot there so they move slow. Learn a little bit of Spanish, they appreciate that since that is their language. You will find that Spanish is spoken mainly by staff and they understand just a bit of English, not much. All in all, the people are very friendly who work at the resort. The shows at the Theatre are incredible, man can they dance. I would highly recommend knowing what the currency exchange rate is, being US $ to peso, it changes daily in the DR. You will find that the beach is a public beach and locals peddle their wares to you when you walk the beach, this I found annoying, so it kept us away from the beach. Also, the beach isn't what the pictures look like. It is a bit rocky and the locals come here to swim on most days. You are protected at all times by securtity guards who do carry guns and keep the locals off the Resort premises. We never ventured out of the resort, although if you wanted to, the resort has guided tours that you can set up. If you are a beer drinker, too bad for you, they only serve their brand of beer called the Presidente. We were told though that you can get a taxi at the resort and take you in to town to pick up American Beer such as Budweiser for about $10/for a 12 pack. If you are an Iced Tea drinker, it takes them some time to figure it out, they don't understand iced tea.
You will have a fabulous time and will find the staff very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend going on the Resort Tour that they offer, it is very informative and gives you a chance to see alot of things that are going on. They are renovating a part of the resort next to the lobby where the Thai and Mexican Restaurant used to be, so get directions to the new location. I would highly recommend Ovandos for dinner, great fillet mignon I must say. If you go to the Mexican Retaurant, Ole's, try to get a seat outside where there is a breeze, we made the mistake of sitting inside and man was it hot. They have no fans inside this place and we were sweating a bit, food is OK. I ordered iced tea and they brought out hot tea.. : ) I highly recommend the frozen margarita, yummy. As for tipping, we did a bit of that a dollar or two here and there. Although, they say tipping is not required with an all inclusive, the folks who work there are very appreciative when they received tips and will be at your beckon call. Have a wonderful time and quit reading those reviews....

 

[Budson]

Recent Stay

I was there a few weeks back. No indications of anyone getting sick but I can tell you it is a lousy place to stay. I work in the DR and usually end up at some resort on the weekend. Sun Village is the only one I will never go back to.

Reason (that I can remember)

Place was enpty! Bring your own company
I felt like the Grand Old Duke of York (up and down stairs after stairs)
Rooms were flooded after a moderate rain (get a room on the second floor!)
Staff was unfriendly and were not of much help when needed
Food not on par (quality, choice, availablity) with other resorts
Beach was filthy
Beach area for hotel was small
Difficult to walk in the ocean until you got out where you could float (very rocky compared to other beaches in the area)

On the plus side.....
I though the facilites were attractive.
Many pools (one on almost ever "level")
I had a beautiful room (I think they put me in an upgraded room)


I am sure many people go there an have a great time. You make your own vacation. It is tougher to do that in Sun Village.

 

[Budson]

Presidente verses American Beer

......If you are a beer drinker, too bad for you, they only serve their brand of beer called the Presidente. We were told though that you can get a taxi at the resort and take you in to town to pick up American Beer such as Budweiser for about $10/for a 12 pack.........

One of the truely great enjoyements in the DR is Presidente. IMHO, no American beer compares. Add the fact that it has a higher alcohol content than any US beer and it could be the basis of a great DR memory (or lack of memory)

If you are even a casual beer drinker, try the Presidente!

 

[Conchman]

I agree, Budweiser is pisswater compared to Presidente

 

[jmcgodfrey]

I agree, Budweiser is pisswater compared to Presidente

To each his own...Everyone is entitled to their opinion

 

[Lulu1961]

Thanks to all that responded

Hi Derrick, Kaybo, Annie, and Jmcgodfrey
I am sorry I have not responded to your post earlier. My grandmother has taken ill and I went home to visit her.
I was VERY happy to see that you had not gotten sick and had a great time at the Sun village. I'm sorry that you had to go through what I was going through with all of the nervousness, feeling sick to my stomach, and mostly making me not really looking forward to going to the DR. But I am happy to report that, By the time I had gotten to reading your post and e-mail I had already gotten word from the auction sight that they would move me to another hotel for a $75.00 cancellation fee of the Sun Village. I accepted their offer, and now wait to hear back from them on details. The offer was for the Coral Marien Hilton. So we will be heading out July 23rd. I am so excited and can't wait. Thank you again everyone for the post. Maybe on my next trip, Sun Village will be the place for me. Ya'll have a great day!
Hugs,
Lulu
Side note: Annie thanks , will keep that in mind about Fredy the Maitre D' if I ever stay at the Sun Village.

 

[Dolores1]

I wouldn't worry, people exagerate tremendously. I live five minutes away from Sun Village and yes around March April ALL the hotels had problems with food poisoning even the Flamenco Resort. A lot of people get sick but if you are careful you WILL NOT. DO NOT drink the water, not even the bottle water, just drink beer and pops, be careful with your salads. Eat lots of fruits and veges, wash your hands twice as much as you do at home and you will see everything is going to be Fabulous. It is a beautiful resort. Ask Fredy the Maitre D' to look after you, tell him you are a friend of Anita of Costambar! Good luck.

Please... Drinking beer and pops, as recommended by Annie, is a sure way to be rapidly dehydrated and get sick. In the Caribbean, you need to drink lots of liquids, and beer and pops do not count. Please... drink the bottled water provided. Beer and pops do not count as liquids.

See our travel health page at http://dr1.com/travel/prepare/health.shtml

P.S. Suggest you visit Ocean World Park when in Puerto Plata at the Coral Marien. Ocean World Park is besides Sun Village. You can then tour Sun Village, just for your own curiosity. Probably post a trip report when you get back.

 

[Lulu1961]

Hi Delores,

Thank you for the information. I had planned on drinking bottled water. I got a lot of good information from that web sight you posted. THANK YOU! And thanks for the little tidbit about Ocean World and the tour ;-). We are going to have to go check that out. 22 more days before we touch down in DR
Have a great day, see you soon.
Hugs,
Lulu

 

[daisyone]

I was wondering if there is anyone that has recently stayed at the Sun Village Beach Resort? I have been finding some very unsettling trip reports on another web sight, and just wanted to get another perspective from other web sights, as I have purchased a weeks stay there for this upcoming July. I am finding that they are having raw sewage problems. One person said, the smell of raw sewage permeates most of the property, especially around the main dining facility. Also, the smell of sewage emanated from the drains in the bathroom floor. People have reported seeing this being dumped into the ocean where we would swim, garbage on the beach, people getting really sick and having to be put on IV's. Having stuff stolen from their rooms, because locks are not working, restaurants being burnt and having to rebuild. Chicken being left out and not in refrigeration, then being cooked and served. Room flooding. This disturbs me a lot. There is always mix reviews, I agree, but these are some very disturbing reviews I am getting on this resort. One person even stated "Would not recommend this resort and feel it would be in the best interests of all that it be fully investigated before someone is taken out of there in a box." Another person stated "To add insult to injury, if you mentioned the illness to your "personal concierge" or the management, their response was blatant denial - "What do you mean people are sick?". They stated that, approximately 80% if resort guests became ill during their stay. In their building alone, about a dozen people required I.V. therapy. I'm not saying there are not good reviews, but these recent April, May, 2004, dates make me very skittish as well as nervous at staying at this resort. Have you been there? Have you witness any of these things? Someone please let me know if they have been there recently, and if in fact this is taking place. Thanks in advance.
Lulu :ermm: [/SIZE]

Lulu, I've been there. My husband and myself have been there twice and are planning again for October. We had the best time and no 'raw sewage' or any illness at all. (with the exception of a self induced hang over). The staff at the resort are wonderful. I cant say enough about Sun Village. Its truely a paradise vacation resort. Have a great time.
Daisy