Six Things about Sunscape Puerto Plata Resort and Spa--Dominican Republic
One—Set your camera to panorama!
The travel site The Barefoot Nomad names Playa Dorada as one of the 10 Best Beaches in the Dominican Republic, and other travel sites call it The Beach of Choice on the Amber Coast. It is a wide beach of golden sand extending for miles along the Atlantic east of Puerto Plata.
It is the quintessential picture-perfect palm-lined beach with awesome mountain views and transparent turquoise waters. And this is where you find Sunscape Puerto Plata.
Two—The preamble to the Sunscape Constitution guarantees fun as a basic right.
Nobody else can claim to offer Unlimited-Fun® because Sunscape has those two words trademarked! That all-inclusive promise is the staff’s prime directive. It’s the name of the game and applies to everybody, but guests who desire a next-level vacation experience can choose to join the Sun Club.
Check-in is turned into a tropical breeze by the presence of this guy,
warm and welcoming Alberto.
Sun Club is equal opportunity, offering a separate lounge for the exclusive use of families with kids, and another exclusively for adults. Guests can find hot and cold finger-food and sweet treats and top-shelf spirits in both lounges.
Both adults and families have the use of their own large whirlpools with waitstaff present to serve. All-inclusive to family rooms: cartoons!
Three—Tamarindo! When you absolutely, positively have to have soup at 4am
Sunscape makes you, the guest, the sacred promise that you will not be hungry or thirsty at any time, 24 hours a day. Breakfast begins at Windows at 6:30 in the morning and throughout the day a tag-team of eateries provides lunch, dinner and snacks till The Pizza Shop and Coco Café call it a day at 10:30pm. That’s when Tamarindo provides the culinary light through the night and bridges the hunger gap overlooking the main pool until Windows takes the baton again at 6:30am. Salads, sandwiches, pasta, soup.
Want a glass of Presidente at 3 in the morning? Tamarindo’s got you covered.
Four—Speaking of The Pizza Shop…
Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza is produced nonstop by the authentic, Neapolitan-style brick-oven pizza oven at the authentically named “The Pizza Shop” from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. Scarlett O’Hara said, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” She should have booked a week at Sunscape.
Five—A good walk unspoiled
“Golf is a good walk spoiled,” Mark Twain likely did not say, according to fact-checkers. But here the argument is immaterial. Playa Dorada Golf Course, across the street from Sunscape’s entrance drive and surrounding the resort, is a spectacularly scenic stroll across a classically challenging Robert Trent Jones course.
Golf geeks esteem Jones so highly there exists a Robert Trent Jones Society whose members sing tribute to his name. He finished the Playa Dorada Golf Course in 1979 and its mahogany (Dominican Republic national tree), palm and coconut trees are mature and tower over fairways. Golfers play in view of the blue Atlantic and the scenic Isabel de Torres Mountain. One player posted on Tripadvisor that Jones used all his tricks on this course. Another called it below average. Haters gonna hate. Your results may vary.
The 18-hole course meanders so close to the beach you can detect the scent of sunscreen.
Six—Scientific research shows that on Playa Dorada the odds of getting lucky increase exponentially.
We were there on Valentine’s Day. The resort has designated romantic spots along the beach where couples can reserve a candlelight dinner for two with a special menu. Ask the concierge about that. By the way, romance is certainly included in the Unlimited-Fun®. Romantic dinners are not.
Seven--(Okay, Six things was more of a guideline than a rule) Fish in the sea and at your feet.
Somebody, way back, discovered that swimming in streams with the Garra Rufa fish produced smoother, healthier skin and gave them the nickname Doctor Fish. At the Sunscape Spa, the diminutive doctors are employed to nibble on your toes and removed flaky epidermis from your tasty foot. Some clients say they tickle as they nip away dead skin and leave the foot smooth and almost slippery. Some compare the sensation to a mild electric current. Fun!
Eight--A tropical refuge within a tropical refuge
Sunscape’s landscape includes pristine beaches and lush tropical jungle.
And nestled between the resort greenery and the beach and linked by a bridge is a lagoon within mangroves; a habitat for a variety of wildlife.
Here a purple gallinule is called a Gallareta, and because of its frequent cackles and cries, the name gallareta is also used to describe somebody who talks loudly or too much.
Nine—Another arbitrary Gone with the Wind allusion.
The north shore of the Dominican Republic is famous for its wind-driven watersports. Sunscape will hook you up with windsurfing equipment, and a skilled instructor should you not desire to become an instant viral video.
Kiteboarding is king at nearby Cabarete Beach, 40 minutes away. The resort can also arrange (at an additional charge) for kitesurfing gear and lessons from a company that provides that service.
For those whose notion of a day at the beach is less athleticism and more umbrella drinks, a day-trip to windsports mecca Cabarete is still a fun destination; an endless stretch of sand lined with charming restaurants and bars where you can recline in sun or shade and observe, vicariously, the action on the water.