Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PLAYA DORADA & COSTA DORADA
These two adjacent pretty beaches a few miles east of Puerto Plata string together a handful
of all-inclusive resorts and one five-star hotel. Both developments are marked by large
archways - Playa Dorada is the much larger one and the first you come to on the highway
from the airport. A prolonged downturn in Puerto Plata's mass-market tourism has led to
the mothballing of many properties, reminders of developers' outsized ambitions and sub-
par products, and of the national government's prioritizing of resort projects in the south-
east. However, signs point to a small-scale revitalization that might see a contraction in the
number of rooms with a renewed focus on quality.
Names and parent companies have changed over the years; however, a few worth consid-
ering, in addition to those reviewed below, are the Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Be Live
Grand Marien and Celuisma Playa Dorada. Most offer day and night passes (US$45 to
US$60), which entitle you to unlimited access to their facilities and a buffet lunch or din-
ner. The Playa Dorada mini-mall has a handful of infrequently visited shops selling cheap
souvenirs and package tours, a cinema (closed due to remodeling on our visit), two banks
with ATMs and a Budget car-rental agency.
Activities
Playa Dorada Golf Club
( 809-320-4262;
www.playadoradagolf.com
;
7am-7pm)
This well-regarded 6218m, par-72
Robert Trent Jones course is the centerpiece of the Playa Dorada complex. The greens fee
for nine holes is US$50, for 18 holes, US$75; caddies (US$8/15 for nine/18 holes) are ob-
ligatory, golf carts (US$15/25 for nine/18 holes) are not.
GOLF
Sleeping & Eating
Suncamp
( 809-320-1441;
www.suncampdr.com
;
Calle Principal; campsite US$10, r US$20; )
Surrounded by
lush jungle and set on a river near the village of Muñoz, 3km inland from Playa Dorada,
thoroughly rustic Suncamp looks like a typical Dominican compound - concrete floors,
corrugated-iron roof and makeshift furnishings. A stay here can be worthwhile if your
standards of comfort are low.
APARTMENTS
$
