During my days as a Caribbean guidebook writer, my first trip to the Dominican Republic was in the late 1990s. Back then, the country was best known to Canadian travelers who could stretch their dollar a little further there than in most of the Caribbean islands. European travelers also frequented this beach-laced paradise, but U.S. travelers were in the minority.
My, how things have changed. Over the ensuing quarter-century, tourism has helped fuel one of the fastest growing economies in the Americas. More people visit the Dominican Republic than any other Caribbean destination, and Americans now lead the charge by a wide margin.
For my latest visit, late last month, I arrived for the debut of Live Aqua Beach Resort Punta Cana, the newest hotel from La Coleccion Resorts by Fiesta Americana. Located 25 miles north of the Punta Cana International Airport, the 347-room, adults-only all-inclusive resort started accepting guests in February and celebrated its grand opening on May 27, 2021. Dominican president Luis Abinader assisted with ribbon-cutting duties for the $120 million-dollar property.
Property Layout and Decor
From a soaring central lobby, the resort opens onto a well-tended landscape of gardens and pools with the beach lolling on the horizon, accessed by a vine-laced breezeway. Guestrooms are primarily in three-story buildings on either side of the central pools and gardens. Clean lines and minimalist decor dominate views in every direction.
A quick golf cart shuttle brought me to my room, a premium pool-view unit. Measuring 439 square feet, the spacious quarters are bright and well-appointed. From the day bed on my second-floor balcony, I gazed down onto a long pool, accessed by guests occupying the swim-up rooms below. The least-expensive garden view rooms have the same layout, with many facing the resort next door. These rooms were also quieter and a bit more private during my visit. All accommodations feature upscale amenities, such as Molton Brown toiletries, pillow menus and plush bedding.
Every ground-floor room in the five main buildings are in the swim-up category, and each has steps leading into long pools that line the side of the buildings. These rooms are similar in size to the standard units, but the layout gives up a bit of interior space for an expanded terrace with a small, semi-private plunge pool.
Several types of suites are available. The 474-square-foot Tierra Suites, which are beach-facing, each features its own private plunge pool. Fuego Suites are located above the lobby, sharing a long pool that overlooks the entire property.
On-Site Dining
Food options are extensive for a resort of this size. Fresh off the plane at midday, I zeroed in on Miraflores, a cevicherialocated in the thatch-roofed building next to the sand. The Yucatan ceviche plate — comprising red snapper, lime and avocado — was satisfying in its simplicity. The all-seafood menu was missing only one thing: chips (to provide a bit of textural variety).
Throughout my stay, I also enjoyed Mediterranean lunches at Huzur, which offers an indulgent setting perched on an open-air terrace overlooking the main pool. Salade Nicoise, pappardelle pasta with peas and prosciutto, paella and roasted chicken are stars on the tantalizing menu here. Other lunch options include Wonderpool, which offers a fairly standard pool bar menu of burgers, burritos and fries; and ATL, which prepares Dominican cuisine during the day, with such items as fried plantain, chicken and pork dishes, mofongo and stews of various meats, eggplant and conch.
Standard rooms on the ground floor feature semi-private swim-up pools.
Credit: 2021 David SwansonAt night, ATL transitions to a Mexican venue and provides a more varied menu than the typical stateside Mexican joint, with dishes such as sopa seca de fideo (dry noodle soup), ropa vieja and shrimp Veracruz.
Though I missed out on ATL’s Mexican fare, I did get to enjoy Chez Rose, where French cuisine received solid treatment: onion soup, beef tartare, coq au vin, entrecote and apple tarte tatin all got their due. The Italian-styled Sospiro delivered competent dinners, albeit with some unfamiliar seasonings, but the Asian restaurant, Seishin, was a miss for me.
The resort’s buffet venue, Liberi, has an extensive selection, with all food items offered by servers at the ready. There were no lines, and the chilaquiles — prepared to order — were good enough that I ordered them three mornings in a row.
Hotel Spa and On-Site Amenities
One other standout feature of Live Aqua is the spa, which sits just off the lobby. The spa manager invited me to come early and use the facility’s dramatic indoor pool with a variety of body-pummeling jets on offer. A 50-minute deep-tissue massage ranges from $150-$200.
Beyond the 11 pools specifically for the swim-up rooms, an additional five pools were shared by all guests. During my stay, there were never more than a few people in any of these large pools, with the exception of the main one, situated between Huzur and the sand. There, upbeat pool aerobics and spinning sessions were scheduled, but it was otherwise a fairly laid-back setting throughout the day. The beach, as with most Atlantic-facing shorelines in the Dominican Republic, suffers from excessive seaweed, which is cleaned up by a tractor every few days. Few swam in the ocean, but beach loungers were utilized.
What’s Next for Grupo Posadas
What’s truly different about Live Aqua Beach Resort Punta Cana is that it represents the only property outside of Mexico that is run by Grupo Posadas, [https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Hotels/What-It-s-Like-Staying-at-Two-Grupo-Posadas-Resorts-in-Cancun-During-COVID-19] Mexico’s largest hotel company.
According to Enrique Calderon, COO for Grupo Posadas, the company brings a different culture to the island.
“We have been in tourism in Mexico for many, many years,” Calderon said. “The idea was to bring the culture that we have in Mexico to the Dominican Republic.”
We have been in tourism in Mexico for many, many years. The idea was to bring the culture that we have in Mexico to the Dominican Republic.
The company has big plans for additional developments in the country. Two more projects are planned for Punta Cana, including a 560-room Fiesta Americana and an additional resort immediately north of Live Aqua. Other projects are also in the works in Puerto Plata, Cabarete, Miches and Santo Domingo.
“In six years, we will have more than seven hotels in the Dominican Republic,” said Calderon, who compares the country to the “romantic” destinations of Mexico. “It’s like Puerto Vallarta in the 70s, Cancun in the 80s. Here, you will still find an innocent destination, not too much rush to be someplace else, quiet beaches, great food, and the people of the Dominican Republic are very nice, friendly and very warm.”
On that last point, I could not concur more. Although vaccination rates in the Dominican Republic (as in most places around the world) have been slow, Calderon told me that every employee at Live Aqua Beach Resort Punta Cana has received one or both vaccine doses for COVID-19. And yet, at no point over the course of my three days there did I see an employee improperly masked.
The respect went both ways.
The Details
Live Aqua Punta Cana
