When we cruised to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic in March of 2022, cruisers that were unvaccinated were required to book a tour in order to get off of the ship. Since the twins were only 4 (and not eligible for the vaccine), this rule applied to us.
After doing a little research, we decided on booking a day at the Playa Bachata Spa Resort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
The main selling points for us were:
- the resort is literally right next door to the cruise port so that meant very little travel time
- it included lunch
- they had a lovely beach and pool
- Oh…and it included free drinks.
Table of Contents
The Playa Bachata Resort
It took us less than 5 minutes to drive from the Amber Cove cruise port to Playa Bachata Spa Resort. We were transported in a well-airconditioned Coach bus, which was a nice plus. The resort itself was pretty much like the resorts you see sprinkled across the Caribbean. It was nice and quaint and in need of a little facelift (which they were working on while we visited).
The staff at Playa Bachata Spa Resort was very welcoming. We got a personal tour of the entire complex which featured: the lobby, restaurants, local vendors, the beach, and pool.
Interestingly, when we visited there were more people that were actually staying at the resort for an extended period of time, rather than on a day pass like cruisers are. Many of the people that we spoke to were local Dominicans staying at the resort. Perhaps this is why the staff all spoke to us in Spanish first before communicating in English (which is totally cool by the way, it is their home language after all!). It was a great opportunity for me to practice using my conversational Spanish.
The Beach
The beach at Playa Bachata Spa Resort is absolutely stunning. You can tell that they’ve put a lot of money into developing this area. There were countless lounge chairs lining the beach as far as the eye could see. The entire beach was lined with gorgeous, massive palm trees and outlined with beautiful shrubbery. The beach was very attractive!
The beach also had a recreational area, a stage, and a swing that you absolutely have to stop by to get a shot for Instagram.
Fun Fact: Bachata is a style of romantic music originating in the Dominican Republic.
The waves on this side of the island are a bit intense, so this isn’t the best spot of snorkeling or for young children to swim out very far. There was also a lot of seaweed in the water. Our kids decided they wanted to spend the day poolside, much to my disappointment.
The Pool
That being said, the pool was quite lovely. It was conveniently located next to the bar and near the bathrooms. Smiley bounced back and forth between the large resort-style pool and the kiddie pool, whereas the boys stayed in the shallow kiddie pool (pictured above). The kiddie pool was tiny, but there were not a ton of young kids at the pool so it wasn’t an issue. Chairs around the pool were a little harder to come by. There’s also less shade on the pool deck.
The Restaurant
Our day at Playa Bachata included lunch. The resort has a large restaurant that serves Dominican food buffet style. If you’re a little less adventurous when it comes to eating, they also served pasta, pizza, salad, and other very-American dishes.
Closing Thoughts on Playa Bachata
Overall, Playa Bachata Spa and Resort was a nice little spot. The beach was beautiful and we really enjoyed the pool area. The complex itself needs a little bit of work, but it appears as that process has started. It was a nice place to spend the day- since we were required to book an excursion to get off of the ship.
We’re planning on returning to Amber Cove/Puerto Plata in the fall of 2023. By that time, the twins will have been vaccinated, so if these restrictions are still in place, we will be able to get off the ship without booking an excursion. As of right now, our plan is to just hang out at the port area while we’re there. Although we had a wonderful day at Playa Bachata, I don’t see us returning.
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