Live Aqua Punta Cana: Aiming For Culinary Excellence
Contributors John & Sandra Nowlan visit Live Aqua Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. They report that the all-inclusive resort is making strides to improve the guest experience.
The Spanish-owned and Mexican-managed Live Aqua brand opened Live Aqua Punta Cana just five years ago after the success of its other property in Cancun.
The cuisine and accommodations at all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic are usually rated lower than those in Mexico. But the small chain, with its “wow” factor, is changing that perception.
All-Adult, All-Inclusive
Live Aqua Punta Cana, an adults-only oceanfront resort with 347 rooms, is considered boutique-size. It sits close to several well-established, much larger properties along the magnificent Uvero Alto beach, a 45-minute drive from the Punta Cana airport.
Senior management admitted to us that when they built the resort, the Dominican Republic’s culinary reputation was not five-star. Live Aqua and its parent company, Fiesta Americana, were determined to make a difference. Ours was just a four-day visit, but we saw ample evidence of that commitment.
Our Accommodations At Live Aqua
Our Club room was in one of the eight three-story buildings along two sides of the lush, landscaped property, and was typical of the enhanced quality. Large, with a king bed, plenty of storage space, excellent air conditioning, multi-channel TV, and a well-stocked fridge, it boasted one of the most complete bathrooms we’ve seen.
The sink was extra-wide and included large, thick, fluffy bath towels, Moulton Brown toiletries, and locally produced bar soap. The shower could accommodate a small family with twin rain showers plus a traditional nozzle.
Sliding glass doors led to a terrace with a plunge pool and a swim-out pool along the full length of our building. High-tech wristbands were required, but they were handy, opening both our door and safe. Housekeeping, which kept the room immaculate, usually came twice a day, but on two occasions our turn was missed.
Our building was about halfway between the elegant main lobby with its adjacent complex of restaurants and bars, and the superb beach. Both were within a five-minute walk along a covered walkway.
Uvero Alto Beach, with its soft, golden sand, stretches for three miles along the Atlantic side of the country. Sargassum (seaweed) was not a problem while we were there but any small amounts that accumulated were quickly cleaned up by resort staff. The water was not as crystal clear as we recently experienced in the Turks & Caicos but a gentle slope and 80-degree temperature made it ideal for swimming or wading.
Culinary Program at Live Aqua Punta Cana
Live Aqua Punta Cana has a staff of 700, with 150 dedicated to the culinary side. We could see the clear improvements in cuisine and service since we last visited this proud Caribbean nation several years ago.
The Buffet
A resort buffet is usually a good indication of the overall quality of its food. We were very impressed with Liberi, the large, never-crowded buffet on the first floor of the main building. It was better than the buffets we’ve had at much larger resorts.
Both breakfast and lunch had a wide variety of traditional, well-prepared fare and tasty Dominican specialties. There was plenty of fresh fruit and fresh tropical juices, plus the output of a skilled pastry chef.
Except for the carving stations, it was self-service with common spoons and tongs, but, surprisingly, there was a scarcity of hand-sanitizing stations. However, we stayed healthy and saw no evidence of sickness among other guests.
Speciality Restaurants
In addition to the buffet, Live Aqua Punta Cana had six specialty restaurants and we did our best to sample all of them. They were among the best we’ve ever enjoyed in the DR or Mexico.
One of our favorites was the beachside Miraflores Cevicheria featuring fresh fish. Standout dishes for us were the seafood ceviche and the fried fish taco. Other highlights included Seishin, the Asian teppanyaki restaurant, where we chose tasty menu items like dragon rolls and tempura shrimp with fried rice, and Huzur Mediterranean restaurant, where we enjoyed fresh mahi-mahi.
Two restaurants featured surprisingly tender beef—the French restaurant, Chez Rose, with an excellent beef bourguignon and the Italian, Sospiro, with beef Tagliata di manzo cut into thin strips.
Beverages
Wine, beer and cocktails were complimentary throughout our visit, with an emphasis on Spanish wines. Non-alcoholic Dutch beer was available but unfortunately, non-alcoholic wine wasn’t available at the resort.
Beach lovers were also well served by bar waiters roaming among the oceanside palm trees. One waiter prepared a custom frozen passion fruit and rum cocktail for Sandra.
And room service, uncommon at resorts, was available at any time. Dominican coffee was good throughout the resort, especially at the Cool Fever café in the main building. Its pastries were outstanding.
The Live Aqua Punta Cana Difference
Live Aqua Punta Cana had a laid-back atmosphere with a quieter ambiance than the nearby giant resorts. As seniors, we were especially pleased.
But there were still plenty of diversions and entertainment, including daytime fitness classes, rum tasting, mixology, cigar making and cooking lessons, plus evening touring shows, such as a Michael Jackson lookalike and DR Circus acts. The spa and fitness center were both spotless and well-equipped. We enjoyed a joint pedicure.
The median guest age at Live Aqua Punta Cana appeared to be in the 40-50 range. But management confirmed our observation that guests ranged from the low 20s to the high 80s as the mix of quiet and active made it equally appealing for all ages.
Guest contributors John and Sandra Nowlan are travel and food writers based in Halifax.
Disclosure: The Nowlans were guests of Live Aqua Punta Cana, but any opinions expressed in this post are their own.
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