STUNNING BEACHFRONT 8 BR UPSCALE WITH A FULL STAFF, AFFORDABLE

Well, what can you say except perfect. The property, staff and weather were awesome!!!! The only problem is we had to leave.

The property is laid out extremely well with the main house serving as the meeting place for the various couples/families. One couple used the Diamante Suite in the main building. The accommodations are beautiful and well appointed. Even when others stayed up late with music playing, they were not disturbed. The combination of the dining facilities (with indoor and outdoor seating), bar, pool table, lounging and television areas along with the tremendous pool and spa (which we figure can easily hold 20) make this the ideal communal area for a group.

The other suites we used were in great condition and offered their own individual features and advantages. All of them are in relatively close proximity to the main building but provide privacy. The Presidential Suite is large, well designed and furnished and features a great personal/small group bar. The Samana Suite provides the full beach experience as it is the closest villa to the private beach. The porch and outdoor showers are its highly notable features. The Royal Palm has the same design but is in the middle of the property (an excellent compromise for those wanting to be equally close to the main house and beach). Although we did not use the Garden Suites, we toured them. They are newer, provide a more private experience and have some notable luxury appointments in terms of furnishings and fixtures.

Kevin (the owner) and Chris (the local contact) made the preparation easy and attended to all of our groups wants and needs. Once we arrived, the staff was totally prepared, including having the rooms in pristine shape and the appetizers and dinner ready. Ramone, the bartender. is the best, having highly honed bar and psychology skills. The chef, Frank, is incredible as he catered to our various requests without missing a beat (including vegans). Lastly, Tanya runs a tight ship in the house and Chris is the master of the local area, arranging for any activities we desired and giving us tours of local hot spots!!!

We may have just been extremely lucky, but the weather was delightful. The temperature was about 70 at night and low 80's during the day with a constant, pleasant breeze. It only rained one night and very briefly the next morning.

We are definitely headed back next year!!!!

Our family held its family reunion at the Sunrise Villa during New Year’s week in December 2012. We had a spectacular time.
Property – the property is wonderful – it is a beach property in a perfect tropical location, and with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. The main house and separate villas are very nice and clean, and the grounds are well manicured. That said, this is a beach property, so the environment is casual. The website indicates that men should have long pants and a collared shirt but we really didn’t need them. One night the villa takes its guests to a nice local hotel for dinner (so the in-house chef can get some time off), but casual clothing was fine then as well. Although not a swimming beach, the beach at Sunrise Villa is a quick walk down the steps and it is just beautiful. The staff set up a beach volleyball net for us, which was great fun.
Management – Equally important, Sunrise Villa has a staff as good as any high end hotel property in the world and more friendly than any group of staff we’ve known. The manager and part-owner of the property, who is American but lives in DR, comes by each morning to help you with whatever you need. No matter what the request, he “knows a guy” and will arrange it for you. The onsite manager and her 2nd in commmand speak very good English, as does the bartender. So you have someone who speaks English from early morning until later in the evening. The chefis great – good American or DR breakfasts, casual lunches and a variety of types of dinners. If you tell the manager that you want a certain type of food or ask for local suggestions, he will get it for you. We have some great – caught that day – seafood. We also had a whole roasted pig, which was great fun. The chef also made piaya (a big pan of rice with seafood and sausage). We had the best bon fire celebration one could imagine, with a lot of drinks dancing and fun with the entire staff. Excellent swimming beaches are just a short taxicab ride away, although with the wonderful pool, spa, and beach at Sunrise Villa, we only went to the swimming beach once.

If you're headed to the Dominican you must stay here! For years our couples group (8-12 people in any given year) has taken an annual trip to the Caribbean. Previously we stayed at all-inclusives but this year wanted to try something different. This beautiful,oceanfront Bali-style resort hosted our best trip yet. Sunrise Villa offers a friendly, attentive staff, great food and amazing amenities including a huge pool, bar service (with awesome bartender Ramon) and private beach. While we were there to party it looked like a great place to hold a family reunion or wedding. The managers Chris and Tanya are American and Dominican respectively, so language is not a barrier and Tanya is the "fixer" who gets everything in-country done including the important task of getting you to and from the airport quickly and safely. The meals are prepared by staff member Chef Frank and consist primarily of Dominican-style comfort food such as freshly caught fish and great local fruit. The Villa even planned and catered an off-site beach lunch for us. You can walk to the nearby town of Cabera and visit Manny's beach bar which is a classic. A couple of guys in my party golfed and raved about the local oceanside golf course as well as the low prices. Sunrise's private guest quarters are very clean and roomy and most offer ocean views. There is indoor-outdoor dining, a TV room in the main house as well as a pool table and a great sound system to rock to. Finally, the Villa grounds are absolutely stunning. The place looks like a Dominican arboretum. If a leaf falls to the ground a groundskeeper almost literally darts out and scoops it up. If you're looking for a classy yet casual vacation experience, particularly with family or friends, you can't go wrong with Sunrise Villa.