We went to Sun Village 6/23/08-6/30/08, booked the Spring Package (7 nts for $399/pp + taxes and fees). It ended up being $550/pp. This was for a superior room so it was a great price. I agree with a lot of the comments that I've read on here about the food and the staff.

The buffet is the only thing open for breakfast and lunch and it gets boring after a while, not to mention pretty greasy foods. The steaks that they cook to order at night were great, though. The BBQ on the beach was questionable to me. The hot dogs looked like they had been cooking all day and might be inedible. The meat that they were grilling was being kept out there and cooked as needed, so sitting in the sun all day...again questionable. The Citrus (Italian) was the fine dining restaurant of the resort and actually okay. It is small and fills up fast so the waits were long. The Lemongrass (Thai) was okay as well but only open two of the nights we were there. Both of these restaurants were hit or miss, it just depended on what we ordered. The mexican restaurant was okay, too. The food really was the main complaint that we would have. I have been to Sandals resorts and was really impressed by their food so I was expecting something similar. It is only a three star resort so you can't expect too much.

We experienced the check-in problems that we had read about on here b/4 going...two hours and then when we got our room it was not the king sized bed that we were promised. We finally got the right room and it was fine. There were small bugs in bathroom and on wall by the headboard, which lead them eventually to the bed. We moved the bed away from the headboard to keep them from getting on the bed. The water was hot but the pressure was very low and the AC worked.

The grounds were immaculate. We were very impressed by all the greenery and the beautiful flowers and plants throughout the resort. The pools were very nice and the beach was clean and not too busy so we always found chairs.

The staff was very nice! I mean very nice. It really is amazing how they are always so happy.

Overall, it was a nice value for the price. You get what you pay for and we needed a getaway that wouldn't break our wallets.

Both my girlfriend and I visited Sun Village for 8days/7nights (June 15th to June 22nd). We were obviously there on an "off season" week; the resort grounds were very quiet. At first we questioned it, but in the end we welcomed the seclusion. Towards the end of our trip more and more people started arriving, that's when everything got "loud" and congested.

Upon our arrival we were picked up by a private Ford Excursion. This was a very nice touch and was a sign of a promising vacation.

Room-
We stayed in a Superior Room. Our 1st room was nice, but there was a huge leak in our bathroom. Above the bathtub there was a leak from the room above. I believe it was from the "neighbors" shower. We were immediately moved to another room. The 2nd room was nice, but it lacked furniture. There was only one small closet to keep our clothes in. The AC in the 2nd room was inadequate. Good thing there was a fan in the room, otherwise the room would have been to hot to sleep in. As i read in another review, the floors are dirty. It's probobly best to walk around in flip-fops. They obviously dont mop the floors. Another thing i was disapointed by was the TV. I know i wasn't on vacation to watch TV, but i was expecting an LCD as advertised. NEITHER of the rooms had an LCD, they were both equipped with TV's from the mid 90's (I work in the media industry, i guess that's why it bothered me).

Resort Grounds-
The resort grounds were very nice. Well kept and maintained. Very nice pools and beach area. Nice "Theater Lounge".

Food-
Here is where things get sour for us. Lemon Grass was closed the duration of our trip. The Mexican place by the beach was mediocre. The buffet was the same food everyday, with slight variance day to day. Citrus, the Italian place was the most enjoyable. The BBQ "shack" by the beach was ok.

The food is what led both my girlfriend and i to get very ill. Thank goodness we got sick towards the end of our trip. Both my girlfriend and I never ate off the resort grounds, so we know for a fact is was their food. We also never drank water from the facet; strictly bottled water. We both got sick the same night; we showed symptoms within the same hour. That night, we both could not sleep, NOT AT ALL!!! We visited the "Medical Center" the following morning. The place was NOT sanitary; cotton ball with my blood was left on the table in the "waiting area" from the time the IV unity was applied till after we left, this was more than 3 hours. Both my girlfriend and I were given an IV unit and several medications (introduced via the IV). Since the "Medical Center" (office) was so small, we were escorted back to our room and had our IV units slung by rubber gloves which were attached to the paintings on the wall above our bed. This is where and how we stayed for close to 24 hours (Now was the time i really wished we had an LCD television...sorry i had to throw that in). The following morning we headed back to the Medical Center. Here is where we were given many pills to take. Honestly, it seemed like we were given pills from "trial packs" doctor offices usually get. We were charged a PREMIUM for this visit. All and all, we were charged $1600 for their "medical attention". On top of that, we were not the only people sick and getting money sucked from our wallets. I met a family (Father, Mother, and 2 daughters), and 2 couples; they all experienced the same symptoms both my girlfriend an I did.

All and all, the resort seems like a nice place, but what good is the beautiful grounds if you are too sick to enjoy it? I am VERY DISAPPOINTED that the "medical service" cost us nearly triple the price for staying at the their resort.

We visited sun village in the first 2 weeks of June. The staff were friendly and helpful,and there was a lovely atmosphere, particularly in the first half of our stay, when the place seemed to be only half full.
Unfortunately we had a substantial amount of money stolen from our room almost as soon as we arrived. The security people insisted searching our room, and from then on seemed to do nothing. We were advised not to contact the police. Telephone numbers match room numbers so it is easy to work out when rooms are empty. Talking to people it seems that there were other thefts while we were there, notably from the English.
The First Choice Tep was unhelpful, and never followed the incident up with us, or asked if we were alright. We were not offered alternative accomodation, and throughout the holiday we were left feeling very insecure.

Despite reading the mixed reviews, we booked a seven-day trip to Sun Village at Cofresi Beach to decide for ourselves what it was all about. We aren’t very picky or of discriminating tastes, so we felt we could work through the low points we heard about the resort and it would be a pleasant stay. Let me preface this review by saying we haven’t met a nicer group of people anywhere else. From the bellhops, to the restaurant crews and housekeepers, our experience with the staff was nothing short of excellent. Show a little kindness with a small tip and they more than return that kindness to you. Just make sure you steer clear of the pushy guys in the red shirts trying to sell you a Maxim bungalow when you’re checking in, by the pool, or eating in a restaurant. If they could pop in while you’re taking a shower and ask you if you’d “like to make 20% back on your investment” I’m sure they would.

The grounds are beautiful and well manicured, but when we opened the door to our room, that’s where the trouble began. Booking a room at Sun Village is a real crapshoot. Sometimes you get a great room, but for the most part, it’s snake eyes. We were moved around four times because the rooms they gave us never had the magical combination of working AC and hot running water. In our road trip around Sun Village, we were able to sample the standard, superior, and spa rooms. The standard rooms were dirty and in disrepair where the AC unit that blew cold air wheezed and coughed like an old gas lawnmower. We don’t recommend booking a standard room if you want a peaceful stay. We then moved to a superior room that had more space but the central air unit in that building broke down and blew in the hot, humid air straight from outside. The front desk management was very nice and apologetic for all the troubles and finally moved us to a spa room. While this room was nice, quiet and far superior to a superior room, we don’t recommend it for discussing matters of national security as the walls seemed unusually thin. It was then we realized where all the mixed reviews came from. If you luck out and get a good room, your stay will be great. If you don’t, you’ll be writing a negative review too.

The food was so-so. We enjoyed the Italian restaurant, Citrus much more than others but didn’t think too much of the Asian restaurant Lemongrass when we were finally able to get in. The buffet is kind of sketchy and the main suspect in the outbreak of food poisoning that hit us along with a large portion of the other guests during our stay. Here’s another travel tip: make sure you pack your own Pepto and Imodium since they cost $10 to $15 at the resort. You’ll be glad you did should you need it.

The pools are nice and the large number of them makes certain there will be one close to your building. The beach was pleasant and we ended several of our days watching the waves roll on shore but the fact that the beach is public becomes a problem on the weekends. On Saturday and Sunday, the locals took over the beach along with the pools closest to that end of the resort. Weekdays are much quieter at Sun Village and when Monday came, it seemed like a completely different place.

In conclusion, we think the management at Sun Village should reevaluate their priorities. By investing some money in to routine maintenance and improving food quality instead of building pricey timeshares, they would quickly gain satisfaction of their current guests and acquire more guests through recommendation and references. It would also increase the number of return guests instead of hit and miss reviews on travel sites like this one. Without a good night’s rest and a belly full of good food, it makes it difficult to enjoy the truly spectacular views and flora Sun Village has to offer. Right now, it’s a two star resort at the most with a staff that ranks four stars.