satyr

I want to compare 2 AI choices between Le Sport in St. Lucia and Dreams resort at DR. We're 3 ladies who want very nice hotel with AI package, including spa, excellent food and nice beach. We'd like to avoid big crowd and don't care night life or activities. Any advice?

beachdreams3

I have not been to Dreams (or Punta Cana) but have been to the Dominican Republic (Bayahibe/La Romana) and Le Sport in St. Lucia.

The one obvious difference is size. Le Sport has just over 150 rooms (30 + are single rooms), versus over 600 rooms at Dreams, so I think that Le Sport has a more intimate feel than larger AI resorts. I did not stay at Le Sport when it was at 100% occupancy, but it did not feel crowded when I was there.

I can't say for sure how you will feel about it, but some people are disappointed with the beach at Le Sport because it is somewhat small, the sand is not white, and the water is darker. Punta Cana's beach probably is a little closer to the "Corona commercial" beach image.

I think Le Sport has a great atmosphere for ladies travelling alone or with other ladies. Due to the single rooms and the spa focus, Le Sport is a popular choice for solo female travelers. Le Sport does not have TVs in the room, if that is important to you. I thought Le Sport was moderately upscale, but if you are expecting rooms/service equivalent to a 5 star US hotel, you won't find that at Le Sport. When I was there (Dec 2006), I thought the food was good, but not 5 star. Most dinners were served (except for a Caribbean buffet once per week), so that might be another difference between Le Sport and some resorts in the DR where there are more buffets.

The two things, besides being a good place for a solo female traveler, that stood out about Le Sport for me were the value and enjoyment provided by the included sports/fitness activities and spa treatments. A lot of people just relaxed and did not do sports/fitness activities, and no one is going to bother you if that is your preference. But, I probably would no have chosen Le Sport if I just wanted a nice AI resort. The included spa treatments were good enough for me, but I don't frequent high end spas.

In reading this, I realize it sounds kind of negative about Le Sport, which is not what I intended. I really enjoyed my experience there, but I think my expectations were realistic, and I think that a lot of people that go and don't like it, are expecting it to be something it is not.

doug_stallings

Actually I think Beachdreams3 is pretty on-target for Le Sport. It's an upscale resort and pretty expensive since it includes daily spa treatments. Dreams gives you a little more flexibility in that regard, which I think will probably work out in your favor. Food is probably a bit better at Le Sport in my opinion. Dreams does have more of a buffet focus, though there are individual restaurants as well. Dreams is fairly upscale for the DR, especially if you get the more expensive rooms.

If you are on more of a budget, go for Dreams so you can choose the number of spa treatments. If you can afford it, Le Sport is a good resort, and there are more interesting off-resort activities in St. Lucia.

satyr

I heard it takes 1.5 hours to get to Le Sport from airport. True? Also, could you suggest other nice AI resort for the type of vacation I described above excluding Mexico, Jamaica, PR and Aruba? Thanks.

ejcrowe

Let me throw another resort out there for you to consider: La Source on Grenada. It used to be referred to as the sister resort to LeSport, but I'm not sure if they are affiliated now. It's going to be smaller in size like LeSport, but it's on a very pretty almost-white sand beach and it's a very short drive from the airport. Grenada is a beautiful, lush, and wonderful island where it's easy to leave the resort for island tours, other beaches, other restaurants, etc. Daily spa treatments are included in the price and last time I looked at www.luxurylink.com, there were multiple auctions for La Source being offered. It took a hard hit during Hurricane Ivan and they were closed for a few years, but everything there is now newly renovated. They reopened last year, I think, which means any re-opening kinks they had should have been worked out by now. Grenada is a marvelous place to visit, so please take a look! (I should note that I've never stayed at LaSource, but I've rented villas on the island a few times in recent years, including a vacation where I was on my own as a solo female traveler for one week. I felt completely at ease on my own, whether it was driving to various beaches for the day, going to the market, or going out for dinner on my own.)