Fun Tropicale

Fun Tropicale is surrounded by a Robert Trent Jones championship 18-hole golf course. It offers tennis courts, swimming pools, live entertainment in the evening, hot tub, health fitness room, tennis, children's programs and playground, and a laundry. Attractions also include biking, non-motorized boats at the beach, and horseback riding

If you are expecting, or in search of, a true All-Inclusive resort such as Couples, Super Clubs or Sandals, Fun Tropicale is not the place for you. Fun Tropicale bills itself as an all-inclusive for an additional $35. per day, per person charge.. This extra fee is a reasonable charge which allows you to enjoy all meals, wine, beer, mixed drinks and the use of non-motorized boats at the beach - and you don't have to leave the complex, locate transportation, or try to find a restaurant in town to your liking. All the guests we talked with had opted for this plan.

There are no beachfront or beachview rooms. The beach is approximately a 10 - 15 minute walk from the rooms. If you prefer, you can wait for a tractor which makes its rounds from the Lobby to the beach area several times a day.

There are plenty of rum drinks as well as beer or wine available at the bars, located near the two pools. None of the bartenders spoke much English, so unless you know Spanish you'll end up pointing to a picture of the drinks that are available. Don't even think about asking for a Mud Slide, Yellow Bird or champagne. But if you like rum, you’ll love these bars. Drinking water is also avilable from the bar in gallon jugs, and you are told not to drink faucet water.

The unit where we stayed was sufficient but dated. A bedroom with double bed plus sofa-bed in the living room, TV, bathroom with tub and shower and small kitchen. There is also a safe in the closet, as you would expct. However, the cost to obtain a key for this safe was an extra $35. which we felt should have been included with the room. (I thought it was sort of like if they said there’s a TV in the room, but it will cost you $5. a day to turn it on.) The kitchen neon light went out the second day we were there. We were told it would be taken care of immediately, but it was never replaced.

All meals were available in the main dining area and there were two specialty restaurants, both with average to a little above average food, but the service was wonderful. There’s also a snack bar at the beach which serves a lunch and drinks.

Nightly entertainment is provided by the staff on a large stage. It was obvious they put a lot of work into this, and they seemed to have fun doing it. Many members are very talented, and we thoroughly enjoyed every show.

The entire complex is badly in need of a facelift. Sidewalks are cracked, and most buildings need renovations. However, the grounds were well-maintained, and the staff was excellent about keeping the area clean.

We were bothered (and I DO mean bothered) by people on the property selling condos or time share units. They would accost us any time we were out walking, and even followed us around, in spite of the fact that we said no every time. This certainly takes the fun out of having a nice stroll on the grounds.

Transportation to and from the airport is not included in the “all-inclusive” package, nor does Fun Tropicale offer a transportation service. However, there are plenty of taxis, cars and small busses waiting outside upon your arrival. You need to be careful here, for as soon as you retrieve your luggage from the carosel, several people will try to grab your luggage and lead you to a cab. Then the person who escorts you safely to this particular cab - probably driven by his brother - expects a tip. The same is true if you take public transportation - or even if you're riding a bike! Natives leech onto you and want to be your guide. If you try to shake them off, being polite doesn't cut it. When you finally get upset, they tell you that you're being rude. The same is true if you take a bus to town. I have never cared for this sort of "local color," and I know it's inevitable. We’re not new to island trips, and I’ve experienced it in Cancun, Ocho Rios, Antigua, Montego Bay and St. Lucia. But Puerto Plata was the absolute worst.