Since the mid-1960s, the Dominican Republic has focused tourism development in several regions, including Puerto Plata on the north coast, Punta Cana in the east and La Romana to the south.
Promoters have now zeroed in on the small Samana Bay town of Miches, about an hour and a half west of Punta Cana. A Club Med property was the first to open on Playa Costa Esmeralda, as the beach near Miches has been dubbed, in 2019. But the pandemic knocked development off track, and only now are long-planned resorts starting to blossom.
The 538-room Viva Miches by Wyndham is among several projects newly opened or slated to debut in the coming months. I had a chance to visit the property as a guest of the resort on a four-night trip in May.
Situated on a 3-mile stretch of nearly deserted sand, the resort feels a world apart from civilization. "In the Dominican Republic, Miches is known for being uncharted," said the resort's vice president of development, Dominique Colussi, at its official unveiling in December.
The seclusion may not last as more resorts open, but for now it feels nicely isolated on its calm, blue cove.
The $130 million property is bifurcated, with the front occupied by restaurants, shops, an outdoor theater, disco, kids' facilities and a central bar. The rooms are grouped toward the back and facing the ocean in a large, four-story horseshoe arrayed around a broad lawn and pool area.
Rooms at the Viva Miches by Wyndham are spacious and contemporary. Photo Credit: Viva by Wyndham
My room on the first floor directly faced the beach. Like all the first-floor lodgings, it had a patio with a small plunge pool. A few harmless crabs the size of quarters slipped under my door threshold to welcome me.
The room was cleanly modern in design, done in a palette of turquoise and tan. It had a large bathroom and shower with showerheads on both ends, a nice amenity for families. I had more space than I needed, and it would also feel roomy for a couple. The king bed was quite comfortable; I slept well there.
Viva is a Wyndham all-inclusive brand, and this is the ninth Viva property, spread throughout the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Mexico; a 10th is on the way in Jamaica.
The food choices were abundant and the quality good, especially the vegetable dishes. The buffet has fresh-cook stations for pasta, meats, fish and breakfast specialties. We tried three of the four a la carte restaurants (seafood, Latin and teppanyaki/Asian), missing only the Mediterranean concept. All are included but limited to once per stay.
At the bar, drinks varied. The most widely served red wine was pretty good. But my pina colada was generically sweet without really tasting of either pineapple or coconut.
An overhead view of a swim class in the pool complex at the Viva Miches. Photo Credit: Tyler Fox
I caught part of one show, a production of "The Lion King" that exceeded my expectations for an all-inclusive. The outdoor-but-covered theater is also used for acrobatics classes, both for kids and adults.
Yoga and dance classes were popular, as were beach activities such as Hobie Cats rentals, which book up quickly. There are tennis and pickleball courts (one each) and a spacious, well-equipped gym with nice fourth-floor views.
A few times the pool crowd got loud, but mostly the pools were fine for anyone just looking to relax.
The demographics during my stay included a balance of partyers, couples, families and retirees from the D.R., the U.S., Canada and several South American and European countries.
There is an excursion desk, and we spent a morning on one tour that combined a boat ride on a lake with an interesting stop at a rice plantation and some instruction in the many virtues of the coconut. Some shopping time was included.
The local landmark, Montana Redonda (Round Mountain in English), features a zipline park that would have been the highlight of the tour, except the rain arrived shortly after our safari truck. It was our only rainy day.
A pan-Asian restaurant that does teppanyaki cooking is one of four specialty dining venues at the Viva Miches. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
On a second tour, we rode ATVs, skirting the rice plantation on a very pot-holed road to get to a wonderfully empty and scenic beach. I wondered if the ATVs were safe, but the tour operator was careful and it was fun.
Beyond the beautiful beach, the highlight of my stay was the well-trained service staff, particularly in the Lago buffet restaurant, where I felt servers were attentive and genuinely friendly.
One drawback to the relative isolation of Miches is the 90-minute drive from the airport at Punta Cana. The resort offers a shuttle for $140 per person each way, an expense worth noting for a family or large group.
Daily rates for the Viva Miches start at $129 per person at the Viva Resorts by Wyndham website.