If you’re in the mood for an all-inclusive beach resort (and really, who isn’t), then the Dominican Republic may be the perfect place for you. With a variety of beautiful resorts to choose from and insanely low prices, Punta Cana is sure to leave you and your wallet very happy.
Pros
Beach Location: The beach around Bávaro is gorgeous, and the Royalton Punta Cana is on a great little stretch. You won’t necessarily have enough space for beach games because of all the lounge chairs, but there is still a volleyball court on the grounds. You’re also only a few steps away from crystal clear Caribbean water. We couldn’t have been happier with the beach, and that was our primary motivation for making the trip.
Snorkeling by the marinarium
Excursion Options: Punta Cana has quite a few excursions to offer, and the Royalton seemed to work with all the different providers. We opted for a half-day snorkeling / marina / boat trip and a half-day buggy / cenote / beach trip. Both were great, so it really comes down to your preference. As a heads up, you will get FILTHY doing the buggies. You also have the option of snorkeling with nurse sharks and sting rays if you choose to visit the marinarium. Both excursions were reasonably priced and gave us the opportunity to explore a bit.
Complimentary Airport Transfer: Like most resorts in Punta Cana, the Royalton offered complimentary airport transfers through our booking service (Costco). We definitely recommend choosing a resort with this option to save yourself some headaches.
Food: Given how little we spent on the all-inclusive package, we honestly weren’t expecting the best food. But it actually was pretty good! The steak restaurant was hands down our favorite spot – so much so that we dined there for three of our six nights. Do yourself a favor and get the rib eye. We also really enjoyed the Italian restaurant for both lunch and dinner, and the buffet consistently had a wide variety of good options. Breakfast at the buffet in particular was on point, as the omelets and crepes were always made perfectly. The only restaurant that left us underwhelmed was the Japanese hibachi place, which was surprising since it was the only restaurant that required a reservation.
Cons
Resort Activities: Sadly, there just weren’t a ton of entertainment options at the resort for people in their 20s. Yes, there was a pool table, ping pong table, foosball table, and casino, but we were expecting more in terms of shows, beach games, or social activities. This became especially apparent when it rained the last two days of our trip and we were searching for things to do. The saving grace was the water park, which was AWESOME and somehow had next to no lines for the slides.
Inconsistent Drink Service: Okay, so we need to start by giving kudos to the great bartenders at the swim-up pool bar. They always had a great energy, were super friendly, and knew exactly how to make the various cocktails we ordered. The problem is that most of the other bartenders at the resort either didn’t know the recipes or just executed them poorly. Once we realized the degree of the inconsistency, we just never left the pool bar. If you come to this resort, take a day to try the various bartenders out, then stick by the ones that know what they’re doing.
Dinner Reservations: Unless you pay for the Diamond Club upgrade, you’re going to have a hard time making dinner reservations. In fact, you won’t even have the option of making a reservation for the steak restaurant. This put us at a disadvantage, so how did we eat there three times you ask? Simple. We lined up 30 minutes before it opened each night, put our name down, then proceeded to wait anywhere from 1-2 hours as we hung around the resort. This wasn’t the biggest inconvenience, but it did still get frustrating getting turned away each night.
No Jacuzzi: I mean, one would have been nice.
Punta Cana airport lounge
Other Tips & Tricks
Airport Lounge: If you have access to Priority Pass airport lounges, make sure to visit the lounge at the Punta Cana airport. They have an infinity pool overlooking the airplanes and runways – maybe the nicest lounge feature we’ve ever seen.
Local Currency: Don’t worry about exchanging your money to get Dominican pesos if you’re coming from the USA. Dollars are taken everywhere.
Overall, we thought the Royalton was terrific value for the money. The grounds were beautiful, the food was great, and it had the beach we needed. Our only advice is to look at different packages offered by various resorts to find the option best-suited to your needs.