Any Punta Cana advice?

[gojojo]

looking for spring break advice, kids are 20, 18, and 16. They’ve been to Cabo and Canun so I was thinking some place in the Caribbean. I’ve never been to the DR and thought a new experience might be nice.

Any all inclusive recommendations or advice from anyone who has been.

Muchas gracias

 

[BlIIlken2]

I'm bumping for OP. 3 hours and no advice from anyone?!

(I have never gotten off the airplane there, landed many times, can't help)

 

[Nole Lou]

I've been to a resort there. It was fine, but it's the only one I've been to, so I have no idea how to compare it to an all inclusive anywhere else. I mean, unless you find some excursions to do, which I didn't, it's hard for me to guess how anything changes from country to country. They're all self contained systems right, so what's the difference between a good all inclusive in Punta Cana, Jamaica, Bahamas, etc? I guess the airport?

Anyway, I had fun, but I don't think the all inclusive thing is really for me.

For what it cost per person, the "all-inclusive" had a lousy selection of beer and liquor and wine, and although some of the restaurants were ok, but you couldn't necessarily get into them. You read about all the good restaurants, and the steak and seafood restaurants, but you don't realize you will be lucky to get reservations at maybe the steak OR seafood place (or whatever the best one is) once in the week you are there. You end up in the buffet or the third rate restaurants most of the time.

I forgot the exact nut, but what I paid would have gone a LONG way toward everything I could eat and drink in almost any city in the US, and I wouldn't be drinking so much Coors Light and well liquor and eating whatever restaurants I could get booked into.

I get the psychological idea of all inclusive, but freaking $600-700 a day goes a long way to making any place all inclusive.

 

[prlyles]

Why would anyone go there when they could travel all over Europe for less money?

 

[Kinnick 4 Prez]

We've been to Punta Cana once before and stayed at the Excellence. It was a good experience. We're heading there again in a couple weeks with a group of people.
We love Mexico/Riviera Maya (El Dorado Casitas). Room and food are great. Staff is fantastic.
Jamaica (Couples Swept Away) - Beach is a 10. Calm and warm. Food and service were average.
Punta Cana - Beach is okay, food was okay, service subpar.

When it comes to all inclusive I think Mexico is great as their staff that we've met (5 trips) have all been great. Very polite and quick to serve. There is such a thing called "island time" I think. Jamaica and DR staff while mostly polite (usually the women) the men have been rude to my wife (no pic) who is very lowkey and not needy. But then when I would show up the men starting taking her requests seriously.

All inclusive booze selection is average and the beer selection is limited. Mexico we had a nice variety of Coors light, Heineken, Dos Equis, Tecate & light, Sol.
Jamaica was only Red stripe and Heineken. I got sick of Red Stripe after day 3.
DR has their beer "Presidente" very weak light beer. Grew tired of it quickly.
Key is to mix up your drinks as they are weaker. Don't drink too many sugary drinks and you should be fine.

My typical all inclusive day is: up at 7am, gym, breakfast, beach 10am-1pm, lunch, beach, pool 4-6pm, dinner, bar/show. Repeat. (maybe casino every other night in DR)

Bottomline is the trip is what you make it. There will be hiccups along the way but overall I've given all 8 of our all inclusive 7.5 or higher. Its simple. I'm there to relax.

 

[Tenacious E]

Why would anyone go there when they could travel all over Europe for less money?

Because it is warm with sandy beaches in March? Also, Europe ain’t that cheap, in my experience. Also @artradley probably has advice.

 

[gojojo]

We've been to Punta Cana once before and stayed at the Excellence. It was a good experience. We're heading there again in a couple weeks with a group of people.
We love Mexico/Riviera Maya (El Dorado Casitas). Room and food are great. Staff is fantastic.
Jamaica (Couples Swept Away) - Beach is a 10. Calm and warm. Food and service were average.
Punta Cana - Beach is okay, food was okay, service subpar.

When it comes to all inclusive I think Mexico is great as their staff that we've met (5 trips) have all been great. Very polite and quick to serve. There is such a thing called "island time" I think. Jamaica and DR staff while mostly polite (usually the women) the men have been rude to my wife (no pic) who is very lowkey and not needy. But then when I would show up the men starting taking her requests seriously.

All inclusive booze selection is average and the beer selection is limited. Mexico we had a nice variety of Coors light, Heineken, Dos Equis, Tecate & light, Sol.
Jamaica was only Red stripe and Heineken. I got sick of Red Stripe after day 3.
DR has their beer "Presidente" very weak light beer. Grew tired of it quickly.
Key is to mix up your drinks as they are weaker. Don't drink too many sugary drinks and you should be fine.

My typical all inclusive day is: up at 7am, gym, breakfast, beach 10am-1pm, lunch, beach, pool 4-6pm, dinner, bar/show. Repeat. (maybe casino every other night in DR)

Bottomline is the trip is what you make it. There will be hiccups along the way but overall I've given all 8 of our all inclusive 7.5 or higher. Its simple. I'm there to relax.

I’m kinda torn. I’m a big fan of Mexico, the culture, the food, the outstanding service/-they treat you like royalty. But after 8 trips south of our border I thought it might be fun to try something else. I did like Aruba on my only trip to the Caribbean but the resort was small with fewer options than the bigger resorts I’ve been to in MX.

I prefer Cabo over the other resort towns in MX. For me it offers plenty of options without the bigger city, crowded feel of Cancun, but not as rustic as playa and cozumel. Plus, the view of the arch is a favorite.

I’m an all inclusive guy. I’ve done the VRBO and after renting a car, trip to a super market, meal planning, etc, i feel like I’m still having to be too responsible…eff that, i do enough of that at home. I want to sit my ass pool side, walk the beach, and order as many drinks as possible knowing i don’t have to do sh1t except throw down a nice tip.

Nothing set in stone…liking RIU in DR or possibly Dreams Royal Beach. If not, we could end up back in Cabo.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Puntaing is winning...

 

[artradley]

Because it is warm with sandy beaches in March? Also, Europe ain’t that cheap, in my experience. Also @artradley probably has advice.

Never been to DR.

We are strictly Aruba people now, after bad experience with Sargussum.

 

[pink shizzle]

I went in 2019 for a friends' destination wedding but a travel agent did literally every detail of the work. I just partied.
Doesn't @3boysmom do some stuff in this department?

 

[In the blood]

My advice would be don’t go. We went in February and the only positive was that it was cheap for 7 day all inclusive. Riu palace was pretty boring, everybody got sick. The country is a dump with garbage everywhere if you do leave the resort. Locals are trying to sell or rip you off all the time. AirPods were stolen at the airport by airport staff. It was our first all inclusive but my brother does them every year and said punta Cana was the worst they’ve been on.

 

[B1GDeal]

We stayed at Secrets Royal Beach about 8 years ago and it was pretty average. Bavaro Beach is nice. Not a fan of AI… would rather go off resort and experience things. We took part of a day to visit Old Santo Domingo… it’s underwhelming. One fun thing we did nearby was the Blue Hole. It only took a couple of hours. There you see some native flowers and plants during a brief walk to a cliff with a blue swimming hole. Water is cold, but it was a fun experience.

 

[Gus is dead]

I've been to the Hard Rock a few years ago for spring break. Seen ill I need to have seen on the one trip and have no intentions of ever returning. Not big into all inclusive on land resorts. Love cruising because you have different destinations. But on the DR all you have is pool gym food and alcohol. Not much to see if you're into being active on a vacation. (hikes etc)

I like to relax for sure. Maybe 2 days in a trip I'm for doing little. Reading, pool, run, alcohol, dinner. But normally I like to get out and see things. Natural wonders, historical stuff, hikes, climbs etc. There is almost zero of that in the DR. Would not recommend.

 

[Tenacious E]

Never been to DR.

We are strictly Aruba people now, after bad experience with Sargussum.

Well, at least you know I don’t stalk you.

 

[cubsMDdmb]

I've been to a resort there. It was fine, but it's the only one I've been to, so I have no idea how to compare it to an all inclusive anywhere else. I mean, unless you find some excursions to do, which I didn't, it's hard for me to guess how anything changes from country to country. They're all self contained systems right, so what's the difference between a good all inclusive in Punta Cana, Jamaica, Bahamas, etc? I guess the airport?

Anyway, I had fun, but I don't think the all inclusive thing is really for me.

For what it cost per person, the "all-inclusive" had a lousy selection of beer and liquor and wine, and although some of the restaurants were ok, but you couldn't necessarily get into them. You read about all the good restaurants, and the steak and seafood restaurants, but you don't realize you will be lucky to get reservations at maybe the steak OR seafood place (or whatever the best one is) once in the week you are there. You end up in the buffet or the third rate restaurants most of the time.

I forgot the exact nut, but what I paid would have gone a LONG way toward everything I could eat and drink in almost any city in the US, and I wouldn't be drinking so much Coors Light and well liquor and eating whatever restaurants I could get booked into.

I get the psychological idea of all inclusive, but freaking $600-700 a day goes a long way to making any place all inclusive.

I completely agree with this. For the cost of the trip you could likely get an amazing beach front Vrbo, dine at great restaurants or buy really good foods to cook yourself and get the best liquor you could want. You’d still have money left over.

I don’t even remember the place we stayed last Christmas in Punta Cana. It was probably a mid level place. It was nice having a very large pool to sit by but that’s about it. The buffets while elaborate and visually pleasing had very little good food and like the poster above said it’s nearly impossible to get into the good restaurants. And the one we did get into still wasn’t great.

We’ve decided that for our family (4 kids ages 9 to 21) the best thing is a really nice VRBO. There are some really cool houses to rent.

 

[fredjr82]

looking for spring break advice, kids are 20, 18, and 16. They’ve been to Cabo and Canun so I was thinking some place in the Caribbean. I’ve never been to the DR and thought a new experience might be nice.

Any all inclusive recommendations or advice from anyone who has been.

Muchas gracias

Went last year to Punta Cana. We stayed at Sanctuary. It adults only but there were multiple resorts down there. DR was OK. Our beach was meh. Food was good. Service was great. We've also been to Costa Rica and the beach was better but DR's food was better.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

We did Live aqua punta cana the year it opened. It was still under partial construction so I'll give them a pass for not having an ATM/phone and shower that leaked ect.


To me when you go to a resort you are paying for 2 things, the beach, and the food.


I was underwhelmed by both.


That being said, it's a beach on an island, you are going to have a good time.

 

[Kinnick 4 Prez]

I’m kinda torn. I’m a big fan of Mexico, the culture, the food, the outstanding service/-they treat you like royalty. But after 8 trips south of our border I thought it might be fun to try something else. I did like Aruba on my only trip to the Caribbean but the resort was small with fewer options than the bigger resorts I’ve been to in MX.

I prefer Cabo over the other resort towns in MX. For me it offers plenty of options without the bigger city, crowded feel of Cancun, but not as rustic as playa and cozumel. Plus, the view of the arch is a favorite.

I’m an all inclusive guy. I’ve done the VRBO and after renting a car, trip to a super market, meal planning, etc, i feel like I’m still having to be too responsible…eff that, i do enough of that at home. I want to sit my ass pool side, walk the beach, and order as many drinks as possible knowing i don’t have to do sh1t except throw down a nice tip.

Nothing set in stone…liking RIU in DR or possibly Dreams Royal Beach. If not, we could end up back in Cabo.

We're doing Dreams in a few weeks, which is a family resort. I prefer the Secrets next door with is adults only. Again, going with a group and they chose it as it was more affordable for the amount of people going, which I understand. Would prefer not to hear kids on vacation but not our all.

We're not cruise people (outside of river cruises in Europe)/ I would love to try Cayman islands. Looks amazing. Or give Aruba a try.

we haven't tried west Mexico as I heard the beaches are more rocky? I would probably try it once though and like you said I would enjoy the town vibe.

Good luck with your decision. I can report back mid-January if you want a detailed report!

 

[Thunderlips71]

“Punta Cana” sounds like the Puerto Rican version of the Dirty Sanchez

 

[seminoledq]

We spent Christmas in the DR last year and absolutely loved it. We were planning on going back this year but the resort we stayed at was bought out and we couldn't book it. It was the Margaritaville in Cap Cana and it is now a Dreams, which is owned by Hyatt. The food was good. Nothing spectacular but never anything bad either. I'm just a beer guy so I was fine with nothing but Presidente all week. We will go back for sure, just have to find the right resort for us. Can't speak on the kid stuff since we try to stay at adults only places but it looks like most places have plenty for them to do.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

We're doing Dreams in a few weeks, which is a family resort. I prefer the Secrets next door with is adults only. Again, going with a group and they chose it as it was more affordable for the amount of people going, which I understand. Would prefer not to hear kids on vacation but not our all.

We're not cruise people (outside of river cruises in Europe)/ I would love to try Cayman islands. Looks amazing. Or give Aruba a try.

we haven't tried west Mexico as I heard the beaches are more rocky? I would probably try it once though and like you said I would enjoy the town vibe.

Good luck with your decision. I can report back mid-January if you want a detailed report!

The no pic and I love GC. Stay on 7 mile beach via condo or VRBO and relax on the beach, snorkel, scuba, turtle farm, the bird sanctuary, then just drive around the island to different spots to see the beaches, ocean while having a beverage. Will need a rental to get around and hit all the restaurants. Lots of them with great food. GC is so neat and clean, love it there and nobody bothers you while out and about.

 

[Nole Lou]

I completely agree with this. For the cost of the trip you could likely get an amazing beach front Vrbo, dine at great restaurants or buy really good foods to cook yourself and get the best liquor you could want. You’d still have money left over.

I don’t even remember the place we stayed last Christmas in Punta Cana. It was probably a mid level place. It was nice having a very large pool to sit by but that’s about it. The buffets while elaborate and visually pleasing had very little good food and like the poster above said it’s nearly impossible to get into the good restaurants. And the one we did get into still wasn’t great.

We’ve decided that for our family (4 kids ages 9 to 21) the best thing is a really nice VRBO. There are some really cool houses to rent.

We went with a group of like six couples, so between us that was like a $40k trip, before airfare. Imagine someone being like "here's $40-50k for you and ten friends to do anything you want for a week."

The beach is nice, but I don't think you'd drop that to eat ten meals at a glorified Golden Corral and drink Coors Lights and Yellowtail wine in a hotel pool and literally not be able to step off the property.

Its not that the experience is BAD or anything, all was fine, but it's hard to imagine getting less of an experience for the money. The shocking things was that "all inclusive" means a very small selection of mediocre drink options, very mundane bars and "nightlife", and not being able to actually use the included restaurants. Hell, my wife paid like $50 one night to get the restaurant to get a bottle of effing 19 Crimes, because the "house" red wine was so shitty. Imagine having to freaking "upgrade" to 19 Crimes or Heineken LOL.

Spend that money on literally any destination in America or much of the world even, and have a better experience.

 

[Mister_Man]

Natural wonders. There is almost zero of that in the DR.

I do disagree with this statement, at least with my experience with DR women.

 

[Kinnick 4 Prez]

 

[Dorrman]

Went to the Hard Rock there 4 years ago. The place is huge, pretty pricey but was really good. They had about 7 different pools which was nice so we could avoid the college spring breakers

 

[Capital1Hawk]

My advice would be don’t go. We went in February and the only positive was that it was cheap for 7 day all inclusive. Riu palace was pretty boring, everybody got sick. The country is a dump with garbage everywhere if you do leave the resort. Locals are trying to sell or rip you off all the time. AirPods were stolen at the airport by airport staff. It was our first all inclusive but my brother does them every year and said punta Cana was the worst they’ve been on.

I wasn't a fan of DR either. I've stayed at the resort on Teeth of the Dog golf course. Golf cart came with room as it's a big resort to get around. Golf course was great, Pete Dye. Sketchy country all around like most Carribbean islands. I had a few golf club covers lost overnight at bag check. Friend's taxi stopped in middle of highway speaking another language and another car pulled up. He thought he was going to get robbed and had his wife, no pic, and kids with him. It turned out fine but was stressful. The resort's staff were not as friendly as other resorts I've been to in Cancun, Cabo, etc.

There are many better options than DR. I didn't care for Jamaica either so won't be back to either DR or Jamaica. Take a cruise, Bahamas, Hawaii, Costa Rica or even Key West. I loved Costa Rica - had more fun in jungle by Arenal than we did by the beach. They have natural hot springs and the resorts are awesome. Costa Rica is also sketch in the big cities. We rented car there and probably won't do that again.

 

[Dauminator]

Get some Esplendido for me, please. You can't get it in the states. Best rum I've ever tasted.

 

[3boysmom]

A lot of you need to use travel agents. 😉

The DR isn’t my favorite but it’s fine. My biggest complaints are the food and service tend to be less than other places. You want to be extra careful about the water. But there are absolutely pockets of great places.

With a 16 year old you can’t do Excellence or Secrets. Dreams Royal Beach is orders of magnitude better than RIU. If you’ve narrowed it down to those 2 go with Dreams.
Dreams Royal Beach and Secrets Royal Beach are next to each other and were renovated around the time of Covid. They also flipped places. As in what was Secrets in 2019 is now Dreams and vice versa. So anyone who traveled prior to that should be aware that they have changed.
If you are open to other options look at Dreams Onyx. Staying there would give anyone over 18 the option of visiting Breathless next door. Your 18 and 20 year old would love that.
If you have more questions feel free to reach out. Chooseyouradventuretravel@gmail.com.

 

[Mayland]

No pic and I will be going to DR in early February for a work reward trip. Staying at Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana. Never been to the Caribbean before, so looking forward to it. As long as they have a pool, beach, and alcohol I think I’ll manage to have a good time.

 

[cheeselog8]

We went there a few years ago and stayed at the Royalton Splash. It had a waterpark at the resort which the kids loved, food was average but it was also pretty cheap.

Our favorite thing we did was a day excursion of ziplining and Monkeyland (LINK). Pretty cool experience. The drive up to the ziplining you go through some sketch parts of the island but never felt unsafe.

 

[3boysmom]

No pic and I will be going to DR in early February for a work reward trip. Staying at Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana. Never been to the Caribbean before, so looking forward to it. As long as they have a pool, beach, and alcohol I think I’ll manage to have a good time.

Hyatt Zilara is a really good property