The Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana overview

The right way to ebook the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana

Charges on the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana begin at $319 per night time, based mostly on double occupancy, or 43,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors per night time for an entry-level visitor room with a king mattress or two queens. Wanting round at varied charges, Diamond Membership-level rooms appear to price a minimum of an extra $100 or extra per night time, a value that you simply may need to suppose twice about paying contemplating that you simply’re already at an all-inclusive resort the place you will get related meals or drink at varied spots all through the day or 24 hours a day with room service.

My swim-up suite

In all of my years masking all-inclusive resorts, my journey to the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana was the primary time I might ever scored a swim-up suite — and I used to be past excited for this ground-level room to be my house base for 2 nights. My room was in the midst of the principle Hideaway constructing, which had an open-air idea on both finish, one finish main out to the adults-only Hideaway pool. It was additionally simply steps away from the Hideaway Diamond Lounge, making it simple to seize a fast snack or get to the water.

The 408-square-foot room consisted of a major room with a double mattress, two nightstands and a pullout sofa with a espresso desk on one facet of the room. Although the room itself was snug — and the big sliding doorways let in a number of pure gentle — the design decisions within the room felt dated and off, and the imagery above the mattress, a really close-up shot of a flower (or, a minimum of, I believe that is what it was) was not nice to take a look at.

The sofa was as uninviting because it appeared (reasonably stiff and angular).

The alternative wall consisted of a giant TV that lacked streaming capabilities (that means you may spend a night channel browsing or forking over money to lease a film), a big console with drawers, a espresso maker, an assortment of snacks like Lay’s potato chips, Pringles and M&Ms, a whole bottle of Skyy vodka and two bottles of wine.

The minifridge had varied sodas like Pepsi, Coke Zero and 7UP, in addition to bottles of nonetheless and glowing water, Coors Gentle, Heineken and varied juices.

A small closet was adjoining to the mattress, and it contained two robes, some area to hold or retailer garments, a protected and a really highly effective moveable steamer (an extremely sensible amenity that I consider all accommodations ought to have in rooms).

The lavatory, positioned proper subsequent to the suite’s entry, consisted of an arrogance with a mirror and an oddly-shaped sink. This sink-vanity space was in an area with out its personal door, and it opened into the principle entryway of the room. The bathroom and an enclosed rainfall bathe had been in a separate room positioned past the sink. Royalton-branded facilities like hand cleaning soap, lotion, a dental package and a toiletry package had been sitting on the sink whereas the bathe had particular person bottles of shampoo, conditioner and physique wash.

Via the sliding glass door, the terrace led out to an exquisite swim-out space in a pool that was related to the opposite block of swim-up rooms. Whereas I used to be excited concerning the swim-up pool, I used to be not as excited once I bought into the unheated water and located it freezing. Thoughts you, the climate within the Dominican Republic the week I used to be there was milder than different early February journeys I’ve taken there, however I want I might have loved it extra.

Farther outdoors, our terrace had two chairs and a desk however no lounge chairs like our neighbors clearly had. I did, nonetheless, very a lot get pleasure from spending time on the market, however if you’d like an excellent non-public swim-up expertise, this won’t be the resort for you.

Foods and drinks

One wonderful thing about the Hideaway is that friends have entry to an unique beachfront restaurant, Dorado, plus all the opposite eating places throughout the 2 resorts, which vary from an entertainment-filled teppanyaki restaurant to eateries specializing in Italian, French, Asian, Mexican and worldwide flavors, plus a steakhouse, a sports activities bar and even a venue with an upscale tasting menu that prices additional.

Over my two-night keep I ate a number of occasions at Dorado (for the exclusivity and comfort of its location), plus Hunter Steakhouse and the Zen teppanyaki restaurant. Here is a breakdown of my experiences.

Dorado

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Dorado is the adults-only, beachfront restaurant unique to Hideaway friends. For breakfast, friends can seize a seat within the ethereal area going through the seaside or in a coated space. The breakfast menu here’s a la carte, however there is a good little buffet part with fruit, cheese and pastries, plus a build-your-own mimosa and bloody mary bar.

For breakfast, we ordered some classics like a breakfast plate with bacon, eggs to order, mushrooms and hash browns, in addition to pancakes, a smoothie, glasses of Prosecco and low. The meals was all nice however nothing particular, and the yokes of my over-easy eggs weren’t runny in any respect. Nonetheless, the pancakes had been so fluffy and scrumptious, as had been the early morning views of the seaside served with a facet of people-watching (you would be shocked how many individuals journey with metallic detectors to look the seaside for … treasure?).

For lunch, Dorado transforms right into a breezy seafood grill with a small buffet of salads, bread, grilled veggies and ceviche. Over Aperol-forward Aperol spritzes, we completely loved a number of totally different objects, together with a salad with strawberries and goat cheese, ceviche, the grilled fish of the day (mahi-mahi), hen skewers with a pleasant Asian-inspired glaze, popcorn shrimp and a facet of grilled greens. Although it was lots of meals, it was the perfect lunch for a sunny day spent lounging by the pool and the seaside.

Hunter Steakhouse

For dinner, our concierge made our reservation for Hunter Steakhouse, the place we sat on the gorgeous terrace lined with water and palm bushes and adorned with Western-themed fake horn chandeliers. As a Texan who loves steak, I used to be curious to see if an all-inclusive resort might pull off nice steakhouse fare, so we ordered a medium New York strip, a medium uncommon filet, an iceberg wedge salad, a beet salad and creamed spinach.

Each salads hit the spot, particularly the beet salad combined with feta and delicate balsamic French dressing and the wedge salad with tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese dressing. The steaks, however, did not do it for us. The standard of the meat simply wasn’t too nice and all collectively was fattier than you’d have at a daily steakhouse. Nevertheless it was nonetheless a stunning night in a semi-romantic setting (regardless of the actual fact that there have been children round).

Zen teppanyaki

For our final dinner, we as soon as once more had our concierge organize a reservation for us, this time on the teppanyaki restaurant Zen. Arriving on the restaurant, we watched a pair with out the flexibility to make reservations (a cause to remain at Hideaway!) get requested to return in about an hour and a half to be seated for the showy eating expertise. That made us admire the flexibility to have a extra scheduled day with out worrying about how lengthy we might watch for dinner.

Should you’ve ever been to a teppanyaki restaurant, you understand precisely what to anticipate. Diners sit round a communal desk and watch as an animated chef wows the gang with hearth, knife abilities and the occasional shrimp or rice thrown into individuals’s mouths. This explicit expertise additionally included a number of communal chanting and dancing, which made the restaurant bond collectively in a extremely foolish manner that everybody liked.

The meals was additionally precisely like each different teppanyaki restaurant I’ve ever visited: soup and salad adopted by a number of scrumptious rice and greens, plus steak, hen and shrimp. Teppanyaki eating places are a staple of the all-inclusive expertise, and this one was actually an ideal expertise.

Bars

Friends on the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana have entry to all the general public bars throughout the resorts, plus unique pool and seaside bars, the place we most frequently ordered from. At these bars, friends might order just about no matter they wished (with some higher-quality liquors) from pleasant, educated workers.

Individuals are all the time curious if drinks are watered down at all-inclusive resorts, and I discover that that often will depend on what you order. As an skilled all-inclusive traveler, I have a tendency to stay to what I do know will be performed simply and the way I prefer it, sometimes margaritas on the rocks with salt or Weight loss plan Coke with coconut rum or tequila. At these bars, the margaritas all the time hit the spot, although spicy margaritas had been made with Tabasco sauce reasonably than muddled jalapenos.

My recommendation would even be to request that your cocktails be served in common cups as a substitute of those seemingly enjoyable margarita glasses — they’re form of a ache, and you may lose half your drink earlier than getting again to your chair (they are usually simply spilled).

We additionally spent a number of hours at Rating Sports activities Bar & Lounge, open till 2 a.m. There, we sipped whiskey and Weight loss plan Coke whereas individuals danced within the club-like space with couches and a DJ. Throughout our go to, we bought a kick watching a bunch of foolish youngsters who had been having fun with the chance to drink legally on this nation. A full arcade within the again makes use of a token system, so you should definitely convey additional greenback payments if you wish to play a spherical of air hockey.

The service

Throughout the board, I used to be very impressed with the service from everybody working on the eating places and bars. They had been extremely attentive, very pleasant and fast to make sure we bought the whole lot we wished or wanted. A lot of them remembered our orders daily and left us feeling seen and cared for our complete keep.

Swimming pools and seashores

The adults-only pool reserved completely for Hideaway friends was an ideal place to spend a number of hours due to a lot of lounge chairs each across the pool and sitting within the water. Simply do not forget: At any all-inclusive resort, individuals stand up early to assert chairs, so if that is necessary, you should definitely set an alarm.

Servers had been strolling round taking drink orders (and infrequently passing out canned beers), and a DJ performed music whereas people mingled within the pool.

Hideaway friends also can reap the benefits of many of the different resort swimming pools, together with the beautiful major infinity pool overlooking the seaside (pictured above). Discovering chairs at this pool is tougher, because it’s shared by many extra individuals than the Hideaway pool, nevertheless it was a stunning spot with a swim-up bar.

There’s additionally a small unique seaside space with a non-public bar for Hideway friends. Bavaro Seashore, the place the resort is positioned, is beautiful, and the ocean temperature is often excellent (higher than the swimming pools throughout my keep), so I spent most of my time stress-free there. Simply know that this non-public seaside space is elevated and roped off, that means that moving into the water is a little bit of a journey — nevertheless it’s an ideal spot for individuals who simply need to calm down.

It is also necessary to know that seaside distributors are a dime a dozen within the Dominican Republic. They don’t seem to be pushy and can depart you alone if you happen to merely say “no thanks.” At this seaside, there was additionally an journey firm providing parasailing and journey rides on varied internal tubes. We paid $50 whole for a wild experience on a couch-like internal tube that felt like a curler coaster on the water; I might extremely suggest the expertise (although take into account that the corporate you employ will not be related to the resort, as was the case for us).

1 occasion I will always remember (and 1 I actually will)

One wonderful thing about all-inclusive resorts is the quantity of leisure on supply, from scheduled day by day actions like water aerobics and seaside video games to exhibits with reside music and dancing. At this resort, you may need to be sure to head to the weekly “White Occasion,” the place friends of all ages converge on the seaside to bop the night time away. The occasion was actually a spectacle, with individuals dancing with balloons of their arms to music starting from present High 40 hits to throwbacks like Usher’s 2004 smash hit “Yeah.”

Even higher, there was a type of round photobooth platforms the place friends might slide their cellphone right into a holder and take a 360-degree video.

On our second night time, we ventured to the close by family-forward Splash Punta Cana (through a five-minute shuttle) for karaoke night time in a big pavilion. Coming from our 8 p.m. Zen reservation, we arrived as karaoke was winding down and a small dance occasion was beginning. Many individuals had been having enjoyable and becoming a member of in on dances just like the “Cha Cha Slide” whereas loads of others merely sat within the chairs and bars surrounding the dance ground. It felt form of like a household reunion or a clumsy wedding ceremony, however the leisure crew was doing an ideal job getting individuals up and dancing, and we in the end had a reasonably enjoyable (albeit not memorable) time in comparison with the White Occasion the night time earlier than.

A water park for the youngsters at coronary heart

Although the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana is adults-only, friends have entry to the close by water park at Royalton Splash (which is accessible by strolling or taking a fast shuttle that runs each 10 minutes). The water park has an assortment of each open-air and enclosed slides, a wave pool and a splash pad space for smaller children. Although the water park was present process some reservations, we had a really terrific time making the most of the thrilling slides, together with one with a extremely steep drop and one which dropped riders into a rest room bowl-like basin to spin round in earlier than dropping you out.

Should you’re making an attempt to have a full-on adults-only expertise, this isn’t the place to cease. However if you happen to’re on the lookout for some quick, lighthearted enjoyable, you may need to give it a strive — irrespective of your age.

The fury and the flood

The one hiccup we had on the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana was on our final night time. After returning to our room to relaxation after a protracted day of absorbing some solar, it began raining. At first, it felt like your customary late afternoon tropical thunderstorm, however after the solar went down and we took time to nap and relaxation, the storm bought a lot heavier, a lot so, in truth, that our entryway had been filling up with water with out our realizing — solely to be found once I ventured to the lavatory and realized there was a small lake in our room. I instantly threw down the towels that we had and rushed to the reception desk for extra solely to seek out that your complete open-air hallway was flooded and friends had been lining the foyer space asking for assist, too.

It is value noting that the workers jumped into fast motion by doing their finest to comb the hallways clear of water, stopping at every room to do the identical earlier than drying the flooring and plugging the doorways with towels. Many friends had been offended, demanding rooms on larger flooring — and the workers clearly was working their hardest to relocate these individuals. In the end, the storm ended simply as shortly because it began, and our state of affairs was simply reconciled.

The fact is that that is seemingly not the primary time this has occurred on the resort, and a few upkeep work on ground-level rooms might seemingly save everybody a little bit of bother.

Different facilities

For friends trying to get pampered whereas on trip, Royalton’s Hideaway space has the Royal Spa, which affords all the usual providers and sweetness remedies, equivalent to facials, massages, manicures and pedicures, for an extra price. Or, if you happen to’re one to work out on trip, Royalton Match affords a gymnasium with all of the important gear, plus lessons like seaside boot camp, yoga, Zumba and kickboxing. There are additionally tennis courts accessible.

Accessibility

Discovering details about Royalton Punta Cana’s accessibility is troublesome on-line — a disservice to vacationers with bodily challenges trying to ebook a dreamy trip. As somebody who travels with a mother or father who makes use of a wheelchair, I did discover the usual accessibility choices like spacious elevators and flat, open walkways, however different options — like pool lifts and even simply accessible room varieties — had been arduous to seek out.

For these needing accessible rooms, I might extremely suggest calling the resort immediately and talking to somebody on the bottom earlier than reserving. Additionally take into account that accommodations outdoors the U.S. aren’t certain by the identical Individuals with Disabilities Act requirements required of properties stateside.

Is it actually adults-only?

An increasing number of all-inclusive resorts supply adults-only experiences in in any other case family-friendly resorts, main individuals to surprise how adults-only a property will be. That is precisely what I got here to seek out out.

Testing

My expertise on the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana was the very best of each worlds: a enjoyable resort-within-a-resort expertise that allowed me and my accomplice freedom from children alongside unique, much less crowded areas whereas nonetheless accessing lots of different enjoyable actions and facilities, equivalent to an enormous dance occasion, a water park and extra eating places and bars than we might go to in a single keep.

The complete expertise was lighthearted, the service was superb, the seaside was implausible and the adults-only pool felt like an unique membership the place we made pals and relaxed. Although there are extra high-end all-inclusive resorts within the Dominican Republic, my expertise right here checked many of the bins, and I might return once more in a heartbeat if the value or Marriott Bonvoy award redemption had been proper.

However if you happen to’re on the lookout for a real adults-only expertise, you would be happier staying someplace just like the Hyatt Zilara again in Punta Cana.