Beach-side luxury at Punta Cana.
Playas Uvero Alto
Provincia La Altagracia
Dominican Republic
This review was submitted by Lindsay Aycan of Toronto, Ontario, who traveled to Punta Cana with her husband and two kids in July 2010.
Punta Cana Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive property owned by Dreams, is located in the Dominican Republic, situated next to both the tropical jungle and the ocean. Recently named the Best Family Friendly Resort and Best Pool in the Caribbean at the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards, Punta Cana Resort offers luxury to adults and fun to kids, and just lots of sunshine to traveling families who want a mixture of relaxation and adventure on their vacation.
Punta Cana is extremely kid-oriented, from their friendly Explorer’s Club staff to their accommodations for infants and toddlers to their family-friendly spa (girls love to get their hair braided!). In the evenings, they literally give kids the stage for performances while adults eat. All-inclusives have their pros and cons, but in the pro list is definitely the lack of stress that comes from not worrying over meals and menus (and their prices). All meals, almost all resort activities, pools, and amenities are included. Excursions off-site are offered, but Aycan and her family never left the property; with young kids and so much to do on-site, they felt no pressing need to leave.
Rooms offer families a lot of space.
Rooms are standard-sized or suite-style, and room service is offered 24 hours a day, a big plus for families who like to eat dinner early, as the restaurants don’t open for seating until 6:30 pm. Each room has a porch or patio and free internet access (although the Aycans had difficulty with the code that was supposed to connect it).
Their favorite resort feature was the free-form, resort-length pool (with lots of zero-depth entry sections), perfect for young kids. Rafts and floaties are provided at the pool areas, and kids love the help-yourself ice cream cone and popcorn stations.
There are seven restaurants within the resort, two of which are adult-only (more details here), but the Aycan family spent most of their mealtimes at the World Cafe, where the kids especially loved the “make-your-own crepes” and pizza. There’s also a drop-off kids’ club (one for little ones, one for teens) called the Explorer’s Club, and an infant space for those under three located right next to the beach with indoor and outdoor place areas, a wading pool, and diaper changing stations (not supervised; parents stay with child).
The free-form pool is perfect for families.
Note: There were a few bumps along the way during the Aycan’s stay. One aspect of the resort that bothered them was the intrusiveness of the lawn maintence which continued throughout the day, sometimes with very noisy equipment, and very close to the pool (some grass in the pool as a result). They were also without hot water in their room for the first day, which was resolved (though not as quickly as they’d like).
Date Last Visited: July 2010
Room Rates: Resort stays vary by length and number in your party. Check their site for booking information.
Website: http://www.dreamsresorts.com/drepc/index.html
Phone Reservations: (809) 682-0404
