The Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana evaluation

The right way to e book the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana

Charges on the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana begin at $319 per night time, primarily based 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. Trying round at varied charges, Diamond Membership-level rooms appear to value not less than a further $100 or extra per night time, a worth that you just may wish to suppose twice about paying contemplating that you just’re already at an all-inclusive resort the place you may get comparable 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 would 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 primary 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 straightforward to seize a fast snack or get to the water.

The 408-square-foot room consisted of a predominant 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 comfy — and the massive sliding doorways let in numerous 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, not less than, I feel that is what it was) was not nice to take a look at.

The sofa was as uninviting because it regarded (moderately stiff and angular).

The alternative wall consisted of a big TV that lacked streaming capabilities (which means you will spend a night channel browsing or forking over money to hire 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 house to hold or retailer garments, a secure and a really highly effective transportable steamer (an extremely sensible amenity that I consider all inns ought to have in rooms).

The toilet, positioned proper subsequent to the suite’s entry, consisted of a conceit 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 primary entryway of the room. The bathroom and an enclosed rainfall bathe have been in a separate room positioned past the sink. Royalton-branded facilities like hand cleaning soap, lotion, a dental equipment and a toiletry equipment have been sitting on the sink whereas the bathe had particular person bottles of shampoo, conditioner and physique wash.

By means of the sliding glass door, the terrace led out to a wonderful 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 obtained 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 exterior, our terrace had two chairs and a desk however no lounge chairs like our neighbors clearly had. I did, nevertheless, very a lot take pleasure in spending time on the market, however if you need an excellent personal swim-up expertise, this may not be the resort for you.

Foods and drinks

One wonderful thing about the Hideaway is that company 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 instances at Dorado (for the exclusivity and comfort of its location), plus Hunter Steakhouse and the Zen teppanyaki restaurant. This is a breakdown of my experiences.

Dorado

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Dorado is the adults-only, beachfront restaurant unique to Hideaway company. For breakfast, company can seize a seat within the ethereal house going through the seashore or in a lined 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 wonderful however nothing particular, and the yokes of my over-easy eggs weren’t runny in any respect. Nonetheless, the pancakes have been so fluffy and scrumptious, as have been the early morning views of the seashore served with a facet of people-watching (you would be shocked how many individuals journey with steel detectors to go looking the seashore 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 just a few completely different gadgets, together with a salad with strawberries and goat cheese, ceviche, the grilled fish of the day (mahi-mahi), rooster skewers with a pleasant Asian-inspired glaze, popcorn shrimp and a facet of grilled greens. Although it was a number of meals, it was the best lunch for a sunny day spent lounging by the pool and the seashore.

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 embellished with Western-themed fake horn chandeliers. As a Texan who loves a very good 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, alternatively, 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 beautiful night in a semi-romantic setting (regardless of the very fact that there have been children round).

Zen teppanyaki

For our final dinner, we as soon as once more had our concierge prepare 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 purpose 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.

In the event you’ve ever been to a teppanyaki restaurant, you recognize precisely what to anticipate. Diners sit round a communal desk and watch as an animated chef wows the gang with hearth, knife expertise and the occasional shrimp or rice thrown into folks’s mouths. This specific expertise additionally included numerous communal chanting and dancing, which made the restaurant bond collectively in a extremely foolish manner that everybody beloved.

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

Bars

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

Persons are at all times curious if drinks are watered down at all-inclusive resorts, and I discover that that often is determined by what you order. As an skilled all-inclusive traveler, I have a tendency to stay to what I do know could be completed simply and the way I prefer it, sometimes margaritas on the rocks with salt or Eating regimen Coke with coconut rum or tequila. At these bars, the margaritas at all times hit the spot, although spicy margaritas have been made with Tabasco sauce moderately 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 kind of a ache, and you may lose half your drink earlier than getting again to your chair (they are typically simply spilled).

We additionally spent just a few hours at Rating Sports activities Bar & Lounge, open till 2 a.m. There, we sipped whiskey and Eating regimen Coke whereas folks danced within the club-like space with couches and a DJ. Throughout our go to, we obtained a kick watching a bunch of foolish youngsters who have 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 carry 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 have been extremely attentive, very pleasant and fast to make sure we obtained every thing we wished or wanted. A lot of them remembered our orders each day and left us feeling seen and cared for our whole keep.

Swimming pools and seashores

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

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

Hideaway company also can benefit from a lot of the different resort swimming pools, together with the gorgeous predominant infinity pool overlooking the seashore (pictured above). Discovering chairs at this pool is harder, because it’s shared by many extra folks than the Hideaway pool, but it surely was a beautiful spot with a swim-up bar.

There’s additionally a small unique seashore space with a non-public bar for Hideway company. Bavaro Seaside, the place the resort is positioned, is gorgeous, 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 personal seashore space is elevated and roped off, which means that moving into the water is a little bit of a journey — but it surely’s a terrific spot for individuals who simply wish to chill out.

It is also essential to know that seashore distributors are a dime a dozen within the Dominican Republic. They don’t seem to be pushy and can depart you alone should you merely say “no thanks.” At this seashore, there was additionally an journey firm providing parasailing and journey rides on varied inside tubes. We paid $50 complete for a wild trip on a couch-like inside tube that felt like a curler coaster on the water; I might extremely suggest the expertise (although needless to say the corporate you utilize is probably not related to the resort, as was the case for us).

1 social gathering I will always remember (and 1 I definitely 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 seashore video games to exhibits with stay music and dancing. At this resort, you will wish to ensure you head to the weekly “White Social gathering,” the place company of all ages converge on the seashore to bop the night time away. The social gathering was really a spectacle, with folks dancing with balloons of their arms to music starting from present Prime 40 hits to throwbacks like Usher’s 2004 smash hit “Yeah.”

Even higher, there was a type of round photobooth platforms the place company might slide their telephone 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 social gathering was beginning. Many individuals have 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 kind of like a household reunion or an ungainly wedding ceremony, however the leisure crew was doing a terrific job getting folks up and dancing, and we finally had a reasonably enjoyable (albeit not memorable) time in comparison with the White Social gathering the night time earlier than.

A water park for the children at coronary heart

Although the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana is adults-only, company 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.

In the event you’re making an attempt to have a full-on adults-only expertise, this isn’t the place to cease. However should you’re in search of some quick, lighthearted enjoyable, you will wish 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 normal late afternoon tropical thunderstorm, however after the solar went down and we took time to nap and relaxation, the storm obtained a lot heavier, a lot so, in actual fact, 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 entire open-air hallway was flooded and company have been lining the foyer space asking for assist, too.

It is price noting that the employees jumped into fast motion by doing their greatest 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 company have been indignant, demanding rooms on increased flooring — and the employees clearly was working their hardest to relocate these folks. Finally, the storm ended simply as shortly because it began, and our state of affairs was simply reconciled.

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

Different facilities

For company seeking to get pampered whereas on trip, Royalton’s Hideaway space has the Royal Spa, which provides all the usual companies and sweetness therapies, akin to facials, massages, manicures and pedicures, for a further charge. Or, should you’re one to work out on trip, Royalton Match provides a fitness center with all of the important tools, plus courses like seashore boot camp, yoga, Zumba and kickboxing. There are additionally tennis courts obtainable.

Accessibility

Discovering details about Royalton Punta Cana’s accessibility is tough on-line — a disservice to vacationers with bodily challenges seeking to e book 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 sorts — have been arduous to seek out.

For these needing accessible rooms, I would extremely suggest calling the resort straight and chatting with somebody on the bottom earlier than reserving. Additionally needless to say inns exterior the U.S. aren’t sure by the identical Individuals with Disabilities Act requirements required of properties stateside.

Is it really adults-only?

Increasingly more all-inclusive resorts supply adults-only experiences in in any other case family-friendly resorts, main folks to surprise how adults-only a property could be. That is precisely what I got here to seek out out.

Testing

My expertise on the Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana was one of the 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 getting access to a number of different enjoyable actions and facilities, akin to an enormous dance social gathering, a water park and extra eating places and bars than we might go to in a single keep.

Your entire expertise was lighthearted, the service was wonderful, the seashore was improbable 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 a lot of the containers, and I might return once more in a heartbeat if the worth or Marriott Bonvoy award redemption have been proper.

However should you’re in search of a real adults-only expertise, you would be happier staying someplace just like the Hyatt Zilara again in Punta Cana.