punta cana: the resort

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Before I went on my vacation to the Dominican Republic, I had mentioned we had no idea where we were going to be staying.

Sounds risky, right?

In a way, it kind of was. I was afraid we would end up at a resort full of kids – which of course sounds weird because I love children, just not on my relaxing tropical vacation where I want peace and quiet.

When we got to the airport last Monday, an Apple Vacation representative was there to give us our “resort assignment”, and she seemed very excited for us. I was excited too as I thought we didn’t get to find out where we were staying until after we landed in Punta Cana. We were told we were staying at Secrets Sanctuary in Cap Cana.

We stayed at a Secrets resort for our honeymoon, so we knew it was going to be very nice – on our honeymoon the service and beauty of the resort was absolutely fantastic. It didn’t hurt that we got to look up pictures of the resort before we headed onto the plane as well!

Secrets Sanctuary was exactly what its name says – it is a peaceful adults only resort that is hidden away in Cap Cana, which is a gated area of Punta Cana very close to the airport (short shuttle ride!).

Upon arriving, we noticed how authentic and rustic the buildings looked – open and airy (but not air conditioned unless in the guest rooms or restaurants) which was typical of the Dominican style.

 
The grounds were absolutely breathtaking. From the lobby to the pool areas, there was always something to look at or to take a picture of – we always felt like we were in paradise.

 
There were a lot of pool areas in the resort, which made up for the small beach area the resort had.

Our favorite pool was (of course) the pool that had the swim up bar attached to it. I had my fair share of fruity adult beverages in the last week of my life – I am pretty sure I am still getting the jitters from thinking about my  high sugar consumption from last week.

While there was the swim up bar and staff walking around for drink orders, the service around the pool was actually kind of slow. No big deal for me though – I enjoy lounging in the sun and barely noticed.

There were also two other pools near that main pool that were more “secluded” and private – one was an infinity pool at the back of the lobby and another was on the lower level of the lobby with a waterfall attached. We like to be where the action is, so we never went to these pools, but they were beautiful nonetheless.

One thing that impressed me about Secrets Sanctuary was the size of their standard guest rooms – the Junior Suite. These rooms had a full walk in closet upon entering, a full sized bathroom with a Jacuzzi and large shower, an area for the bed/nightstands, and another completely different section for a couch and an armoire with the television and mini bar.

The room also had a balcony with an “ocean view” which we could see if we really got on our tip toes and squinted enough.

The one thing that was disappointing about our room was the air conditioning. Everyone we talked to was having trouble keeping their room at a comfortable temperature, and no matter how low the air conditioner was set, the room always felt muggy and humid. In fact, a few nights when we went to bed, I noticed the sheets actually felt damp because of the humidity in the room. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but one thing I enjoy about hotels is cranking the air conditioner up as much as I want because I am not paying for it!

Overall, the resort in general was really nice – and I feel like we kind of lucked out compared to some of the other resorts we could have ended up at.

Something missing? I suppose we must have eaten at some point (or a lot of points – all inclusive!) along the way – stay tuned for Punta Cana: the food!

Question: What “makes or breaks” a resort/hotel for you? What is the best resort you have ever stayed at?

Tagged as: all inclusive resort, cap cana, dominican republic, punta cana, review, secrets sanctuary, travel, traveling