*my husband and I stayed at two different resorts for our PuntaCana honeymoon, first resort review posted below
Secrets Royal Beach PuntaCana
9 out of 10.
My husband and I stayed here on our honeymoon. Booked through Apple Vacations. It is roughly 20 minutes from the airport. Hotel is on the newer side, and a bit smaller than previous all inclusive resorts we’ve been to. It was mostly a ‘couples’ feeling we got, as children were not allowed at this resort.
Room was great, we were in building 5, it had an ocean view and a plaza view. Clean and updated.
Pool was pretty. I did leave a suggestion with the front desk though, that they have more pool chairs or enforce their ‘no saving seats rule’. There is a ‘pool rule’ that guests cannot reserve a chair before 8am by just leaving their towel on it and walking away. However, this rule was not enforced in any way whatsoever. My husband and I would go down to actually lay by the pool between 7:00 and 7:30 am, and only one morning were able to find the only two chairs left that didn’t have towels on them. There were plenty of chairs on the beach though.
Food was good, we ate in the café for breakfast and lunches, always a good selection of food, and always changed it up for dinner at the different restaurants. All of the portions (at the restaurants, not the buffet) are smaller than what we’re used to back in Chicago. But everything was good quality, plus you were filling up on drinks anyway to notice! Secrets guests are allowed to go to the Now Larimar hotel, (attached to the Secrets hotel through a hallway), which is a family friendly resort, but Now Larimar guests are not allowed to Secrets. Now Larimar had restaurants and entertainment as well.
Every night, there was something to do from listening to live music, to watching a movie on the beach, Monday Night Football on the beach, catching their Michael Jackson Tribute show, etc. Everyone is over the top friendly, always asking what they can get you to drink, and we only had one experience with the timeshare salesperson, not like at other resorts where every time you walk into the lobby you are bombarded.
I’d recommend some excursions. Our Apple rep, Katie, was very informative with what excursions were available. We did Zip Lining and Swimming with Dolphins. Keep in mind, both excursions are farther away than they say! Everything there is on ‘Dominican Time’! So they say something is 20 mins, it’s definitely close to, if not, an hour away. Zip Lining was amazing, but a very bumpy ride and not for someone who can’t climb/walk in heat. Swimming with the Dolphins was unforgettable! Cameras not allowed, so be prepared to buy some of their pictures if you want a keepsake.
We did not get sick. We took a shot of Pepto Bismol every morning as a precaution. Keep in mind that anything coconut (pina coladas, etc) are a natural laxative. After a few days of those, we did have to take some Immodium AD, but nothing that stopped us from enjoying the trip. Plenty of bottled water for teeth brushing and drinking. Mixed drinks and pop from restaurants were just fine, even with ice.
We did enjoy a couples massage, which was very relaxing. My only complaint about this was out of their hands- they are remodeling their spa building right now, so we got our massage in a super small, really boring room. Again, you can actually see the construction for the spa renovation, so I’m not holding that against them. But coming from other resorts where the spa areas are fantastic and beautiful, we noticed a difference.
Overall, I’d recommend this resort.
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