Destination Highlight: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Earlier this month I went on a girls’ trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. We flew out of LAX on American Airlines. The flights were full both ways, but everyone was required to wear a mask and I felt completely safe.

When we arrived at the airport in Punta Cana, there was a little bit of confusion about our transfers to the hotel, but it was resolved quickly. We were supposed to have a private transfer in a Suburban SUV, but the only thing they had available at the time was a group van. We told them we didn’t care which vehicle we rode in and then we were on our way!

The resort we stayed at, Paradisus Palma Real Resort, is located on Bávaro Beach – just 20 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport. When we arrived, we were greeted by their gorgeous lobby with a view right down to the pool. We were also upgraded to an ocean front room, which we were thrilled about! The location was perfect. We could walk right outside our room to the pool, which was also close to the restaurants, and literally right on the beach.

The resort had only opened a few days prior to our arrival after being closed due to Covid, so there were a few small issues – service in the restaurants wasn’t quite back to 100% and a few of the restaurants at The Reserve and Grand Reserve were closed. The pool service at the adult-only private pool was exceptional, however we weren’t allowed to order any food at the pool, but hopefully that will change soon.

They are currently working on room renovations and I was able to tour some of the new rooms. They are stunning! It’s a shame we didn’t get to stay in them this time. I would highly recommend the newly renovated rooms to anyone staying here!

Each room has in-room butler service and ours was great. Our room was cleaned daily and we were given a number to text if we needed anything. We were able to request new water bottles and snacks each day via text message.

The beaches are nice, but at this time of year they have a seaweed issue, so we weren’t able to swim in the ocean in front of our hotel. We were next to a couple other resorts and their beach was a little bit cleaner, but we only saw a small handful of people swimming. There are people out on the beach every day cleaning it up, but it’s endless!

We did a private catamaran tour one day to go to the party reef, and we were probably four of the oldest people there! I’d recommend it for a younger crowd. I felt like I was back at Lake Havasu thirty years ago!

In a few months, I think the resort will offer an even better experience, but overall we had a great time on our trip!