A la carte luxurious within the land of all-inclusives: An early have a look at the brand new St. Regis Cap Cana

The Punta Cana space of the Dominican Republic is understood for its huge array of all-inclusive resorts, however this yr, Marriott is altering the sport with the shiny new St. Regis Cap Cana Resort. The now-open 200-room resort is an architectural stunner and design lover’s dream, with a number of eating places and bars, family-friendly swimming pools, adults-only areas, a ravishing spa, and basic St. Regis rituals like each day Champagne sabering and a property-specific bloody mary.

TPG had the prospect to be one of many first friends on the new property to expertise what it has to supply. Regardless of some pure new-hotel hiccups (and a little bit of misfortune from Mom Nature), the property is off to a strong begin. This is what it was like visiting a bit over a month after the grand opening.

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First impressions at The St. Regis Cap Cana

Set in a gated a part of Cap Cana, this new St. Regis felt luxe from the very begin of my keep, starting with the dramatic geometric staircase standing in entrance of a floor-to-ceiling indoor waterfall. Darkish woods, tender lotions, and vibrant textures and patterns got here collectively to create a ravishing theme that was carried out all through your entire property.

Throughout my keep, the friends had been simply as eclectic because the tones and textures; I met teams from New York, Chicago, Atlanta, the Dominican Republic and past. And, from the second of arrival, the ultrafriendly workers helped set the tone for what sort of service to anticipate all through the keep.

The rooms at The St. Regis Cap Cana

For my keep, I used to be in a two-queen Palm Luxe Swim Out. The trendy room was lovely, with very comfy beds, a pleasant little table-and-chair space, a big flat-screen TV with streaming capabilities, a well-stocked minibar, and a cute little cart with liquor bottles and purple wines. Practically all tech options of the room (lights, curtains, “Do Not Disturb” signal) had been managed by handy contact panels all through the room, making it straightforward to open the blinds within the morning to let within the mild, and computerized recessed lighting within the flooring was nice for late-night journeys to the lavatory.

The balcony was an awesome place to lounge, and beginning the day with a fast dip within the swim-up pool made every morning particular. Simply notice, swim-up swimming pools, like this one, are often communal, so different friends can swim up and down the pool.

The room featured a fantastically appointed rest room with twin sinks, ample lighting, a spacious egg-shaped soaking tub, an enormous rainfall bathe and a separate wash closet concealing the bathroom. I liked the massive towels and Frette bathmats, however one small linen-related situation was that the bathmat was so fluffy that the bathroom door could not slide over it to open, so I continually needed to flip it.

The room was very comfy, giant and simple to share with my mother, who traveled with me. Better of all, all rooms embody the well-known St. Regis butler service, and our variety butler volunteered to unpack our baggage (and repack them when it was time to go dwelling), however I opted out of the service.

Eating at The St. Regis Cap Cana

The St. Regis Cap Cana has 9 bars and eating places, and over my three-night keep, I had the prospect to go to a number of of them. At Nina, the resort’s most elevated restaurant, with a Peruvian-inspired menu by acclaimed chef Diego Muñoz, I loved the wagyu beef katsu sandwich topped with potato chips ($38) and the pan-seared scallops with candy cream corn. The service was even higher than the scrumptious meals.

For lunch, I could not get sufficient of the garlic prawns ($23) on the poolside restaurant Marola, and ended up having them two days in a row. The identical restaurant’s hen and chorizo paella ($25), however, simply did not do it for me.

Breakfast every morning was at Cassava, the place a buffet ($50 per particular person) supplied the classics like fruit, cereals, pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, plus a la carte gadgets like eggs Benedict and eggs made any manner. The servers appeared stunned after we requested for mimosas, however nonetheless made it occur. Cassava can also be open for dinner, with a Latin and Dominican menu emphasizing meat and seafood.

Definitely remember to cease by the St. Regis bar for elevated bar snacks like lobster rolls ($26), wagyu sliders ($24), oysters and scallops (each $21). St. Regis followers will know that every property provides a neighborhood tackle the bloody mary, and the Cap Cana model, the Quisqueya Mary, infuses native rum with fried plantains.

On the pool, servers had been coming and going fairly regularly to take drink orders, and I loved a number of spicy margaritas (some had been higher than others, and at greater than $23 per drink with tax, I wanted for a bit extra consistency). Regardless of the property being only a month previous (or younger!), the servers had been all pleasant and keen to assist with any want.

Facilities and repair at The St. Regis Cap Cana

• Throughout the board, all workers members that I encountered on the property had been extremely pleasant and all the time smiling, whilst they got here on top of things from the current opening.
• The resort has a large, family-friendly pool; a devoted splash pad space (which had a small buffet and ice cream cart at one level); and an adults-only pool with lounge chairs and cabanas that include nice shade and a fridge. There’s additionally a rooftop pool (however we most well-liked staying on the adults-only pool).
• A state-of-the-art gymnasium spans two ranges and contains ample Technogym tools and a whole spin classroom.
• The spa provides all of the classics, and friends may even request their spa service on the rooftop remedy house that appears out on the ocean.
• A kids’s membership is on the market for teenagers 12 and underneath.
• A Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course is on the market subsequent door on the Punta Espada Golf Membership.
• Butler service is on the market for any and each want.
• The concierge desk will help prepare actions from excursions to close by journey parks to deep-sea fishing.
• On-site retailers provide all the things from high-end clothes to sunscreen and souvenirs.
• The nightly Champagne sabering is a St. Regis custom, and friends all get a glass to toast with.

The seaside at The St. Regis Cap Cana

I’ve lengthy liked the seashores within the Punta Cana space throughout winter visits, and have all the time discovered them to be beautiful. Typically, Mom Nature has different plans, although, and the hotter summer season months can imply the seashores are overrun by sargassum (a kind of algae) and seaweed. Sadly, the world was being hit laborious throughout my early June keep, and regardless of ocean netting and a clean-up crew working all day, the seaside continued to be pounded by it.

Fortunately, the a number of pool areas had been greater than sufficient to maintain us completely happy and unbothered whereas having fun with the solar. As soon as the sargassum goes away (and bear in mind, it is lower than the resort when it comes and goes), the seaside options lovely chairs and cabanas to get pleasure from. It is price noting, too, that many elements of the Caribbean and Mexico expertise this as effectively, so remember to analysis any vacation spot about the very best and worst instances to go to.

Location and logistics at The St. Regis Cap Cana

The St. Regis Punta Cana is about 3 miles — round a 20-minute drive — from Punta Cana Worldwide Airport (PUJ). For ease, the resort can prepare transportation to and from the airport for round $30 per particular person. A ride-hailing service will price round $15-$20 relying on the time of day and demand.

Many airways fly into Punta Cana, together with Delta Air Strains, American Airways, United Airways and JetBlue, in addition to some worldwide airways like British Airways and Air Canada.

What it prices to remain at The St. Regis Cap Cana

Charges at The St. Regis Cap Cana within the summertime, the world’s off-season, begin at $587 per evening, in accordance with the versatile reserving calendar. Because the season picks up, anticipate to pay upward of $700 to $1,000 per evening.

Marriott Bonvoy members can e-book award nights from 100,000 factors per evening, however the majority are priced barely above at 104,000. (This can be a irritating tactic that blocks individuals from utilizing an 85,000-point free evening certificates, which might be topped up with a most of 15,000 factors for a complete of 100,000, on loads of dates.)

When reserving The St. Regis Cap Cana, you will need to use one of many bank cards that earn essentially the most factors for Marriott stays, or one that gives computerized Marriott Bonvoy elite standing for value-added advantages. These embody:

• Marriott Bonvoy Sensible® American Categorical® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at inns taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite standing and 25 elite evening credit per yr towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Categorical® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at inns taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Gold Elite standing and 15 elite evening credit per yr towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at inns taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Gold Elite standing and 15 elite evening credit per yr towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Enterprise® American Categorical® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at inns taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Gold Elite standing and 15 elite evening credit per yr towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at inns taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Silver Elite standing and 15 elite evening credit per yr towards the next tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Daring® Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 3 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at inns taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Silver Elite standing and 5 elite evening credit per yr towards the next tier.

The data for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Accessibility at The St. Regis Cap Cana

Accessible rooms can be found at The St. Regis Cap Cana (search for the two-queen Superior room underneath “Accessible Rooms” on the rooms web page of the resort’s web site). This room kind touts mobility entry and an accessible tub.

As all the time, TPG recommends contacting the resort immediately to verify what room varieties can be found and the way effectively the property can accommodate your particular wants (particularly with properties outdoors of the U.S., the place accessibility legal guidelines could also be totally different).

That mentioned, the resort felt usually stage and accessible with many elevators. I didn’t, nevertheless, discover a pool raise.

Backside line

The St. Regis Cap Cana Resort provides an expensive — and costly — place to remain in an space that in any other case lends itself to much less upscale all-inclusive experiences (which I additionally love!).

For sun-seeking vacationers with deep pockets (we’re speaking margaritas at $23 a pop), this attractive resort is a superb escape. And whereas there have been some very minor rising pains, like typically sluggish (however all the time pleasant) service, I very a lot loved my keep. I would definitely go to once more, and may’t wait to see how the property runs as soon as it has the advantage of time and follow underneath its belt.

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