Sanctuary Cap Cana

Words can not describe how much i was upset and later angry i made a choice on this hotel. I was planning this special trip to Punta Cana with my mother who flew to Atlanta to visit me from Moscow after not seeing each other for a year.I wanted to take her on a beautiful trip to Punta Cana and took my time to find a perfect place for us.Unfortanutelly it was not Sanctuary Cap Cana. From the moment we came to the resort we did not like a thing.The property was so dark,quite,small,boring with the dirtiest beach i ve seen.On top of it the staff at the front desk was so rude and unfriendly.We asked for a room with two beds instead we only got one bed and it took a few times to ask to separate the bed.The verity of food was so poor we barely could make a choice.At night the property was so dark,not lively,boring ,we were depressed.We could not stay there more than one night and had to leave thats how horrible it was.Noone showed us around or explained anything,we were completly lost.And how stressful ,upsetting and decieving the process of leaving was.The staff was extremely rude,kept on lying to us about talking to the manager,unwilling to give us a refund,ignoring us,and so shady about the whole situation.I was beyond angry.

There was not much to do. We found ourselves very bored at night. To top off our trip..I had clothing stolen from my room. This made an ok trip bad!!!!

On arrival everything was fine until i checked into my room. I had the ocean view junior suite, which looked and sounded lovely on-line. The room was old and shabby and smelt damp. It was more like a room that belonged in a 2star hotel. I was not happy at all. in the end i upgraded to a honeymoon suite with private pool which was a lot better but cost an extra 875us on top of my holiday. The private beach is tiny and not kept well. The restaurants in the hotel were nice, they had all top shelf drinks in the bars so no complaint there. The evenings entertainment was an absolute joke.

First let me say this is my second stay in Punta Cana. Two entirely different experiences at two entirely different hotels. This hotel is great if you are looking for a very quiet experience except for the children who seemed to appear on Friday and Saturday yelling and splashing in the main pool. Pool areas are beautiful and in fact all the grounds are gorgeous. Understand why you would want to bring your children here as there is limited areas they can escape to. Barriers at each end of beach front and play areas. Do not come here for the food. Was surprised that of the 5 restaurants only 1-3 are open each night. Steak House open only 2 of the 6 nights we were there. Blue Marlin, great view and decent food. This place needs to go all inclusive or not. A major pain to have to sign the check every time even in you have paid for all inclusive. Think this is their way of making certain you tip as there is a space on the check to add and you feel guilty if you don't. Room was in great location (beachfront ) close to everything but still quiet. Must say that if we needed anything they were there in mere minutes with the exception of room service. Entertainment was very limited very unlike the larger resorts that have major productions nightly. All in all would not come back here if not a couple or family. The castle seemed to be the place if you wanted to avoid children. Swimout rooms look very private and the pool and bar here frequented by couples only. Very quiet. All staff very friendly and make sure to know some minimal Spanish. No shopping off the resort and don't bother with the public beach as no better than the beach at the hotel. Make sure to bargain with the souvenir sellers as they expect it. Cheaper to buy your souvenirs from them rather than hotel shops or airport for certain! Didn't go on any excursions as was just looking to relax and that we did! Last note, if you are single and with friends or want gourmet food, this is not your hotel.

4-1/2 Stars on a 5 scale rating. My wife and I went just to relax for 4 days and this place is ideal for relaxation. The room was very comfortable with nice amenities and all of the staff we came into contact with were excellent. The pool area was alive with staff keeping things interesting with optional activities. Even though I love children, it was very nice to have the quiet of an adults only venue. But don't get me wrong, it definitely was not boring. As mentioned, there were activities in and around the pool every day and there were a variety of good shows each evening (dance and magic). Since our stay was relatively short, we didn't get to go to Caleton which is a boat doc area about 10-15 minutes away. If you decide to play Punta Espada golf course, you won't find many better anywhere. But you will be challenged by the wind as many of the holes are along the ocean where there could be a 40 yard wind effect on your shots. And the architect of the entire complex is beautiful.

We chose this resort based on the photos; which were very accurate. We went there to relax and spend time with old friends while celebrating birthdays and anniversaries for some of us. The staff was very accommodating. It would be less taxing on first time visitors if the hotel provided ground transportation for the guests from and back to the airport. Compared to previous trips, this is very near the top of the list.

5 stars: only 170 rooms,location from airport,view,landscaping, pools,beaches,spa, room, fitness center, Punta Espada golf (play after 1:30 for lower rate), cleanliness. 4 stars:service (langauge minor barrier)3 stars: food hit or miss but available 24/7, nightlife. 0 stars: casino

Ok so here is the review. Hotel: The hotel is in great condition and does look like the pictures on the website. The common areas of the hotel were very clean and were stylishly decorated. Our room was in slightly worn condition but still very nice. Bathroom was very large and new but the shower grout was a little dirty. Beach/Pool: The main pool was busy and loud but there was other pools tucked around the property that were quite. The hidden pool on top of the castle is highly recommended. The beach in front of the hotel is nice but a little crowded because it not huge. You have to get up early to get a decent chair. They need to get more chair cushions to accomodate every chair. They did keep on running out of towels which was a little annoying. They replinished them throughout the day but sometimes we had to wait. The beaches next to the hotel(I think the name is Juanillio)are incredible. Miles of sand with no hotels or people. Food: I'm a food snob. I have to say the food was probably the best I have had in the carribean. It wasn't world class like in NY or San Fran but much better than I expected on an island in the carribean. The steak tasted like steak and it was cooked well (not over-done,etc). Service: Everyone is really nice and really tried to be accomodating. I thought the staff was courteous. They remembered our names. Pool bar was a little slow but they were nice. Golf: AMAZING. I saw the pictures on the web and thought it can't be that nice. It is. You can't understand how perfect and beatiful the course is until you play it. Overall I would definately stay here if I go back to the Dominican Republic. The PROS definately outweigh the minor CONS. It was good enough were I don't think I would consider another hotel. Hope this helps.

The resort was beautiful and the staff very friendly. Food was fabulous. Very relaxing not alot of on site activities. Beach small but beautiful. Down side was every morning we were awakened by a loud continuous banging noise at about 530 am. Sounded like a machine running below our room. Water trampoline was broken, bikes were no good. Two restaurants ran out of the food we wanted to order and the resort was not even close to being full plus some nights only had choice of two restaurants to eat at and we had to wait over an hour to be seated. Occassionally service was slow and when we called (twice) for our luggage to be picked up at check out, no one ever came so we carried it to the lobby ourselves. Housekeeping also came to clean our room a few nights when we were there changing for dinner. It is a wonderful resort and we had a really great time but would not spend the money to stay there again our stay at the Majestic Colonial was just as nice for a better price.

Everything was amazing! Food was great, lots of selections. Service is top notch! Everybody was super nice. Property is gorgeous, well maintained. Only downside is the beach is basically unswimable. Lots of seaweed. I dont think its the hotels fault, its just nature. Hotel tries to clean it up all day long but still comes back.