We were looking for two weeks in the Caribbean sun in a resort where we would switch off, relax and enjoy the slow pace of Caribbean life.
We’ve travelled to several of the Caribbean islands over the years, but this would be our first visit to the Dominican Republic. After looking at several different resorts, we booked our holiday at the Royalton Splash Punta Cana.
The biggest bonus by far which we found about staying at the Splash was that it gave us access to Royalton Punta Cana.
Rooms
There is quite a variety of room types at the resort. We stayed in a luxury room with a pool view, which served us perfectly for our two-week stay.
It was spacious, had plenty of storage space, the bed was extremely comfortable and most importantly when in the Caribbean, the aircon was great!
Daily service kept our room perfectly clean with toiletries filled up and our mini-bar being re-stocked daily.
We enjoyed early morning coffee on the balcony and an evening drink before we headed out for dinner.
Pools
At the Royalton Splash there were two pools and we enjoyed spending time at them both. Both had swim-up bars, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
The ‘quiet pool’ as we referred to it, was perfect for when we wanted to switch off, read a book and potentially have a nap!
The second pool at Splash had music and was where the daytime pool activities were held – volleyball, aqua aerobics, dance classes and more. If you enjoy taking part in activities there was also plenty to do.
Head down to the Royalton Punta Cana and you will find an additional two pools. One didn’t have a swim-up bar and this pool also had no music so was generally quieter and more sedate.
The second pool was the absolute opposite, it was very popular and generally always very busy. This pool also hosted activities and had a swim-up bar. If you like a lively atmosphere this is a great pool, but we both agreed we preferred the pools at the Splash. That was one of the great things about all the guests being able to use both resorts.
Beach
Our favourite place, we absolutely loved our beach days, and we had many of them!
We found there were always so many sunbeds and we always preferred one in the shade which was never an issue. The bar service at the beach was also great. Usually I had only just enjoyed my last sip of my lemon drop martini before I was being offered another one!
The soft white sand and clear blue sea was the most beautiful backdrop for a day of relaxing.
This was also the place to be to admire the stunning sunsets. Enjoying a wonderful cocktail from the Sands beach bar and watching the sunset in the Dominican Republic, a perfect moment which we enjoyed on few occasions.
Waterpark
Located on the splash resort is a waterpark. It has a great range of slides and from our experience is much bigger than any other waterpark we have experienced at a resort.
I would say it had seven slides which adrenalin-loving children and adults could enjoy. Our favourite was the ‘roller coaster’ waterslide, which we went on in a double tube.
Access to both resorts
It really is so simple to enjoy both resorts. Both resorts are based on the same private complex.
There is a trolley which is constantly running back and forth, but for Mr B and I, we loved walking to and from the resorts. It was a nice gentle 10 to 15 minute walk and a lovely nature lined path took you from one resort to the other.
There wasn’t a walk we had where we didn’t spot some wonderful wildlife. The local ducks were adorable, especially when they had their baby chicks in tow. We saw Great Egrets, pelicans and wild parrots.
In the water we often spotted turtles. But what we enjoyed spotting most were the wild iguanas, which were magnificent, particularly when we walked in the middle of the day when the sun was out and strong. We could spot over 10 of them on our walk.
App
We both downloaded the app and found it very easy to use and useful during our stay. We used it to book all our restaurant reservations, look at daily activity times, order room service and message the front desk.
Royalton Fit
Royalton Fit is a wellness program offered by all the Royalton resorts. What we liked was that all the classes are led by fitness instructors, not by the entertainment team as at some resorts. There is an on-site gym, but Mr B and I enjoyed the classes on offer.
We really enjoyed starting the day with the daily yoga and pilates classes. They were wonderfully led and really made you work and stretch out some of those muscles and tested your balance. We also enjoyed the variety of yoga, as the instructors were very good at making the yoga classes varied.
I did partake in one of the kickboxing classes. Outdoors and in the late morning it was a tough, but enjoyable, fitness class.
We also took part in quite a few of the aqua fit classes. Again there was a good variety and they are designed to keep you fit, not just to faff about in the water like some aqua fit classes I have done in the past!
Evening entertainment
Every night there was a show or act on either in the theatre or seating areas in one of the resorts, from a Michael Jackson tribute, circus show, magician or live singers. However, I can’t add much context as entertainment usually started around 9pm, and as Mr B and I enjoy eating later, we were usually enjoying dinner at this point.
One thing we did enjoy was ‘White Night’, for which the majority of guests donned white evening outfits. It was great to see the effort and same goes with the resort too. The decorations were quite impressive and as a signature night done by Royalton, I think they do it very well.
We loved our two weeks at the Royalton. It had the perfect balance for us of space, nature, beach and relaxation which we were looking for on a Caribbean holiday.
https://www.royaltonresorts.com/resorts/splash-punta-cana-resort-spa
