A la carte luxurious within the land of all-inclusives: An early take 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 12 months, 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 gorgeous spa, and basic St. Regis rituals like each day Champagne sabering and a property-specific bloody mary.

TPG had the possibility 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 stable begin. This is what it was like visiting somewhat 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 gorgeous theme that was carried out all through the complete 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 count on 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 fashionable room was stunning, 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 pink wines. Almost 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 simple to open the blinds within the morning to let within the mild, and computerized recessed lighting within the ground was nice for late-night journeys to the toilet.

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 observe, 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 toilet with twin sinks, ample lighting, a spacious egg-shaped soaking tub, an enormous rainfall bathe and a separate wash closet concealing the bathroom. I beloved the massive towels and Frette bathmats, however one small linen-related problem was that the bathmat was so fluffy that the bathroom door could not slide over it to open, so I continuously needed to flip it.

The room was very comfy, massive and straightforward to share with my mother, who traveled with me. Better of all, all rooms embrace the well-known St. Regis butler service, and our type butler volunteered to unpack our luggage (and repack them when it was time to go residence), 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 possibility to go to a couple 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) provided the classics like fruit, cereals, pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, plus a la carte gadgets like eggs Benedict and eggs made any approach. The servers appeared stunned after we requested for mimosas, however nonetheless made it occur. Cassava can 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 gives an area 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 incessantly to take drink orders, and I loved a couple of spicy margaritas (some had been higher than others, and at greater than $23 per drink with tax, I needed for somewhat extra consistency). Regardless of the property being only a month previous (or younger!), the servers had been all pleasant and prepared 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 in control from the current opening.
• The lodge 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 gear and a complete spin classroom.
• The spa gives 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 out there for youths 12 and beneath.
• A Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course is out there subsequent door on the Punta Espada Golf Membership.
• Butler service is out there 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 seashore at The St. Regis Cap Cana

I’ve lengthy beloved 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 time months can imply the seashores are overrun by sargassum (a sort 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 seashore continued to be pounded by it.

Fortunately, the a number of pool areas had been greater than sufficient to maintain us blissful and unbothered whereas having fun with the solar. As soon as the sargassum goes away (and bear in mind, it is lower than the lodge when it comes and goes), the seashore options stunning chairs and cabanas to take pleasure in. It is value noting, too, that many elements of the Caribbean and Mexico expertise this as properly, so make sure you analysis any vacation spot about the perfect and worst occasions 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 lodge can prepare transportation to and from the airport for round $30 per particular person. A ride-hailing service will value round $15-$20 relying on the time of day and demand.

Many airways fly into Punta Cana, together with Delta Air Traces, 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 night time, in keeping with the versatile reserving calendar. Because the season picks up, count on to pay upward of $700 to $1,000 per night time.

Marriott Bonvoy members can e book award nights from 100,000 factors per night time, however the majority are priced barely above at 104,000. (It is a irritating tactic that blocks folks from utilizing an 85,000-point free night time 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 may 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 embrace:

• Marriott Bonvoy Good® American Specific® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at motels taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite standing and 25 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Specific® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at motels taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Gold Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at motels taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Gold Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Enterprise® American Specific® Card: Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at motels taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Gold Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 6 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at motels taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Silver Elite standing and 15 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.
• Marriott Bonvoy Daring® Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 3 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at motels taking part within the Marriott Bonvoy program, computerized Silver Elite standing and 5 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.

The knowledge 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 beneath “Accessible Rooms” on the rooms web page of the lodge’s web site). This room kind touts mobility entry and an accessible tub.

As all the time, TPG recommends contacting the lodge instantly to substantiate what room varieties can be found and the way properly the property can accommodate your particular wants (particularly with properties exterior of the U.S., the place accessibility legal guidelines could also be completely different).

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

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 beautiful resort is a superb escape. And whereas there have been some very minor rising pains, like generally sluggish (however all the time pleasant) service, I very a lot loved my keep. I would definitely go to once more, and might’t wait to see how the property runs as soon as it has the advantage of time and follow beneath its belt.

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