Another adventure in the books. This time? An all inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We reserved 8 nights at Hyatt’s Secrets The Tides adults only all inclusive in Punta Cana, D.R., that opened in January 2024. While we don’t drink much alcohol (my husband not at all), we do appreciate a good mocktail (pina colada or maybe a mango daquiri) and multiple restaurant options included in our stay.
Upon arrival in this balmy tropical paradise, we were greeted with icy cold towels for hands and face refreshment, a glass of pink champagne and choruses of “welcome home” from the staff then we were ushered into the Preferred Check-In lounge. We happen to be members of the Unlimited Vacation Club with Hyatt resorts and as such, based on our level of membership, are allotted free room upgrades when available. The room we booked was a Preferred Tropical View King Suite but after sitting with the staff at check-in we were upgraded to a Preferred Master Ocean Front King Suite – a fantastic upgrade and a nice perk of being members.
Secrets Preferred rooms at most resorts come with a Butler who is there to help with anything you might need – restaurant reservations, daily event schedules, access to special items, to address any concerns with your rooms and more. For anyone who says they never use their butler, I say they just need to open their minds to allow them to help because ours? was spectacular with all things we needed and in adding extras we didn’t need but were appreciated. Just a few of the images of entry and walk to our room.
Our butler was Andreina – she gave us an overview walk through the resort, pointing out restaurant locations, pools, spa, gym and escorted us to our room. Our suite had 1.5 baths – the master bath was massive! – dining, kitchen, living area, master bedroom and master bath plus a double wide balcony. The mini fridge is stocked with water, soda and beer and next to the mini fridge is a wine cooler with a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine. We also were able to express our request to remove the beer since we don’t drink it and add more water and juice instead.
~Beaches~
An ocean beach is my happy place, my place of zen, my place of solace and joy, and this beach was no exception. Slightly reclined, blended icy drink in hand (thank you Allberly!), ocean breeze and sunshine – perfection! Also, if you of a mind to walk down the beach about 5 minutes – you can get a massage on the beach at Gundula’s Tropical Treasure. Pricing is so reasonable you could get a 60 minute massage every day and not break the bank and they do a fantastic job!
~Resort Entertainment ~
There were nightly shows if you were in the mood to go – they tended to be a bit too late for our taste but we did go to a couple of them. Show nights were Madonna night, Queen Tribute, the Rock Show, a Dominican Show, the Silent Party (headphones with 3 music types to play while everyone dances around to whichever music they hear in their headphones), and a Neon Beach Party. The Neon Beach Party was fun – giant panda, lit up stilted guy and more.
Then the entertainment staff that put together multiple opportunities to create and socialize. One day there was cigar rolling then hat painting, candle making and even sunset painting on the beach. I can’t say we were the best artists but we had a great time engaging in the activities together and with others.
~ Anniversary Celebration ~
For our anniversary, our butler arranged a romantic dinner on the beach. The table was set up on the beach under teepee poles wrapped with fairy lights and soft music melded with ocean waves washing over the sand. While savoring our meal, we were able to watch the moon rise slowly above the horizon. Never have I ever seen the moon rise like this, so beautiful!
To top off the evening, we found our butler had taken the time to decorate our room, provide a small cake, chocolate covered strawberries (dusted in edible gold) and a chilled bottle of champagne.
~ Los Restaurantes y La Comida ~
The Secrets brand has many of the same restaurants across their the brands but not all chefs within are created equal. We tried to hit them all in the week we were there though but we missed :
Portofino – Italian Cuisine. We never made it to this one as they required men to wear pants to sit inside and while you could wear shorts and sit outside, my hubby must have sweet blood as every possible mosquito will find him making outside dining not our favorite.
Barefoot Grill – Beachside Restaurant and Grill: This one ended up just being a cart beachside as they used the location during the lunchtime for Oceana Grill. We did not technically eat here but did try the burgers they would serve via Seaside Grill.
Oceana – Seafood and more: Oceana was also open for breakfast !hello Eggs Benedict! (for Preferred Guests) and lunch as well as dinner. We did lunch here when we didn’t feel like going to the buffet. Angus Beef Burger. Eh not great – lettuce and toppings are usually a bit wonky at these resorts, tomatoes were a bit limp, no relish, and hamburger undercooked the first time (I don’t like my cow still mooing) and sent it back and the next one was a bit dry so *shrug* what can you do? Sometimes it’s just not what you are used to and it doesn’t quite meet expectations.
El Patio – Mexican Dishes: We started with the Chipotle Chicken Empanada and for our main we ordered the Tacos Al Pastor and the Green Chicken Enchilada. The Tacos? SOOO good! The Enchilada was fairly bland but it was ok – just didn’t have the flavor palette I was expecting.
Seaside Grill – This was a sit outside but undercover meal. We ordered the steak – it was average and regardless we ate fairly quickly as my husband attracts mosquitoes like a bee to a flower.
Meraki – Mediterranean Cuisine: Meraki was one of our favorite restaurants. We ordered the Gyoza as an appetizer, and the Shrimp Pad Thai and Beef & Mushroom Yakisoba for main. The dishes had plenty of sauce and a whole lot of amazing flavor – we ended up going here twice.
Teppanyaki Table – inside Meraki (with dinner “show”): Personally I was a little disappointed with the “show” here as I’ve had better. There was a little bit of metal spatula play – but otherwise, not much to say here. The food prep was delayed and confusing. The past experiences we have had we selected the protein we wanted, and it was served alongside the fried rice. This time the protein was served by itself with the rice as an afterthought – it wasn’t served up until after we had already eaten most of our protein. The food was just ok and sadly didn’t live up to dinner and entertainment as you normally might see at a Teppanyaki dinner service.
Tierra – South American Fusion: Appetizer Ecudorian Ceviche & Argentine Proboleta (literally a bowl full of melted cheese). Mains were Peruvian Lomo Saltado and Rice & Chicken Peruvian Style – Great flavors – tender meats – service was a little slow but I think we had a new to waitering waiter. I didn’t take a lot of “foodie” pics but I did grab some of the pretty plates here.
Market Cafe – International Buffet: Buffet was quite good with loads of options for breakfast, lunch or dinner. One of the better buffets we’ve had in our travels.
AND in addition to actual restaurants, there was the Coco Cafe for a quick bite or coffee and Desires Sports Bar with some basic “bar” fare – then there are the “just drinks” Bars – Preferred Club Lounge Bar, Rendezvous Lobby Bar, Showtime Theatre Bar, Preferred Club Pool Bar, Sugar Reef Pool Bar and the Manatees Swim Up Bar. Lots of options for those drinks! Getting to know your bartender – whether at the bar (Israel) or on the beach (Allberly) – is always a good idea. 🙂
~Everything Else~
Well I’ve covered la comida, la playa, el dormitorio y el entretenimiento. What’s left – Service? Gym? Excursions? Service was great in most regards – with the understanding that a lot of the staff was new and still learning the ropes. The gym was actually pretty nice with as much as you might need for a that quick workout while vacationing. As for excursions, we worked with the Amstar staff at the resort to book an off-site excursion to Monkeyland. It was a nice enough excursion – the monkeys were soooo cute (pics below) and the little tour on how coffee is made with a tasting was good (actually I really liked the coffee and they don’t do creamer or leche, only azucar) but then it came down to the “sell”. They had products there for sale to finish off the day – coffee beans, coconut oils, etc – which was fine other than it not being quite how I would have chosen to end my tour. But… the MONKEYS!!!
To wrap up, great all inclusive adults only resort – smallish in size, beautiful grounds and rooms, a multitude of restaurant options and good service. Final photo dump for some of my favorite views.
Ready for our next Adventure!