THE EXPERIENCE OF A REPORTER AT THE ISLAND THAT HAS IT ALL

Source: El Tiempo

Two and a half hours on a direct flight from Bogotá is Punta Cana, “a destination that has it all,” as a billboard says in the international airport of that city in the Dominican Republic.

The slogan is part of the strategy of the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, responsible for managing the engine of its economy. In fact, in 2018 alone eight million tourists visited this destination.

On this trip we met two luxury properties of Playa Hotels & Resorts. One is Hilton La Romana and the other one is Sanctuary Cap Cana. These are hotel complexes with unique designs and peculiar nuances in architecture, decoration and landscape. Each one has its charm and provides, in its own way, the rest and comfort that guests seek in Caribbean environments. The average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius.
A colonial style in the Caribbean

15 minutes from the airport of Punta Cana is the most exclusive area of ​​this tourist site: Cap Cana. In eight hectares of tropical beauty, a castle is seen as in a fairy tale: the Sanctuary Cap Cana.

This imposing resort has three lodging styles: the villas, the colonial and the castle. Depending on the category, there are rooms with their own pool, there is even a suite that has a small private island. Although the designs are very different, the gentle peace is the constant in all three environments.

Among the therapeutic amenities is the Zen Garden, a reflexology path, swimming pools with whirlpools and 14 treatment rooms.

Sanctuary, which is also exclusively for adults, reopened last April after an investment of 45 million dollars. The transformation of the place included the construction of two new towers and 140 suites, increasing its lodging capacity to 323 rooms in total. A peculiarity of the place is that it can have its hotel occupancy at one hundred percent and does not feel crowded. In fact, the hotel looks like a Spanish village, with classical and spacious architecture, with squares, gardens and water fountains.

The experience is unique, it is the eden for the body that suffers stress or pain. “Among the therapeutic amenities is the Zen Garden, a reflexology path, swimming pools with whirlpools and 14 treatment rooms,” says Angie Díaz, Sanctuary Sales Director.

Diners can choose from five restaurants. One of them is the Blue Marlin, a colorful palapa on the sea offers the best in seafood and fish. Another restaurant with a lot of personality is Il Capriccio, elegant with its white booths, crystal chandeliers and gigantic floral arrangements.

The finishing touch of the visit was from a notification that was placed in each room of the Sanctuary that said “Please refrain from visiting the beach and walking through the open areas of the hotel in the face of imminent danger of storm”.

That afternoon, while the sea raged and gained strength, which in the end would be Hurricane Dorian, tranquility was found in the jacuzzi of the room next to a Mamajuana (Dominican drink based on rum, wine, honey, tree bark and spices).

In the end, the weather reports showed that the storm was taking another course to the Dominican Republic, and thus the last program of the itinerary could be fulfilled. Coco Bongo invited a show night at the iconic disco. A party like no other, the best of the night in one place.

If you go to Cap Cana after November 2019, Playa Hotels & Resorts will open its third all-inclusive product in the Dominican Republic. This is the Hyatt Zilara Cap & Hyatt Ziva Cap complex, one for adults only and one for families.