Sanctuary Cap Cana — Hotel in Higüey

Butler service Jeremia was the best, major domo! He was attentive, made sure we stayed on schedule for restaurant reservations and was able to locate items we needed. He gave us a detailed tour of the property, even showing us rooms throughout the property so we can evaluate the rooms for potential future stays.

Entertainment The entertainment team was always full of energy. My husband was impressed with the professionalism and customer service from Juan Sanchez. He said that he was not concerned with promoting the next event, instead he was focused on connecting with the guests, knowing their names and then would very casually say "see you at the next event..." The most popular show was the Friday night Domician cultural show. It was standing room only! The jazz performer was fantastic and was well attended. The magic show was entertaining, but was really standard prop magic and contortionist tricks. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Staff Interactions The staff overall was fantastic. Every "buenos dias" I gave was always greeted with a huge smile and a courteous reply. Members were willing to step up regardless of their role. For example, I accidently tripped and dropped my glass. I found three guys that worked in the back of the kitchen and asked if they could help me clean it up so that no one gets cut. They helped pick up the glass and contacted the right person to do a thorough cleaning. Super Yery was very friendly and personable at Casabella. Valentina was the best!!!!!!!!!!!

Rooms We stayed in the monarch villa. It was a beautiful room. It was nice to have such a large room. I am used to living in the Caribbean so the following issues were not that big of a problem, but for others they may consider it a deal breaker. Do not leave any food out on the tables or out in the open. Ants will find it. This includes any bottles of sweet liquors. They will find it. Also, do not be surprised if some gecko lizards get inside the room. This is part of island living. Just ask for a some pest/insect repellant for the room.

Spa We had the Better Together special package. Sofia and Melania gave us the most amazing masages ever!! Even though it was a special package, the amount of the package is ridiculous. We paid $495 for 80 min massage for each of us, a foot treatment and use of the hydrotherapy pools. We upgraded to have a "Ben gay" type lotion for $15 each. It was a phenomenal massage, but does not justify the price. And definitely, the staff needs to tone down the upsell pitches. It is clear they are compensated based on their upsells. It made for a a not so nice feeling. I have received massages at other luxury spas and this massage would be commiserate with massages in the $185-$200 range and not the $245-$289 range. The recep

Value Expensive. Overly expensive for no reason. I was getting mosquito bites and went into the store at the main entrance. The personal mosquito repellant was $41!!! On Amazon, it is $5-$6. That is quite a mark up!!!! The shops are too expensive. A pair of slides were $44!!! The overall value of the hotel, room and food is not worth the price tag. It was definitely a great experience, but only if money is no object and you do not mind 3-star meals.

Recommendations for the Hotel:

1. Lean into the dominican culture and showcase dominican cuisine. The foods that were executed the best were the dominican dishes. People come to experience the culture and also vacation. Have a staff member spotlighted and share their favorite dish every night in every restaurant. Add their picture and it makes for a great employee recognition while sharing the culture with guests.

2. Provide VIP-only activities like a chef's table where upscale dinner is prepared for a small table of individuals for an additional fee (suggest $50 pp).

3. Promote more limited-number of "specials" that provide guests that are not "rich" an opportunity to experience some luxury. For example, a 30-min chair massage for $30-40.

4. Improve the quality of the food at the...

We travel very frequently to DR mainly the north coast and we stay at villas. It was our first time at punta cana and in a resort in over 5 years. We try to avoid all inclusives due to the crowds. Also the value proposition for how much food and liquor we consume to how much is available at the resort for the price we pay doesn’t add up when we compare to a villa and eating out at local restaurants. So my review is based from the point of view that I know the country well and how to get around so don’t let me deter you from going to punta cana. If you are a foreigner and don’t know how to get around then punta cana is great but beware that you will not get the real authentic Dominican experience.

The resort is close to the airport which made it really convenient. When we arrived at the resort it felt very safe they have 2 gates before you get to the property so everyone knows who’s coming in and out. This area is home to the best resorts in punta cana.

We were greeted with a frozen coconut lemonade which was a hit. The architecture of the main building where the lobby is is amazing and this definitely tops any hotel lobby i have been to. We arrived at 1pm and were told that our room wouldn’t be available til 3. I paid for premium luxury ocean view because the castle swim out was sold out and i requested a high floor since it was our first time at the resort. We went to try the seafood restaurant blue marlin while we waited for our room. We ordered 5 different appetizers and the only one i would recommend is the ceviche. The catch of the day was my go to the second time and this made for my favorite restaurant.

This is where all the unpleasant experience for this resort started. After finishing our meal we went back to get our room key and the girl doing our reservation says that unfortunately there are no high floors left and i said this was fine if i still had the ocean view. When we arrived at the room we were greeted with a champagne bottle which was excellent and a letter from the manager. When i went to see the view it was a view to the garden which made me very upset because i paid for ocean view and on their page you can clearly see my room was garden view. I called the front desk to get a room change and the person said there was nothing else they can do for day and the next day i can get a room change. I tried to calm down and I wanted to start the tub in the balcony but the water didn’t turn on and i needed to call maintenance. The tub is one of the best things of these rooms and the rooms are very big. The next day they showed me a villa which was gorgeous but no view and no tub which was a deal breaker. Finally they gave us a a room on the fifth floor and it was amazing.

The reason for the 3 stars was due to a couple of reasons. The room change took 3 hours of my life i will never get back. The resort is all inclusive but there are no liquor bottles in the fridge just soda, beers, and water. If you try to order room service there is no prepared drinks allowed to be delivered up to the room. We tried to order food on room service but were told that we need to go to the restaurant and order it and have it delivered. The pizzeria said no delivery available and there is a $5 charge for every pie. We were told 25 mins; 40 mins and $10 later we were left frustrated again due to the fact that this is not really all inclusive and the local restaurant pizzeria we go to in Samana has 2 pies for $12 and is way better. Another dislike was the food and liquor service by the beach and pool area that was non existent. You have to pretty much get your own food and drinks when at the beach or pool where as in other resorts like Secrets and Hyatt Zilara they bring you drinks at the pool and the beach chairs.

We will definitely skip this resort next time in punta cana. The people are very friendly and the manager of reservation Francisco went above and beyond for accommodating us after the first girl got us in the worst room next to the night club(bass in room at 1am:( ). Reason...

No resort is perfect, of the islands traveled this is in the bottom half overall. Breaking this down to property, rooms, dining, service. The property is amazing. Well kept, clean, and safe. Walking in you truly get the island vibe. Multiple pools all well maintained. Lots of loungers and half have umbrellas or some sort of shading. Beach has much to be desired. Small beach that is about 75yds long. I’m sure you have seen other posts about how small it is. Water is murky along the shore due to very fine sand and rocks on the beach. Lots of sea weed to deal with. Resort does a decent job of cleaning. Got in the water but the constant feeling of the vegetation brushing across you legs is was unnerving. There is floating fence about 100yds out to help keep the ocean debris and weeds out, but again it didn’t stop it all. There are a large number of loungers on the beach, most with umbrellas. There are also 9 daily rental Bali beds there that have a higher level of service. A bottle of “premium” alcohol daily with the bed. You do get a daily discount of 20% if booking the bed directly with the resort but that was the only way you can. Food was available, attendant took care of that. Rooms, clean and spacious. However rooms did not match the pictures. That is to be expected though at any resort. Booked a premium luxury suite with an ocean view. Disapointig view. 50% thatched roof of the building in front of us and the rest ocean. It was a ground floor room. So your view will change obviously. Asked for a room upgrade and got one. Couldn’t get all 7 nights but the last 5 we did. Set us up in the King/Queen villa , fees along with what we paid were still 50% less than the advertised rates. Recommend asking on upgrades on check in. Beautiful view as it was on the ocean. The deck was huge, tables for 6 people, 2 chaises and an umbrella that needed repair. Small private plunge pool. After getting this room there was NO reason to go to the beach. There were two bathrooms and a second outdoor tub. TVs w/most channels in Spanish, 2 in English, CNN/Discovery. Bed was comfortable, pillows with minimal support, firmer options really didn’t help. AC was cool but loud like flying in a jet. Ceiling fans helped with airflow. After a few nights we needed of a good nights sleep. Rooms/resort face the east and even with room darkening drapes the sun hits you before 7a, no need for an alarm clock. Mini bar with soda/water/beer stocked daily. Dining was in line with most all-inclusive resorts. Buffet for breakfast/lunch, 4 restaurants, 2 require reservations. There’s a dress code for the restaurants. Steakhouse was the best, ate there 2x. Tender steaks well prepared. Seafood was good, nothing spectacular. Sanctuary Town has 4 restaurants, 3 (Pizza, Burgers, Sushi) are included with your room. The Spanish one was not. The ice cream shop is included. $5 charge for a box at the pizza place if you want it to go. Pool side snack shop/bars were average. Coffee shop had basic coffee drinks. We use room service lots. Food was OK, eggs, sausage, fruit, pastries, yogurt, burgers, nachos, wings, fries. Coffee is strong/bitter, order milk/creamer. 10$ charge to have the food delivered. This isnt a gratuity, which is at your discretion. Service was prompt and friendly. Our room had butler service which is helpful for reservations and other minor issues. Housekeeping/mini bar service daily. Minimal language barriers, Spanish is the primary language. We felt nickled and dimed here. For a $2000/nite room(we paid ½ that with upgrade) and all-inclusive, $10 for room service and pizza box charges are not right. Had issues with our bill for about $120 in services not received. They argue to the point you give up as your taxi is waiting to leave. Noticed 2 other couples have the same issue. Booking through resort created issues that Marriot could not help with. Overall, property great, food average, Can’t recommend this place based on service/mgmt. Marriot has dropped off our radar for future stays. Better values out...