Sanctuary Cap Cana

Summary: High Highs and Low Lows make this an experience that left us feeling good but not fully satisfied with this trip. Budget travelers looking to splurge will love this place, but Luxury travelers looking for a less expensive alternative should make sure to reset expectations before going, despite the many positive reviews online. The Good: The sit down restaurants were extremely strong, particularly the Wok was exceptional. The ambiance, views, architecture, and pools were excellent. There were 5 different pools for everyone (we did not have a private). Each one had different strengths which generally kept people spread out. The room cleaning and turn down was nearly perfect. Beyond normal expectations for sure. The gym has everything you need for whatever workout you could possibly want to do except a squat rack. The equipment was outdated but in good shape. There were plenty of treadmills and other cardio machines. We stayed in the castle served by our butler Lugo. He was great! I didn’t interact much with the other butlers but they seemed to be similarly mannered. The Mediocre: The Spa was good but not good enough to justify the high price we paid for it. Paint was chipping in the pool and some of the features didn’t work, but the massage and hydrotherapy amenities were solid. The poolside grill was barely passable. Could easily slide this to the bad category but given the nature and expectations of what a poolside grill is we will keep it on mediocre. The resort wasn’t lively enough to be a true party resort but there was too much noise and music for it to be a relaxing experience. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but I think the resort would benefit from either doing more to increase the amount of people who go there or moving to a more relaxing atmosphere. The Bad: The breakfast buffet was the worst I’ve ever had. I got the omelette on our last day which was the only decent thing our whole trip. Every other breakfast was terrible. The coffee shop was disappointing and the baristas were especially rude. The drinks were hit or miss depending on your bartender which is pretty problematic for an all inclusive. The service was overall bad. 20% of people were good, 40% were fine and 40% were downright rude. Few people spoke strong English which would be ok with a very friendly staff but made most interactions even worse. Definitely the single most negative part of the trip. Overall Sanctuary Cap Cana was a good trip and my wife and I enjoyed our time with each other. But we have high expectations of the places we stay and had high expectations for this resort as well. Unfortunately, we depart from the resort feeling a little unsatisfied despite the positive overall experience.

We stayed in one of the villas, which, although a little dated, was quite nice. Our view of the ocean was spectacular and breathtaking! Although we had a refrigerator, we could have used a microwave. Our butler, Hector, was accommodating, kind, and awesome. If we're blessed to come back, we will request his services. We would like to have seen more of the island outside of the resort. For the most part, the food was good, and the staff excellent.

Amazing stay at the Sanctuary Cap Cana! This was the true definition of quiet luxury, and ultimate relaxation. We visited from Canada and go to resorts at least 1-2 times a year. .This is one of my favourites and I would recommend to my friends and family. The resort is about 20 mins from the airport, very conveniently located inside the gated community of Cap Cana. First and foremost, this property is absolutely STUNNING. This is one of the most unique adults-only resorts I've been to. It has a European style, yet modern and peaceful. They have multiple room settings - Colonial, Luxury building, Castle, Villas. I definitely recommend upgrading to a room with a swim out suite. We stayed in both the castle swim out and luxury villa. Both rooms were very well kept, and luxury to its core. You will not regret upgrading your room! The property is extremely well kept, clean. Staff members were working throughout the day to maintain the property, plants, decor. We did come during Sargassum season, so we did spend most of our time at the pool, which we were perfectly fine with. The beach is relatively small as an FYI, however, there is an area for lounge chairs on the beach. There were 4-5 pools to choose from- the main pool, 3 quieter pools, and a pool at the Castle. Can't go wrong with any of them. The a-la carte food were some of the best I've had at an all-inclusive 10/10. The Blue Marlin, Cappricio, Steakhouse, Wok... amazing!! We went back to the Cappricio and Wok twice because it was so good. Photos attached. The breakfast buffet was unique in that it was a buffet, but staff served for you. I do however prefer the traditional style buffet where you grab food yourself. One of the things that made our trip so memorable were the incredible staff here at Sanctuary. I want to give a special shout out to Carlos, our butler. He went above and beyond with everything! He was very communicative, friendly, and helped us with anything we needed (E.g. making dinner reservations [although reservations were not required, it did help], ordering golf carts for transportation, checking in with us throughout the trip). He is great at his job. I would 100% come back just to see Carlos!! Other staff members I'd like to highlight that made our trip more enjoyable: Restaurants/Food: - Sandro- one of my favourite servers, I enjoyed our conversation and his service. Would also come back to see him - Juan Antonio- super friendly, remembered us each time we saw him. He always had a smile which made us feel welcomed - Yeissy- she made my morning smoothies each day. What a bundle of joy, and the smoothies were my favourite part of breakfast. - Jacobo- he worked at Blue Marlin, and Cappricio. One of the best servers on this trip. Friendly, fast, efficient. So good!! - Cristina- she is very fast and good at her job, efficient and great service By the pool: - Felix - he helped us with our lounge chairs every morning, helped set up the umbrella. Thank you!!! - Super Geri - He remembered our favourite drinks and was always in a positive mood Golf Cart: - Eric - very friendly, enjoyed our conversation. Super easy to talk to and gave us great info on Dominican Republic :) Feedback - The Sanctuary town should be included as part of the all-inclusive package!!! The resort is definitely you get what you pay for, in that it's a premium experience from the minute you check-in. However, the sanctuary town is part of the resort, and should be included, as it was in the past!! Or at least, guests should receive a voucher upon check-in to go to 1-2 of the restaurants. We wanted to check out the pizza and sushi spot, however, we did not like that it was an additional fee, so we did not go. - Room service- I would also suggest removing the 10 USD delivery fee for room service. As a luxury resort, this should be included. Many other resorts do not have a delivery fee.

Great trip with Randolph back from cap Cana. 10/10 recommend!!

A beautiful location, but the service is really what makes it special! Camacho was our butler and was more than amazing! Gave perfect specialized recommendations to make our trip more than excellent! At the restaurants Edwardo and Danny Jose made every meal feel so special. I can’t wait to go back just to see all of them. Amazing people.