Sanctuary Cap Cana

Sanctuary Cap Cana is a truly beautiful and relaxing resort. The views are stunning, especially overlooking the ocean, and the atmosphere is peaceful and luxurious. The food was excellent with plenty of delicious options, and the lounging areas were very comfortable—perfect for relaxing and unwinding. A special thank you to our butler, Frank, who was outstanding—attentive, friendly, and always made sure everything was taken care of. His service truly elevated our stay. We had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend Sanctuary Cap Cana for a relaxing getaway in the Dominican Republic.

We loved the butler amenity - Emilio was fantastic. So attentive and can literally help you with anything! Beautiful location easy to get to from the airport and the airport was very nice. The foo exceeded our expectations, especially for an all inclusive.

We just got back from a one-week stay at Sanctuary Cap Cana. Overall, this was a very nice resort with friendly staff. I'll give more details below. The resort is a short drive from Punta Cana Airport. That was convenient. We stayed in the Castle, and staff brought us and our luggage from the main building to our building in a golf cart. The check-in process was quick and easy. Our butler, JT, brought us to our room and gave us the info we needed for our stay. He also gave us his cell number, and we texted throughout our visit. JT was very friendly and helpful. We bumped into him several times and he always said hello and asked how our day was going. He handled all our dinner reservations and texted us regularly to keep us informed about resort activities. When we left, he loaded our bags into the transfer van and saw us off. He was a great ambassador for the resort. Pools: there are several pools on the property, on various levels of the resort. The main pool has a swim-up bar and zero-grade entrance. It's a nice pool, but not huge. The resort wasn't terribly crowded so that was fine. We had plenty of room to swim around, though for the most part people just stood in the water drinking. It was like a cocktail party in chest-deep water :) None of the pools are heated, which I think is common for the Caribbean. It was refreshing after being in the sun. Be advised that pool chairs can be scarce. People would routinely come out early in the morning, claim their chairs, then disappear for hours. It's worth tipping one of the pool attendants at the beginning of the week to ensure you always get a place to lounge. They also have wicker beds that we were able to get a few times. They were really nice. In addition to the pools, there's also a beach with more lounge chairs. The ocean swimming area isn't huge, but it's enough to say you'd been in the Atlantic. When we were there the water was a bit choppy so it wasn't clear. We had lounge chairs in the sand on our last day and it was very pleasant, though we didn't have an umbrella so it was HOT. Food: overall, the food was good but inconsistent. One thing to remember is that it seems like onions are the national food of the DR :) My wife doesn't like onions, and they were everywhere. Be sure to ask them to hold the onions if you aren't a fan. The buffet was good, with a wide variety of foods. The desserts were impressive as well. There is interior and exterior seating, and it was never really busy. Not fine dining, but for a buffet it was more than adequate. The lunchtime pasta station is worth checking out. Our first night we ate at the Steakhouse. My wife had the short ribs and said they were very good. I had the mixed grill. Also good, but you should know going in that it's enough food for two people to split. The next night was the Blue Marlin, the seafood restaurant set on stilts over the water. We ate here on our last night as well. Very good food with an atmosphere that's hard to beat. I recommend the fish and seafood fideua. I also had the ceviche, which was good but covered in onions. Then it was time to try the Wok, the resort Asian restaurant. This place is well-known enough that it has its own parking lot and is patronized by non-resort guests as well. I can see why. The food was excellent. Various Asian appetizers, like bao buns, dumplings, and nori tacos, as well as sushi and a few main dishes. Try to get a table outside overlooking the koi pond. JT was able to score reservations here for us on two nights, which was great. Casabella is the Italian restaurant. This was probably the weakest link in the restaurant offerings. The service was slow and the room was oddly bright. I had the monkfish, which was good. My wife had the carbonara. Also good, but not amazing. The poached pear dessert was excellent. Not every dish at every restaurant is part of the all-inclusive package, but the menus were all pretty clearly marked. There is also a walk-up snack bar next to the beach that offered surprisingly good fish and chips and chicken wings. Across from the main lobby is Sanctuary Town. This is an area of additional restaurants. Whether it is included in the all-inclusive package depends on the restaurant and on what you order. We tried the taco restaurant and the pizzeria. Both were excellent and among the best food we had the whole week. You can get the pizza to go, which is what we did. We enjoyed it on the resort patio. The hotel bar is called the Love Bar. Small and intimate. Nice seating, and there was live music most nights. Finally, there's a coffee shop in the main building with an assortment of beverages and small snacks. Nightlife: there isn't much to speak of. This is not a party resort. The live music in the Love Bar was either a solo saxophonist or a four-piece combo performing jazz standards. We're not nightclub people so that worked fine for us. The grounds: the property is beautiful. The Castle really does look like a castle. Our room had a large balcony with a partial view of the ocean. Palm trees and flowering shrubs were everywhere. The staff was constantly cleaning and maintaining the property, including raking the beach every day. Incense was burned in the lobby areas, which I thought was nice but might not be everyone's cup of tea. The last night we were there was "Dominican Night". They offered Dominican food and craft vendors. We didn't try the food as we were on our way to Blue Marlin. I would offer one criticism of the vendor displays. Before we'd even descended the staircase to get to the display area, they were calling us over to see their wares. The vendors are far too aggressive. We couldn't walk two steps without another one calling us over and not letting us go. I told one we'd be back later. When he saw us five minutes later, he called out to us and said, "you said you'd come back". We just had to keep walking. We did buy from one. My wife chose a dolphin carving. The vendor said it was $150USD. We laughed and she offered him $20. They settled on $30. In a matter of moments, he reduced his price by 80%. Unless you are willing to be accosted and are up for serious haggling, I would recommend avoiding the whole area. We were at a resort in Jamaica last year that offered a similar vendor night but it was much more relaxed. And, as it happened, we spent more there. High-pressure sales do not go with a relaxing vacation. Amenities: we did not use the spa, but I did use the gym. For a hotel gym, it was impressive. Many cardio machines and weightlifting machines, as well as a Smith machine (IYKYK), an Olympic bar and plates, and dumbbells up to 75lbs. I got in two great workouts. The only downside was the floor. It was weirdly slippery, so much so that I had to modify one of my workouts because I was concerned I might slip while holding a barbell. That was odd. The vibe of the resort is chilled. The clientele seemed almost exclusively American. We did meet a few other Canadians, including some French-speaking guests from Quebec. But otherwise it's mostly American. Take that for what it's worth. One thing that surprised me was the lack of facility with the English language of some of the staff. I know that sounds entitled. But I think if you are working in a front-facing capacity in an industry where the overwhelming majority of your customers are English-speaking, you should be able to understand questions like, "where is the Italian restaurant?" That said, most of the staff were very friendly. While the resort says tipping is included, you should bring a wad of $1s and $5s with you. Everyone tipped for drinks, for towels, and for food. We enjoyed our stay. The weather was perfect. The main issue we had is that we both contracted stomach ailments. At the risk of sharing TMI, I will simply say we didn't eat much the last couple of days, and didn't venture too far from the washrooms. That put a real damper on our vacation. We were careful not to drink the water, so I can only assume it was something from the restaurants. Next time we will be sure to get the vaccine before we go.

Had the most amazing stay. Everything was perfection- spa, food, rooms, pool, drinks, atmosphere, entertainment and of course our butler service with, Emilio!! Will definitely be choosing this resort again in the future.

We hadn’t read reviews before we arrived. We got a tip from a friend that said it was one of the best in DR. We couldn’t have been happier after the week we were there. Our butler, Frank, was incredible. He checked up on us daily with requests for dinner reservations and any other questions or wish we had. . The staff, Alex, Jeanette, Benen, are just a few of the standouts. Everybody was so friendly I will return just for the over the top service we received.