Dreams Palm Beach, Punta Cana

A Paradise in the Dominican Republic

DREPB_BEACHPARTY_2Life is good when your view includes sand, toes, coconut trees and turquoise waters – and nothing else. Dreams Palm Beach resort in Punta Cana specializes in providing that vista, because unlike the larger resorts in the area, there’s always a spot on the beach that feels exclusively yours.

This Dominican Republic Dreams property is a favorite for family vacations and destination weddings because there is so much to do – even by Caribbean all-inclusive resort standards. Along with the usual water sports, an excellent full-service spa, tennis courts and swimming pools, Dreams Palm Beach features surprises like horseback riding on the beach, morning yoga, cocktail mixing and cooking lessons, Spanish classes, archery, dance classes, and weekly arts and crafts markets. While kids and teens have their own hangout spots and activity schedules, adults can sidle up to the blackjack table at the on-site casino or spend an afternoon floating around the swim-up bar in the sprawling pool area (one of the largest pools in all of Punta Cana).

Although guests can effortlessly spend a week soaking up the sun on the property, exploring the island is as easy as requesting a private excursion from the tour desk to places like the snorkeling-paradise of Isla Catalina, the idyllic dolphin-packed beaches of Isla Saona, or Santo Domingo – the oldest city in the New World with cobblestone streets, Spanish colonial architecture, and more restaurants than you could try in a month.

As beautiful as the Dreams Palm Beach property is, it’s not the activities, the turquoise waters, or the post-card perfect beach that keeps families returning year after year. It’s the uniquely attentive service. By the time guests leave, they can praise their bartender, concierge, beachside server and favorite entertainer by name – and they often do. It’s the people at Dreams Palm Beach who make the experience memorable. (It’s hard not to remember the time you were served a top-shelf cocktail off the bartender’s head!  That man has an incredible sense of balance!)

The resort’s level of attentive service runs straight into the gourmet dining options, and accommodating dietary needs is never a problem. Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and dairy-free foods are always available; in fact, there’s even a pool-side fruit stand serving watermelon and pineapple pops every day. The eight international restaurants require no reservations (saving guests the morning sprint to guest services that is common at many resorts). Buffets have special kids sections, and the five bars and lounges are enough to keep everyone well hydrated with unlimited top-shelf brand-name liquors.

From the minute guests walk in and are handed glasses of chilled champagne, to the moment they wave goodbye to their favorite bartender, Dreams Palm Beach in Punta Cana goes above and beyond the usual trappings of Caribbean luxury vacations to create an environment of sheer pleasure. It’s a place in which you can sink your toes in the sand, wrap your hand around a frosty cocktail, listen to the waves and see nothing but the sun, sand and sea.