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Hotels with swim-up pools.
We have all seen the photos.
Wedding and travel magazine spreads showing beautiful couples wearing expensive jewelry, designer swimsuits and perfectly coiffed hair lounging around, looking at each other lovingly while hanging in their hotel room’s private pool.
Yeah, I was always sure that was for the rich and famous.
During spring break, my son and I were playing travel roulette. No set plans…we had a list of tropical destinations that we thought we might like to try to sit standby for (a perk of my airline job) and we were going to see where we ended up.
Punta Cana eventually won out and as I made my way down the jetway to my last-minute seat, I frantically scrolled on my phone through the list of resorts that had availability.
There were three that I was eyeing…
There was one we visited a few years ago; the cheapest, but one we had enjoyed for its lively staff, wide-spread beach and their rooms’ proximity to the beach.
There was another that I knew nothing about but my son had a friend staying there. It had excellent reviews and a decent price.
The third was the most expensive of the three (though most akin to number two). It was located two properties over from the first option and one property over from where we had stayed last August, so we were familiar with the area. Both my son and I had friends staying there, so while my son could spend time hanging with his friends, I would have others to have adult conversations and drinks with!
Checking the prices for the third option, I discovered that I could choose the cheapest of their rooms, however, since it was last minute, I could get a room with a swim-up pool for just a little more.
Being that it was my son’s senior year, I had just received a good bonus check and I just felt like pampering myself, I decided to go with option number three! I just hoped that it was worth it!
We arrived to dark skies, rain and no waiting transportation due to a mix-up with our booking. Finally, arranging a one-way transfer, we were exhausted as we made our way into the open air lobby of the Royalton Punta Cana Resort & Casino.
A short time later, we were being escorted to our room near the beach area of the resort. As we passed the rooms with swim-up pools facing the main pool area, I got my first look at what we had paid for. These people could watch the action of the main resort area, yet hang out in their own private space.
As I entered our room, I pulled open the curtains and glanced out at our own pool area, which faced the side of our resort and the resort next door. Well, we didn’t have a great view. No watching the action of the resort, but it was still exciting to have this amenity. With the miserable weather, however, I decided that I needed a nap more than a swim. Taking advantage of this perk would have to wait until the next day.
The next morning, I eagerly opened the curtain, ready for sunshine! What was this? Shadows? With the sun making its way across the sky, our pool was enshrouded in darkness. How on earth was I going to work on my tan?
As we walked to the main lobby for breakfast, I enviously spied on the guests lounging on their verandas, dipping themselves in their private pools. They had sun! I thought, “No wonder I got my room for such a steal…it’s on the shady side of the resort. ”
After stuffing ourselves with pastries and omelets, we decided to head to the beach, spending the remainder of the morning lounging under one of the resort’s thatched umbrellas and enjoying the azure waters that lapped it’s shores.
One of the perks of this resort is that although there were many restaurants that served lunch near the beach, we could utilize room service…for free! Using the ordering feature on our television, we could sit on our veranda and enjoy lunch in the privacy of our room.
This needing doing!
Heading back to our room and noticing that the shadows had changed with the movement of the sun, we ordered our meal and then opened the curtain. Can you believe it? Noon was the witching hour! The sun had crept slowly across the sky during the morning and now our private pool and veranda was filled with bright light!
After enjoying our lunch, we jumped into the pool, relishing in the coolness of the water. Though our pool was private, it was connecting to the others along the length of the building. Though we remained here for the remainder of the day, we were always alone. Not one of the rooms here had guests who swam outside or relaxed on their verandas!
Each day, we repeated the same pattern; hang at the beach during the mornings and enjoy the resort’s many amenities…mini-golf, lazy river, flowrider, restaurants, snack bars. Every afternoon, however, we retreated to our room to take advantage of our pool. What luxury!
And, no…we never saw anyone on the backside of the resort.
Sometimes my last minute plans don’t go so well. This one went swimmingly!
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Royalton Punta Cana Resort & Casino
- https://www.royaltonresorts.com/royalton-punta-cana?_ga=2.143406325.1717712777.1519133944-2036997616.1483655952
- Address: Playa Arena Gorda, Carretera Macao, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic
“No thanks.” We opted to wait.
One of the selling points of this tour was how muddy everyone was going to get…it was recommended that you not do the tour if you can’t give yourself to the idea of being covered in muck! They went on to elaborate on how refreshing the cave swim would be after the spattered adventure. I guess it hadn’t rained in a while, because the only mud puddles I saw were near the shower area at the starting point. The real problem was the dust. Bandannas or something to cover your nose and mouth was recommended (they even sell them if you forget), but what you really need are goggles. As a contact lens wearer, I spent most of the ride squinting as I tried to keep the dust of my eyes or wiping the tears flowing down my cheeks from the pain of the dust abrading my cornea under my lenses. Thankfully, I had relinquished all driving rights to my oldest son.
Once the presentation was complete, more driving ensued until we arrived at the part of the tour that promised a swim in a picturesque cave. A large grouping of buildings hawking food and souvenirs lined either side of the stairs to the cave and many buggies were parked here. By the different types of vehicles, it was quite evident that many different companies come to this location.
As we approached the stairway, we were taken aback by how many other people were trying to make their way to the cave. Finally reaching the entry to the small body of water, we noticed that people were being instructed to jump into the cool water and immediately make their way to the guide rope leading to the water’s exit.
Let’s just say, I’m glad I stayed out of the water and kept an eye on the boys’ belongings. That was really not worth getting wet.
Finally, noticing our guide’s summons, we reluctantly toweled off and jumped back into our buggies. Crossing the highway once again, we made our way back to the companies headquarters.
While it was nice to be able to enjoy a different aspect of Punta Cana, there are many other companies which offer Buggy adventures. Our dune buggies were in poor working order, seatbelts not connected, bald tires and buggies being hot-wired in order to start them. While parked at the cave location, I was able to inspect other company’s vehicles and while in short supply, there were others in much better condition. Still, while I was happy to venture out from our resort for a while, I would think twice about partaking in this type of adventure.
Excitement aside, Hector began placing the fishing rods in their holders at the rear of the boat…five in all…trailing the lures in the dark blue water behind us.
