Just before the height of COVID-19, I was having a fabulous time with my family enjoying Spring Break in the Dominican Republic. We were spending our days relaxing at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana. For those not familiar with Punta Cana, this resort town is located on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. This region of the Caribbean is known for its miles of beaches and clear blue waters. The Bávaro area and Punta Cana combine to form what’s known as La Costa del Coco, or the Coconut Coast, an area full of lavish, all-inclusive resorts that feature amenities such as zip-lining, windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, and of course, golf!
Getting There
Getting to Punta Cana is easier than you think, we ended up taking a direct flight from Fort Lauderdale into the Punta Cana International airport, the flight time was just over 2 hours. During peak season, you’ll find multiple airlines offering direct flights from major east coast cities into Punta Cana, including Jet Blue, Delta, American, Spirit, and United. When you arrive at the airport, you’ll immediately feel the Caribbean vibes, live music, drink samples, and the thatched roof will have you in vacation mode in no time.
We pre-arranged transport from the airport to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, including tip the ride costs us $40 each way. We arrived on a Sunday morning before an election, and the town was pretty sleepy and quiet, the driver zipped down the highway, and less than 25 minutes later, we were getting checked in for our Hard Rock experience!
The Rock Star Experience
The all-inclusive starts at the check-in desk; there are several different room reservation options available. We ended up with a two-bedroom Signature Family Suite that was more than enough room for me, my wife, and our 16-year-old daughter. The master suite was ultra-luxurious, featuring a huge king bed, massive walk-in shower, and a jacuzzi tub for two looking out onto our private balcony.
My family and I are no strangers to the Hard Rock brand; the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is one of our favorite weekend getaways. However, this was our first all-inclusive resort experience. Typically, when we travel to the Caribbean, it’s onboard a cruise ship.
After enjoying the all-inclusive experience at Hard Rock Punta Cana, you’ll be hard-pressed to get my family back aboard a cruise ship. At Hard Rock, we had all-day access to restaurants, bars, the beach, 13 swimming pools, and of course, Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay.
We ended up flip-flopping our daily schedule between a morning on the golf course and afternoons on the beach. We supplemented our time on the beach by spending hours listening to music at the central pool. We ended up purchasing a package of 20 rides on the Flow Rider and had a blast learning how to stand up and surf, a little pricey at nearly $200, but we got our money’s worth.
The Food
Each night we dinned in one of the included nine restaurants on property; we only had a chance to visit Ipanema (Brazilian Steakhouse), Pizzeto (Pizza Place), Toro (Steak Restaurant), Zen (Teppanyaki & Sushi), and Ice Cone (Ice Cream Parlor). Our favorite dining experience was at Toro, it felt like fine dining, and the food matched our expectations. We spent the most time at Ice Cone and Pizzeto; we had more than our fair share of ice cream and pizza. The sushi at Zen was better than average, we missed out on being able to try the Teppanyaki experience, but we watched with envy. All the restaurants are all-inclusive and will keep feeding you as long as you’re hungry; trust me, it’ll be tough not to overindulge.
One thing of note, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, is massive. When you check-in for the first time, you don’t have any idea how big the resort is until you make your way out of the main complex and to your room. Before walking outside, it reminded me of checking in at Caesars or Wynn in Las Vegas, big-time flair all within one building. As we made our way out of the main complex to our room, we started to get an idea of the resort’s wide-open layout.
After a few hours we figured out the trolley routes, and where we could walk to and where we needed to take ta trolley. The Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay is near the front gate of the resort, and a shuttle ride to the course is about five minutes.
Jack Nicklaus Designed Golf Course
The Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay hosts 18 holes of championship golf designed by Jack Nicklaus Golf. At 7,253 yards in length from the back tees, you will encounter all the challenge you desire. A Par-72 layout that provides an experience tougher than an ordinary resort course, but without the nasty bite of some championship courses. During your round, you’ll play through breathtaking Dominican landscapes full of native flora and fauna.
The great thing is the all-inclusive experience didn’t stop when we got to the golf course. When we checked-in for our tee time, we got a bracelet for our all-inclusive golf experience. That included unlimited drinks and food from the bar and on-course beverage cart. After all, it’s not a Hard Rock experience without a little swing juice!
What’s It Cost?
Hard Rock Punta Cana is always running different specials, so prices change and vary throughout the year. On average all-inclusive packages start at $200 a night and go up based on room selection and the number of adults in your booking. Right now, Hard Rock Punta Cana is running a special where kids and teens are free, so if you’re on a budget, look for the right offer and take advantage. Our airfare was $300 per person round-trip, so depending on where you’re traveling from, your total price will vary. All said in done, a 5-night stay for a family of three including airfare is going to cost you right around $2000. Considering the rock star experience, we find that to be a bargain!
Go or Stay Home?
You better get on that plane and go! We had the best time at Hard Rock Punta Cana, and our accommodations were first class, the food was delicious, and our drinks were top shelf. Throw in all that, and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, and you got yourself one hell of a destination. The staff was phenomenal and went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed our vacation and wanted for nothing.
What about COVID-19?
As I mentioned at the top of the article, we went right before the height of COVID-19 at the beginning of March. During this time, the whole world was still trying to figure out what COVID-19 was and how best to handle the virus. Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana was already on top of the situation, enacting several safeguards and enhanced cleaning procedures, you couldn’t help but feel clean and safe. So be smart, be safe, but remember to get out and live life and party like a Rock Star when you can!