There are many beautiful island countries in the Caribbean and our recent voyage took us to the beautiful resort town of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. My wife and I spent 5 nights at the all-inclusive Majestic Mirage Punta Cana, an all-suites 5-star resort. The Majestic Mirage is in the Bavaro is ranked number 3 on TripAdvisor for hotels in that area.
The Property
The Majestic Mirage, which opened in 2016, is the newest of the 3 Majestic properties that are located next to each other.
The Majestic Elegance sits between the Mirage and the Colonial properties. These properties are connected, and you do have limited access to the other properties, you can’t eat at the restaurants and drink at their bars among other restrictions. There is a small Casino located on the Colonial property that is shared between all three.
The Mirage is a large property with 7 buildings. This is a family-friendly resort with adults-only and family-only sections. Being an all-suites resort, the rooms include a living room and bathroom spaces along with 1 and ½ bathrooms, rain showers, and minibars. The beds are very comfortable, and we didn’t have any issues getting good a night’s sleep. We opted for a 1st-floor swim-up room that included a Bali bed and we were very happy with our choice. You have the option to book a top-floor room that comes with a private rooftop patio as well, but you lose out on some of the wonderful views that can’t get from the private rooftop.
The properties layout was simple. At the front, you have the large lobby which housed the Italian, Japanese and French restaurants, the Piano Bar (which has the best drinks), and another lobby bar downstairs. Next to the lobby is the large terrace that gives you a European feel that has the Café, Sports Bar, and Steak House. The entertainment stage is next to the terrace. The landscaping was very well designed and well kept. The one thing about the design of the property that was a bit strange was the pool.
There was not one main pool but 4 separate pools that spanned across all the buildings to allow for swim-up pool access. The beach was just ok, not the best beach but not the worse. There were plenty of palapa and Bali beds available if you wanted to relax by the beach.
The Food
The Majestic Mirage has 4 restaurants (Italian, Steak House, Japanese Hibachi, and French) and 2 buffet restaurants (The Marketplace and Seaside). There is also a Sports Bar that is open 24/7 that services a limited menu late at night, a Café where you can get coffee and other drinks, and 24-hour room service. The resort also has multiple bars spread throughout the property. Access to your favorite cocktail is always only a few steps away. The food experience was about average. The food and drinks quality was on par with what you get on a resort or cruise ship. Of the two buffets, the Marketplace was the best with a much wider variety of options to choose from. Of the main restaurants, the Italian was my favorite (the calamari and lasagna were delicious). Note that you need to make reservations for the Japanese and French restaurants, but all others are first-come, first-serve. We did have a lengthy wait for the Steak House and a short wait for the Italian but during those times you just enjoy the bar! As stated before, the Piano Bar located in the main lobby had the best drinks!
The food selections were hit or miss where we did enjoy some of the selection and others, were just meh.
Activities
The resort provides a list of activities throughout the day such as beach volleyball, yoga, pool games, and dance lessons. There is a nightly show in the Theater that is pretty good. They have a Michael Jackson show that was excellent. They perform some of Michael’s hits, lip-syncing and dancing with lights and smoke. It’s a whole production and if you are a Michael Jackson fan, be sure to check that one out. My wife is a huge Michael Jackson fan and we found out that the show was on Mondays, and we got there on Tuesday and left on Sunday. We were bummed but found out that they run the same shows at all the properties, so we went over to the Colonial and caught the show on Wednesday! Keep that in mind if you visit, you may be able to catch a show you are interested in at one of the other properties.
Service
One of the best parts of this resort was their staff. EVERYONE was so nice and eager to help. From the bellmen to the groundskeeper, everyone was so friendly and if you needed anything at all, you just need to ask. They make it a point to make sure that you relax and have a good time on your vacation. This property has butler service included so you have a personal contact on the property that will attend to anything you need. Our butler was Wilber. We were able to communicate with him using WhatsApp and he sent us restaurant times and scheduled activities daily. The staff in the restaurants were amazing as well. If you have any requests, they will do everything in their power to make sure you are satisfied.
Other tips
COVID 19 protocols: All employees always wore masks and most of the time they wore them properly. Mask was not required while on the property but was required in the restaurants and had to be worn when visiting the buffets. Negative COVID tests were required to return to the United States and free tests were administered on the property daily that made this hoop a little easier to jump through.
Bugs: Mosquitoes were vicious. We left with multiple mosquito bites on our bodies. Be sure to pack mosquito repellent and bug bite first aid material. A can of Off in the store on site was about $20.00.
Humidity: The humidity in the DR is high, however, you can request a dehumidifier for your room from your butler. If you have never used one before, just note that these units remove moisture from the air and produce water and they need to be emptied a few times a day. This little machine made my wife’s experience more comfortable.
Conclusion
Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing time at the Majestic Mirage. I would recommend it to anyone considering this resort as a destination. If you are traveling as a couple, group, or as a family with kids, I am sure you will enjoy the superb services and gorgeous landscape of this property and create memories that you will enjoy for a lifetime!
