Caribe Deluxe Princess - All Inclusive

Renovated in 2021, this large all-inclusive resort on Playa Bávaro is built for divers who like their hotel life easy once the mask comes off. You have direct access to the beach, several places to eat and drink, a spa, evening shows and enough on-site activity to keep a non-diving day from turning into a long argument with the minibar.

The resort has 355 rooms and a distinctly self-contained feel. You can stay on site for meals, coffee, ice cream, sport and entertainment, or use the location as a base for seeing more of Punta Cana. The hotel website is available in English, Spanish and German, so those markets are clearly catered for; the languages spoken by the hotel team are not specified.

You are in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, at Playa Bávaro and directly beside the sea. The resort faces a white-sand beach with sun loungers and parasols, which puts the Caribbean rather closer than the hotel brochure language usually manages to suggest. Arena Gorda Beach is roughly a quarter of a mile away, while Bavaro Beach is about 5 miles from the property.

Punta Cana International Airport is around 13 miles away by road, with a drive of roughly 20 to 25 minutes. La Romana International Airport is about 47 miles away. For a change of scenery, Parque San Juan lies around 8 miles away, Manglar del Macao about 9 miles away and Bavaro Adventure Park about 11 miles away. Nearby bars include Mangu Disco, around 2 miles away by road, and Drink Point, around 2 miles away.

The room choice is mainly about how you plan to use the space. For a couple, the Honeymoon Suite keeps things simple with a double bed and a balcony; children cannot stay in this category. If three people are sharing, the Caribe Suite All inclusive adds a sofa bed alongside two double beds, making it the more practical arrangement when holiday luggage has started breeding in the corner.

Every room has air conditioning, a balcony, a private bathroom with a shower, a hairdryer and complimentary toiletries. Garden or ocean views are available within the room offering, while outdoor furniture gives you somewhere to sit rather than treating the balcony as a decorative shelf. There is a coffee machine, a minibar and free Wi-Fi, useful when you return warm, salty and in no mood to go hunting for a drink.

A mosquito net is included among the general hotel facilities, and daily housekeeping keeps the room from accumulating the usual post-dive mixture of towels, swimwear and questionable sand. Cable and satellite television are available, as are a wardrobe, a sofa in the relevant accommodation and room service. Room service carries an extra charge, so the all-inclusive arrangement is not quite a licence to order the entire resort upstairs.

All-inclusive is the governing rule here, with breakfast served as a buffet and dining spread across eight restaurants. The choice moves through Mexican, Asian, Dominican, Brazilian and Italian cooking, alongside international buffet service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Higüero handles the buffet side of the operation, which is handy when the table needs to be quick and dependable rather than a three-act performance.

There are nine bars, plus a coffee shop and crêperie, an ice-cream shop and a 24-hour sports bar. That gives you somewhere for the first coffee, the post-dive snack and the later drink without making every appetite wait for the next formal meal. The resort also offers wine and champagne, a snack bar and breakfast in the room.

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available, including menus for coeliacs. Special-diet menus can be requested, and children’s meals are part of the food and drink offering. Themed dinner nights add a change of scene, while the nightly live entertainment moves to the theatre once dinner has done its job.

Three swimming pools give you an alternative to the sea, while the direct beach access comes with loungers and parasols for the more traditional horizontal approach. A water park and water slide add noise and movement; the sun terrace, gardens and shared lounge offer more forgiving places to sit when your legs have had enough of both fins and holiday enthusiasm.

The spa includes a Turkish bath, hammam, steam room, sauna, relaxation area and spa facilities, with massage, body scrubs, wraps and other body treatments available. A hot tub is also available, and the fitness centre includes fitness facilities and a personal trainer. In practical terms, this is the section of the resort for loosening shoulders, cooling down and allowing the day’s exertions to become somebody else’s problem.

For a more active afternoon, you can use the tennis court, tennis equipment, bicycles, archery, darts, table tennis, billiards or the games room. Golf is available within 2 miles, and there is a casino, evening entertainment, a theatre and a children’s club. Snorkelling, windsurfing and on-site water sports are also offered, with water sports carrying an extra charge.

Punta Cana International Airport is about 13 miles away by road, and the hotel offers an airport shuttle for an extra charge. Free private parking is available on site without reservation. Car hire, currency exchange, an ATM, a tour desk, luggage storage and concierge service are available, while a 24-hour front desk covers arrivals that do not respect ordinary human hours.

Check-in is set at 14:00 in the hotel details and from 15:00 in the booking policy; check-out is by 12:00. Bring photo identification and a payment card for arrival. Children of any age are welcome, with cots available on request according to the accommodation selected, but extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there is an on-site infirmary. Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are available for an extra charge. Payment is accepted in cash as well as Visa, Mastercard, euros, US dollars, Dominican pesos, pounds sterling and Canadian dollars.