2/10 Poor
May 9, 2025
Avoid – Looks beautiful, but far from luxury
Zel Punta Cana is visually stunning, with stylish design and lovely pools. If you stay, go for a ground-floor swim-up room in the 5000–7000 block that connects to the main pool. Unfortunately, service at the swim-up bar was poor - we gave up twice after waiting over 15 minutes. Ordering a drink felt like an inconvenience to the staff.
The vibe changed constantly - sometimes calm, sometimes blasting dance music. Asking to lower the volume was met with, “Sorry, we can’t.” Food was a major letdown: bland, repetitive, and poorly timed. Only one restaurant was open during the day, and dinner alternated between the buffet and one other venue. By day two, we were bored with the menu.
The resort was quiet but oversaturated with staff constantly trying to sell spa treatments or excursions. We asked for a list of activities four times before finally getting it on day five - too late. A “free welcome gift” came with strings attached: a short meeting turned into hours of pressure to join a vacation club.
Despite informing them this was our honeymoon, there was no real acknowledgement. A special dinner was cancelled due to weather and not rescheduled. No one in management was accessible - just endless WhatsApp handoffs.
This was not the luxury experience we were sold.
Benjamin
Benjamin, 7-night trip
Verified Hotels.com guest review
