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As many of you know, I traveled to Punta Cana a few weeks ago, and I’m *finally* getting around to putting together my resort review! We spent a full week at the Circle at Paradisus Palma Real and absolutely loved it. The resort opened in December 2018 so it’s still very new (and not many reviews on it yet)  so hopefully this will be helpful!!

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Location & Transportation: 

The Circle is located just 20 minutes from the PUJ airport, and the transportation was SO easy and convenient. The resort requested our flight information ahead of time, so they had a driver waiting for us when we landed, and took us directly to the resort. Getting back to the airport was pretty much the same – our concierge (more on that later)  arranged a driver to take us back when it was time to leave. It could not have been easier.

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Check-In: 

I have to mention the check-in process because it was unlike anything I’ve experienced. I’ve been to several all-inclusive resorts, and typically the check in process involves standing in line at a desk for 45 minutes.. in the heat.. which is not awful, I know!! But after a long day of traveling, the last thing I want to do when I get to my destination is deal with a long check in process. As soon as we arrived at The Circle, we were taken to a private lounge area with a big comfy sofa, a TV, and welcome drinks for check in. No lines to deal with, and we didn’t even have to stand up haha. It felt so luxurious!

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Concierge:

After checking in, we met our concierge Esteban who was our go-to guy for anything the entire week. He gave us a full tour of the resort and even brought us to each of the restaurants so we could check out the atmosphere (and menus, of course!) He took care of anything we needed – from making dinner reservations, to booking excursions, to making sure we had snacks and drinks in the room.. even when he was “off duty” he would text us on WhatsApp to make sure we didn’t need anything. The level of personalized service was exceptional.

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Room:

Our room was more like an apartment – we had a kitchen area with stocked cabinets, a sink, mini fridge, snacks, a Nespresso machine (I was excited about that haha) as well as a living room area, separate bedroom, two closets  and a very spacious bathroom. It was beautifully decorated with marble countertops and very clean! We also had a balcony with a sofa, lounge chairs, and a huge jacuzzi tub. My only complaint is that our balcony was on the back side of the resort, so we were overlooking a street which was not a great view, and it got pretty noisy. I would definitely recommend making sure that your room is facing the pool area (or get a swim up room if it’s in your budget!) We didn’t spend much time in the room so it wasn’t a big deal, but if we stay there again I’ll make sure to have a pool facing room.

Pool:

There is one main pool at the resort and it’s HUGE, I mean bigger than Olympic size. There are several smaller pools in the front and back (for the swim up rooms) as well as a water park for kids, which we didn’t check out (it’s a short golf cart ride from the main pool) but it looked awesome for families! We hung out at the main pool quite a bit and it was very relaxing. There were plenty of lounge chairs and cabanas around the pool, and we never had a problem finding a spot. The pool had a swim up bar, and someone was always walking by to make sure we had a drink. Our first day there, I ordered a mimosa and they brought me a full bottle of champagne and a bottle of orange juice haha. I made sure to specify “one mimosa” after that 😉 Each day they had different activities going on at the pool, everything from paddle board yoga to water HIIT to water “pole dancing” classes. Plenty of activities to participate in, or to watch and be entertained!

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Beach: 

I was a little surprised that there isn’t direct beach access from The Circle, but it was just a quick golf cart ride away. When you stay at The Circle, you have access to the two other Melia resorts in Punta Cana, the Melia Caribe and the Paradisus, which are both on the beach. They have golf carts and shuttles that will take you to the other resorts if you want to hang out at the beach or one of their pools, or eat at their restaurants. All three resorts are next to each other, so the golf cart ride only takes 2-3 minutes. **You only get access to all 3 resorts if you stay at The Circle. You don’t get access to The Circle if you stay at the other two. We hung out at the beach at the Paradisus a lot and it was really nice!! They had plenty of cabanas so there was never an issue with finding a spot. The sand was soft, and the water was beautiful. There were plenty of water activities available: kayaking, parasailing, wind surfing, etc! Quite a few locals walk around trying to sell things like hats, jewelry, or pictures with a cute monkey, but that kind of stuff doesn’t bother me.

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Food: 

The resort has one buffet and several restaurants, and it was by far the best food I’ve had at an all inclusive resort. The buffet was open for breakfast/lunch, and most of the restaurants (all but one) were only open for dinner. We had breakfast at the buffet each morning, and they had anything you could ever want for breakfast: local dishes, made to order eggs/omelettes, fresh fruits, cheeses, meats, breads/pastries, and so much more. I had avocado toast with a poached egg, smoked salmon and fresh fruit every day. YUM! The lunch options were a little limited at The Circle, so we had lunch at the Paradisus a couple days while we were over there at the beach. The restaurant there was actually my favorite lunch spot, and I loved overlooking the beach! Dinner at The Circle was amazing – I wish there were a couple more restaurants though (no Italian!)  The options include a steakhouse, Mediterranean, Japanese (hibachi & sushi,) ceviche, and a sports bar. I wouldn’t recommend the sushi, but everything else was incredible!! Highly recommend getting a milkshake and fries at the sports bar as a snack. We were also really impressed with the drink selections – most all inclusive resorts don’t include “premium” drinks (only give you local beer and cheap wine/liquor) so we were really happy with the drink options! Love me a Corona on the beach 😉

 Things to do:

The resort offers plenty of things to do besides sitting at the beach or pool (which is what I did all week haha) There is a fully equipped gym as well as yoga classes, spin classes, a beautiful spa, and lots of activities during the day such as dance lessons and all the pool/beach activities I mentioned earlier. There was also lots to do for night time entertainment, especially between the three resorts! Each night there was some type of music/dancing going on, but we hung out at the sports bar most nights playing pool or games there. There are also two casinos, one at the Paradisus (not worth going to)  and one at the Melia Caribe, which we loved! We played the slot machines and a few other games which was a lot of fun.

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Saona Island Excursion: 

Unrelated to the resort, but we did a day trip excursion to Saona Island one day and I would highly recommend it!! It was a FULL day (7am-7pm.) The excursion company picked us up from the resort lobby and then we had an hour long Charter bus ride to the port. The bus had WiFi and our guide taught us all about Punta Cana which was nice!  From there you take a catamaran boat (it’s huge!) out to the island. The boat ride took about 90 minutes and we listened to music, danced, drank rum, took pictures, and had a good time. Saona Island is absolutely beautiful – the color of the water is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.. it looks like a post card. It’s definitely a tourist spot and was pretty crowded, but still worth a visit! They fed us lunch (it was ok, not great) and local beer, but make sure to eat a big breakfast or bring snacks if you go. Also want to mention that there is zero service on the island, which is not surprising, but always nice to know ahead of time since you’ll be there for most of the day. Our concierge arranged the excursion through the resort, but I think most resorts have an excursion desk you can book it through.

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Overall it was an amazing week and after 7 days I wasn’t ready to leave (except to see my dog!)  If you’re planning a trip to Punta Cana I would 100% recommend staying at The Circle. We felt safe the entire time, the service was beyond our expectations, and they did everything possible to make us feel at home. Feel free to comment below or message me if you have any specific questions that I didn’t cover!

What are some of your favorite places to travel? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to get some recommendations for future trips!!

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