Hotel Serenade Punta Cana Full Review

Honest and in-depth review of the Serenade Beach & Spa Resort in the DR

My husband and I went on a 5-day honeymoon to the Dominican Republic in October last year. After extensive research, and the help of our travel agent, we chose to stay at the Serenade Punta Cana. Read on for my full and honest review of the resort and our experience there.

Accommodations: 9/10

My top priority for any stay is the quality and cleanliness of the rooms. We stayed in a 'Premium Suite with Outdoor Jacuzzi.' This gave us special perks for being premium level guests that I will go into further detail down below. As far as the room goes, this hotel room was fantastic. It was huge, the cleanliness was impeccable, the king bed was spacious, and the ocean view we had was unmatched. They had a huge shower, double sinks, a sofa, large TV, and a mini bar that was restocked daily.

Another perk of the room, but also why I chose 9 instead of 10 out of 10, was the outdoor jacuzzi. We were really excited about that feature but unfortunately, we weren't able to use it as there were ants along the side and inside of the tub. We asked hotel staff if they could come spray something to get rid of the ants, but we're not sure if they ever came to do so, and if they did, it didn't work. It's a tropical climate, so bugs are inevitable, but we do wish there was some way that we could have sprayed the ants so that we could have actually used the jacuzzi.

Apart from that minor downside though, we realize now just how spoiled we were with that room, and we keep comparing other places to this one. The resort also features rooms with swim out access to a pool which could be a great option if the beach/ocean are not in the best condition when you go (read more on this below).

*** Note for families: Many reviewers complained about the showers in these rooms having a window that goes into the bedroom removing privacy. The window, at least in our room, is a frosted glass window (see picture in gallery above). It is however an open concept bathroom so there was no wall/door between the open shower area into the rest of the room so keep that in mind when booking in case you prefer somewhere with some more privacy. ***

Food & Drinks: 6/10

Staying at an all-inclusive means all food and drinks are included in your stay. There may be additional charges for certain drinks or restaurants on site, but a lot of what you see comes included. As preferred club members, we had access to a couple additional bars with higher quality liquor and an exclusive restaurant at the resort.

For breakfast, you have the option of eating at the buffet. During lunch they have the main buffet, a Mexican buffet, and a sports bar open. They also had a small ice cream stand with some cupcakes and treats open during the afternoon. Dinner time is when all of their specialty restaurants open with various options like Mediterranean, steakhouse, Italian, Asian, and for preferred members a high-class international restaurant. You must make a reservation to eat at those specialty restaurants. If you don't, you'll have the option of eating at the main buffet or sports bar for dinner. They also offer 12-hour room service, but we did not use this service.

The on-site sports bar had various American dishes like wings, fries, sandwiches. This was our favorite place to eat. The selection was slim, but the food was always consistent. The main buffet has so many options to choose from and has made-to-order stations as well. We were not the biggest fans of the main buffet, but it's much like buffets on cruises. Everything isn't the best, but you will find certain things here and there that you really love (for me, it was the donuts in the morning!).

The specialty restaurants all have very limited menus as well and the food was pretty average. Our favorite was the preferred members international restaurant, mostly for the experience as it was a pre-selected multiple course meal and was overall very fancy. I wouldn't get the preferred access just for this restaurant, but I believe you can also choose to pay to eat here even if you are not a preferred member (see more on the preferred program below).

The alcoholic drinks throughout the resort were definitely low on liquor, which tends to happen at all-inclusive places. My bigger issue was more with the quality of the blended drinks. They tended to have more of an artificial flavor. I've had better consistency in the flavor of drinks on cruises than I did here.

Overall, I would not choose this resort if food and drinks are a top priority. You'll find options here and there that will be good, but if that's a main concern for you when booking an all-inclusive, I'd probably look elsewhere.

Amenities: 9/10

During our stay we spent most of our time at the resort, so we had the opportunity to really take advantage of their various amenities. The resort offers several family-friendly activities such as an arcade, waterslides, a small kids splash zone, and a kids club. You can also enjoy various water activities in the ocean, some free and provided by the hotel such as kayaking and paddleboarding, and some activities at an additional cost. They have a couple of main pools with swim up bars as well as a few other bars (including a sports bar), and a coffee bar in the main lobby. Preferred members have access to an exclusive pool and jacuzzi as well as a rooftop pool and bar. The resort has daily activities at the main pools and on the beach, and nightly entertainment shows. There is a gym and spa onsite as well. In the evening, guests can enjoy a nightclub (at the time of our visit, the club opened up at 11pm).

The resort overall has a well-rounded selection of activities a variety of ages can enjoy. Some of them really hit the mark, but there are a couple of downsides to their amenities. The main one being the opening hours. The pools and most of their bars closed down by the early evening leaving guests with little to do except to attend the nightly entertainment theater shows. We only briefly attended one of the shows, but that was not something we were really interested in, so we found ourselves not having much to do after dinner. We did enjoy some time at the arcade, but they could use some better upkeep of their machines as about half of the games were not working properly. We never did have a chance to check out the nightclub, but it is a relatively small room, so if you are really looking forward to experiencing a vibrant nightlife on your trip to Punta Cana, you will likely want to check out some other spots in town.

The variety in amenities at this resort was great, we just wish the pools and bars were open later to be able to enjoy in the evenings after dinner and that more arcade games were functioning.

Staff & Cleanliness: 8/10

Perhaps the most important feature of a hotel for me is the cleanliness, and this resort was exceptional in that area. Our rooms were cleaned daily, and not only were all the essentials, including the mini fridge, restocked, and the bed tidied, but they would even mop and clean the floor in our room, which I truly appreciated considering all of the sand we dragged in. All throughout the resort, the dining areas, pools and other common areas were all well cleaned as well.

The staff was generally friendly and helpful, but I definitely have experienced better service at other resorts before. I'm not sure if it's because the resort was not as busy or if they are understaffed (which is very likely), but we struggled to get the attention of staff at the sports bar to order. We didn't receive any beachside service, and only once did we receive poolside service at the preferred VIP pool. It wasn't super unfriendly service; it was more just lacking or absent at different times.

A common complaint I found in the reviews was the nagging of timeshare staff on site at the resort. We saw these staff members, especially when going to the buffet, but we found it fairly easy to avoid them, and didn't get stopped by any until the last day when they seemed surprised that we had not spoken to one of their representatives yet. I don't know how this compares to the experience of other guests staying there, but for us at least, this was not a big issue or concern.

All in all, we were very happy with the cleanliness, and feel there was some room for improvement for the service.

Beach & Ocean: 5/10

I want to make the beach and ocean its own separate rating because since this is a beachfront resort, the quality of the beach will likely be important to you just as it was for me. We were rather disappointed by both. The resort is located on the Cabeza de Toro beach. It was very quiet and never got super busy on the beach, and we never had to fight for any of the beach chairs (likely due to the month we went in). The beach and the sand itself if not the softest, but our biggest concern was the trash. My husband collected trash, including a few pieces of glass on separate occasions, as we were walking along the beach. The tide was rather high in the evenings, so this may have increased the amount of trash that was washing up on the shore, but I was surprised at how much we saw, especially the glass.

The water itself was thick with seaweed (an occurrence that has been going on all throughout the Caribbean lately though, so not just a problem specific to this area). The resort does have crew that will clean up the seaweed that washes up onto the shore which was nice. The water was so thick with the seaweed that it was not very enjoyable, and we only got in it once (swimming in the ocean is usually something I love to do throughout my vacations). Keep in mind, we went in October, so the time of year can definitely impact the conditions of the water and it may be much smoother and clearer during other times of the year.

Most people from our resort stayed at the pools. We grew to understand why once we saw the condition of the beach and water. This is obviously not something that the resort can control, but if you are someone who loves to spend time on the beach or in the ocean, there may be better beaches that you would either want to stay at, or consider taking a day trip to, should you stay at this resort.

Side Note: Preferred Club Info

Guests have two ways they can gain access to the Preferred Club benefits. They can either book a room type that comes with that access, or they can pay a daily per person fee for it. We booked the 'Premium Suite Outdoor Jacuzzi' room that came with that Preferred Club perk included. Upon arrival you will have your own separate check-in area. You will be assigned a personal concierge who will be available to you via call or text to help with any needs you may have. A major perk we enjoyed with this service is the concierge will pre-book all of your a-la-carte restaurant reservations for the evenings (without this service you will have to go in the morning to book your reservation in the lobby to eat at these restaurants, or you can eat with no reservation at the buffet and sports bar).

You will have access to an exclusive rooftop pool and bar with amazing views of the ocean and premium drinks. You will also have another exclusive pool and jacuzzi with hammocks and Balinese beds. The Preferred Club also comes with a VIP area of the beach with the option of hot and cold appetizers served on the beach (this service was not going on during our visit, likely because nobody was really on the beach). We also unexpectedly were able to have better quality pool towels reserved for Preferred Club members. Lastly, you will be able to dine in their Gourmet international restaurant (also open to other guests at an additional fee). The Gourmet restaurant serves a unique multiple-course meal and was very high class with champagne and bread to start the meal.

We loved the Preferred Club access because of the exclusive pools. We often had them all to ourselves throughout different times of the day. We felt like some of the other perks, like the premium drinks, did not meet our expectations, but the exclusive pools alone were such a major perk, especially since we did not spend much time at the beach/ocean. I would recommend booking a room that comes with this access, but if you are considering booking a different room type and adding this membership to your visit at the additional per day, per person cost, carefully weigh the costs against the perks and benefits that come with it. We would not have personally paid additional to add this VIP service to our stay had it not come automatically with our room type.

Overall Experience: 7/10

This resort has some things that are exceptional and beyond amazing such as the rooms, the cleanliness and the Preferred Club pools. On the other hand, there are some key negatives like the food/drinks, beach quality and opening hours of amenities that made the overall experience not quite as enjoyable as we would have hoped. The main takeaways I would recommend if staying at this resort is to consider the preferred club rooms (read more on this above), try different foods to find consistent items you can enjoy, and take advantage of the pools if the beach or ocean are not in the best condition when you go. If you are looking for complete luxury and fine dining, this may not be the resort for you. But, if you are wanting a more budget-friendly option with various activities for the whole family, this resort could be a good option for you. I personally would like to explore another resort on a different beach in Punta Cana, but if you do choose to stay here, take advantage of excursions and go out exploring (another blog post to come reviewing our excursion experience!). The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country, and regardless of where you choose to stay, you are sure to have an amazing time exploring the country!

Thank you for reading this blog post! Look out for a future post on our amazing excursion experience in Punta Cana, including a review of our tour company. For even more travel blogs, subscribe below to receive emails on all future posts and other important updates. Follow the blog on social media @mindonthepath to stay up to date on all things related to this blog. Happy reading!