by Angela V We just came back to Vancouver after spending a week at the brand new Nickelodeon Resort Punta Cana. The new Karisma Gourmet All-Inclusive® Resort is located in the exclusive area of Uvero Alto Beach and it is the first resort of its kind in the Caribbean (and the world!).
Our Stay At The New Nickelodeon Resort in Punta Cana {Travel Review}
We were invited to the grand opening of the resort and my family and I all had a truly unforgettable time. If you are looking for a kid friendly resort where luxury and high quality premium food are priority then you would enjoy your visit to the Nickelodeon™ Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana as well.
The stunning beachfront resort is located approximately a 45 minute drive away from the Punta Cana Airport. Upon arrival we checked into the hotel and were greeted by friendly staff members with wine for the adults and “slime”(green non alcoholic fruity drinks) for the kids. Our luggage was taken to our room and we were upgraded to a room with a swim-up pool.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The rooms at the resort are simply beautiful. The orange Nickelodeon theme colour is integrated in the rooms with colourful playful touches like the signature Nickelodeon blimps and all rooms feature new modern furniture. The Nickelodeon theme is not in your face or overwhelming and all of the rooms have an upscale, clean and fresh feel to them. The beds are also extremely comfortable with nice colourful pillows set up for you every day.
In our room we loved having a large freestanding bathtub in addition to the shower to give the kid’s proper baths before bed and a large bathroom with his/her sinks plus a lot of closet space.
Having the pool attached to our balcony was also amazing, it was great to enjoy the pool with the kids without leaving our room. All balcony doors have a kid gate for safety that can be opened to keep little ones away from the pools.
Something we liked as well was having USB plugs on the wall for our phones and devices on top of the regular power plugs. All the little details make a big difference when you are staying in a hotel.
The resort has a selection of different suites available including Super Pool Villas and The Pineapple. We went inside The Pineapple during a press tour and it was amazing. The Pineapple is completely Bikini Bottom-inspired, including the indoor and outdoor living and dining areas. It includes a private master suite with a king size bed, smart TV and closets, and a second bedroom on the upper level of the villa’s loft-style living room. While staying at The Pineapple private butlers can also take care of all of your family’s needs. Pretty exclusive and swanky at $3,800 per night!
KARISMA GOURMET DINING EXPERIENCE
The resort features a list of gourmet restaurants where the food is prepared by world-class chefs and high quality fresh ingredients and lavish food displays are found everywhere you go. The all inclusive dining experience is definitely more luxurious and decadent than typical all inclusive resort meals we’ve had in the past. The convenience of the included 24/7 room service is also a luxury that allows you to enjoy your vacation and stop worrying about the little things. We ordered room service a few times and received our food around 45 minutes after placing the order, pretty good when the service is 24/7 and there is no extra charge.
We booked reservations for dinner at all of the a-la-carte restaurants available and also dined at the open buffet restaurant options. Both were great and we enjoyed the different ambiences and themes offered.
Our favourite restaurants at the resort were Zest, Sugarcane, Verdello and Spacewalker. Zest had character breakfast for the kids twice a week and for lunch we loved the pizza and mini burgers, so yummy! Sugarcane had a huge variety of food and being able to go to the buffet to select different things for the kids was wonderful, that was great for our picky eaters. Verderello featured delicious sicilian food and the Spacewalker was a fun experience for the entire family, we loved the fact that the servers were wearing space suits and the entire restaurant looks like a spaceship, the dessert was also a huge hit, check out our Youtube video above to see how it was served, so cool!
I must say that one of the highlights of the trip for both boys was the Character Breakfast at Zest, where they got to see Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob Squarepants and other loved Nickelodeon characters. It was so much fun for everyone! After the character’s fun dance show you get to take photos with each one and then have a fun family dance party.
The resort does a great job at offering a balance of activities and restaurant options for both adults and kids. We liked having the options and being able to pick what to do each day.
Below is a full list of the restaurants available at the resort with a short description of their featured cuisine:
- SUGARCANE
Featuring Marketplace Cuisine
- VERDELLO
Featuring Sicilian Kitchen
Start off with focaccia fresh from the oven and follow up with our wide selection of shareable starters. Verdello has a large variety of wines you can choose from and enjoy.
- SPACEWALKER
Featuring Interstellar Cuisine
- ZEST
Featuring Mediterranean Cuisine
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- WOK WOK
Featuring Far East Fusion
- VINO VINO
Featuring Grapes & Keys
Sangria, anyone? Vino Vino serves up a quality selection of wines and wine-based creations, as well as ice-cold beers and soft drinks. Ask our service staff about our wine tastings.
- BRGRS.PH
Featuring Artisan Burgers
BRGRS.PH takes the humble hamburger to a whole new level. Come by our Food Truck and choose from a selection of burgers, toppings, sauces and freshly-baked buns which are specially designed for each burger. Try our Machete Burger, built for a whole family, or our Vegetarian Lentil Burger. It will be a burger experience you won’t forget.
- KITCHEN 23
Featuring Cuisine D’auteur
Designed for refined palates, Kitchen 23 by Le Chique – Cuisine D’auteur exemplifies contemporary culinary art. Our culinary creations and inspired cocktails take originality and attention to detail to the next level. Using imaginative ingredients and techniques, Kitchen 23 offers molecular and traditional dishes with a flair that cannot be found anywhere else. Guests over 18 years of age are welcome.
- FRESCO
Featuring Gourmet Corner
As the name implies, Fresco delivers fresh, creative and delicious offerings in breezy “al fresco” surroundings. Enjoy a quick meal or a drink at the swim-up bar. Don’t miss out on our daily ceviche creation from today’s freshest bounties of the sea.
- AQUA BITE
Featuring Kid Friendly Light Meals
The good times don’t have to stop for food. This sunny, splashy area at Nickelodeon™ Place is just steps from the pool and features kid-friendly, grown-up-approved light meals and cold drinks that allow guests to grab something delicious without having to leave Nickelodeon™ Place.
- DOPPIO
Featuring Coffee & Tea
Take a snack break and enjoy a variety of speciality coffees, teas, iced teas, iced coffee and gourmet sweets.
- JAZMIN
Swim-Up Bar & Deck
Swim up and sip your favorite international and tropical cocktails, ice-cold beers, soft drinks and natural fruit-flavored waters. Enjoy your beverage in the refreshing pool or on the sundeck.
It is worth noting that all of the restaurants have a kid’s menu and they have high chairs available.
DAILY FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT
During our week stay we had the chance to take advantage of all the many entertainment options offered at the resort with the boys. There was always something to do for the entire family. Usually during the morning and after breakfast we would hit the beach for some sun and to play in the ocean and make sand castles. The beach is absolutely stunning with golden sand and refreshing warm water and it is located just a short walk away from the room buildings. By the beach there are beautiful infinity pools where you can go for a swim and order drinks at the swim-up bars as well.
After having lunch at one of the many restaurants we would go to the room for a quick siesta for the kids and to take a rest before heading to Nick’s Place to the Aqua Nick water park and Just Kiddin’ play area. The huge water park was a big hit with the boys and they specially loved the lazy river. It was also fun for us to enjoy the water and the sun while floating away. They have scheduled entertainment at Nick’s Place with kid’s activities and music and family slime time, yup you get slimed as a family! So much fun to watch you guys!
The Aqua Nick water park was perfect for both the toddler and our 5-year-old and we were impressed by how many people were watching over the kids at the water park to ensure everyone was safe and following the rules. There were a few life guards standing in front of the water park and staff watching carefully telling kids to slow down and not to run when going up and down the stairs and different levels. I also saw a few young kids being asked to get out of the water and come back with an adult as they were on their own and unattended. I liked seeing that they really care about the safety of the children and that is was a priority at the water park.
Just Kiddin’ at Nick Place is the club for kids only. Whether they’re in the mood for free play or more structured activities, they’ll find a whole lot of do-it-yourself fun, including daily supervised activities program for children 4-12 years old, meet and greet Nickelodeon characters and more. There is a ball pit, a wall filled with toys and video games for the older children. A great place to drop off the kids for a few hours if you want to have some adult only time.
After a few hours of fun at the water park we would usually hit our own pool back at our suite to relax for a bit before dinner. Heading to the restaurants was always fun and most of them are located at the Gourmet Village area. Every night after dinner there was a family friendly movie playing at an outdoor theatre by the Gourmet Village and a few nights a week there was scheduled entertainment at Nick’s Place for families.
The resort is very large as you can see in this map here so there is a lot of walking involved, there are mini carts available throughout the resort that you can call up to your room or you can catch outside. The friendly employees will drive you to your destination if you ask. Having the carts is wonderful when you are going from one end of the resort to the other end, like going from the beach to Nick’s Place or Just Kiddin’. We didn’t mind all the walking as it was nice exercise and we also brought our stroller for the toddler, that was great and necessary when we ended up walking instead of taking the carts.
I have to say that both of our boys slept really well each night after all of the fresh air, swimming and fun in the sun!
CUSTOMER SERVICE
We had a great experience with the customer service at the hotel, the people at the front desk were very helpful and friendly, the servers and waiters at the restaurants were very polite as well and it was a similar experience with the cleaning staff, luggage handlers, the mini cart drivers and all staff in general. We were often asked how we were doing by our building’s concierge and we had people checking to see if we needed anything as we were entering or leaving our room.
Given how new and large the resort is there were inevitably a few kinks left to iron out. We had some issues with our room’s WIFI access for example but they were eventually able to fix this by replacing our router. Most of the restaurants had excellent and attentive service but occasionally some of them were a bit disorganized but I would chalk that up to the staff being very new and working on the communication and timing.
Since the resort is so large and essentially split between two locations we found that some of the employees did not yet know where everything was located. However even if they did not know they would always make sure to find out for us and make sure you were helped. In fact anyone we asked for help was always happy to do so with a smile.
If we needed something like a mini bar refill or a turn down service it was never more than a phone call away and a few minutes of waiting.
A small suggestion for the resort is to offer kid’s cutlery at their restaurants in the future. They had kid’s plates but all knives, spoons and forks were metal. It would be nice to have some plastic cutlery available for kids but again something that you can bring from home if you prefer to have your own.
EXTRAS
We didn’t have the chance to use the gym or spa services but we did see them and they both looked great, at the gym they have a great selection of cardio and weight training machines that are perfect if you want to continue your fitness routine while you are away from home. The spa looked super relaxing and they offer a variety of services to help you unwind.
RATES
Standard rates at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana begin at $345 per adult, per night including the Gourmet Inclusive® Experience, with complete a la carte dining, premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, full-service concierge, and 24-hour room service. Additionally, up to two kids under 13 years old Stay, Eat and Play Free with a minimum 4-nights’ stay when staying in a room with two adults; the third child will pay a child rate.
Sliming Savings!
Kids are included with Sliming Savings at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana! Plus you can save up to 50% on vacations booked between now and October 21, 2016 for travel until December 22, 2017. Special rates start at $190 per person, per night for adults with kids included*. Sliming Savings is not combinable with other promotions and excludes the Pineapple and Super Pool Villas. For more information and to book, please visit www.nickresortpuntacana.com/specials.
*Two children (ages 3-12) are included when sharing a room with two adults.
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We had a really amazing vacation and really enjoyed our time at the Nickelodeon Resort in Punta Cana. The kids are already asking to go back to the place where Sponge Bob and the characters of Paw Patrol sing to you while you eat breakfast. We better start planning our next visit soon!!!
Disclosure: I have been invited to the Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana and was provided with complementary flights and accommodations, however this is not a paid post and all views and opinions are 100% my own.
34 Comments on “Our Stay At The New Nickelodeon Resort in Punta Cana {Travel Review}”
AMAZING!!! I want to stay there!!!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
Sounds amazing! Great review. I can only imagine how thrilled your kids must’ve been.
They were!! Thanks for reading.
How cool, my kids love a lot of Nickelodeon characters so they would have a blast at a place like that. Great photos!
They totally would!
Oh wow, looks like such an amazing place to go, I would never want to leave, the only thing I didn’t like were the people dressed up as the characters, they scare the crap out of me (always have) but other than the characters everything looks totally awesome!!!
We didn’t want to leave that’s for sure 🙂
That Pineapple! lol
What a fabulous getaway! Everything looks super amazing, from the food, the rooms, the fun activities!
The Pineapple was a hit with the boys!
I bet!!! My boy would love it too, and he’s 18 lol
This resort sounds amazing and this article of yours has given almost everyone the urge to go vacation there. Great to take the grandkids to
Glad you feel that way, it was a great holiday!
The rooms look amazing! exactly what i would be looking for in a vacation spot. I love the modern design and touches and the pops of color. The fact that you can walk out from your room to a pool is fantastic. you can swim anytime. love it. It is on my bucket list and hopefully one of the first spots we go to enjoy a family vacay
Right? Loved having that swim up pool!
This is extremely thorough. You answered all of my questions. I was going to ask about kid’s club because most of my readers want to know about that but you covered it. Yeah!! That’s important. So here’s the other piece that my readers always want to know though. What about families with 3 kids? Are they able to stay in a regular room or do they have to get a bigger room. I have so many readers and family members who do Mexico every single year but would love to visit other places like Punta Cana if they knew the right resort. This sounds like the right resort for them to me. I will keep this in mind when they ask this winter again.
Glad you found it helpful Paula 🙂 They have suites that accommodate 5-6 people. You must book those if you have a family of 5 or 6. 🙂
I love the swimming pool right outside of your room, so awesome, you can go for a dip whenever you want!!
The tub in your room looks great too, I bet it was nice to relax in after a day of playing. I have never seen rooms with a swim up pool before, what a neat idea!
This resort look AMAZING! I love how the colour scheme was fresh and bright, and that it looked as though the whole family would have a great time. My kids would have gotten a kick out of meet The Paw Partol (so would I)!
We just booked to go next year and were already looking forward to it. Reading your review has raised our excitement to another level. Thank you for this great review!
How exciting!!! Congrats! Youll have so much fun!
Wow I never knew a Nickelodeon resort existed. How awesome!
Gosh this looks like heaven. Whtt a wonderful trip for you and your family! I liked the review and all the great pictures. Your descriptions are great.
Would you recommend a location for a room? Are there rooms in a better location? Closer to beach and pool?
I would say a central location would be nice. We were kind of in the middle, that way you are in between the pool and the kids’s water park area. You can call a cart to pick you up and take you to the beach or to a restaurant if you don’t want to walk, but we found walking was fun and it wasn’t too long to get to places.
Were the meals and all beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) included in the price for the all-inclusive stay? On the webpage it gives prices for each different restaurant dining experience and says 10 to 17 dollars daily for the swim up bar… this may be a deal breaker for me… HELP!!!
When we visited everything was included, the only thing was a restaurant that had specialty coffee and there was an extra charge for that. However, I know things were still changing as the resort was brand new. Perhaps best for you to contact them directly to find out what’s not included?
This looks like a great place for kids and parents to have an awesome time
I never knew this place existed… it looks great!
Wow!! This place looks amazing and full of fun!! My kids would go nuts over all of the characters and character influence in the decor. The food looks great too!
What did you enjoy the most, and what did your kids enjoy the most?
Would love to get there someday. I love all your photos too. Looks like you enjoyed it very much.
Would love to visit Punta Cana with my family one day.