Room Key: The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real Resort
Address: Playa De Bavaro, Punta Cana, Higuey, Dominican Republic
Reservations: (888) 741-5600
Web: www.paradisuspalmareal.travel/reserve
Rates: All-inclusive, covers meals, drinks, watersports, gym with a personal trainer and activities. From $608 per room, per night, double through mid-April; from $509 per room, per night, double, mid-April through mid-December.
Rooms: 190
Commission: 10%
Review: Spacious rooms. The swim-up suite was contemporary and comfortable with a private patio and thatch-roof cabana, sunbeds and Jacuzzi. Very comfortable bed. Drive time from the airport is 25 minutes.
After a few hours at the Reserve in the Bavaro Beach area near Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, I felt as if I were sharing the property with a mere handful of guests. I concluded that "dead week" (the week of scant travel immediately after the new year) had taken its toll on bookings, as had the global recession.
I later learned that all rooms at the self-contained resort-within-a-resort at the Paradisus Palma Real complex were sold out and that the entire resort had been booked solid for a week.
An uncrowded environment is just one of the Reserve's highlights. Guests go unnoticed within the 20 acres, which include two free-form swimming pools, a spa and 60 beach palapas.
Reserve guests have access to all the amenities within the complex, which includes a private beach, the Paradisus resort, the Cariba Tropical resort and the Palma Real shopping village and its variety of restaurants and clubs.
The Reserve, which opened in December as the latest all-inclusive option in the D.R., caters to luxury-minded travelers who prefer intimate accommodations with personalized service.
It is a Sol Melia hotel product and a multimillion-dollar addition to the lavish Paradisus Palma Real, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.
The Reserve targets affluent clients who are drawn to its urban allure, sumptuous amenities, fine-dining restaurants and activities such as painting, salsa lessons and floral arranging.
The ratio of staff to guests is one to three. A Melia trademark found at the Reserve is the lounge music that plays through Bose speakers in the gardens. Cushioned wicker seats and comfortable sunbeds are scattered about the property, as are the four restaurants.
The Reserve's design embraces an uncramped and fluid approach to resort life. The heart of the resort is the domed, thatched-roof, open-air Yabi Club, which serves as the main dining facility, bar and lounge.
The club connects the lobby and reception area to the suites and pools.
"The concept is drawn from feng shui," said Managing Director Bernard Weiss. "The entire property is circular and interconnected so that traffic can flow throughout the building."
The 190 units, which range from 807 square feet for a one-bedroom suite to 2,153 square feet for the two presidential suites, include 80 family concierge suites, 32 garden suites, 28 swim-up suites and two presidential suites.
The large rooms are furnished in a contemporary style and include a living and dining area, a kitchenette, flat-screen TVs and Internet access. Ground-floor suites have a private garden or patio with lounge area. The swim-up units feature a Jacuzzi, a Bali bed with canopy and two sunbeds.
The 7,800-square-foot Kids Zone features two pools with slides, a buffet area, a TV room, a nursery and a game room with Wii and PlayStation consoles.
Mom and dad can head for the 24,400-square-foot signature YHI spa with 10 treatment rooms, hydrotherapy areas and a salon, boutique and fitness center with complimentary classes.
The Reserve's private beach is 10 minutes away by foot or can be reached via shuttle.