This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic and we will defininitely be back again! We arrived with open minds, ready for some fun and relaxation in the sun. We got that, and more.
First of all, the resort itself is absolutely spectacular. The grounds are well kept and beautiful to walk through both day and night. There were always activities going on--games, beach parties, aerobics--our 11 days just flew by. Our times on the beach were spent just relaxing or riding the waves on the boogie boards provided. The beach was just steps away from the pool, with our rooms overlooking the longest pool we have ever seen in our lives and a partial ocean view, which was more than we could wish for in a standard room. The pool was my son's favourite thing about this resort. The photos do not do this resort any justice, but I'm including some anyway. The beach was gorgeous, with nice waves to board on. The water was rough on one day, which made it more exciting and fun. We took a daily walk up and down the coast to the beach market..so peaceful, it became our morning ritual.
The standard room was by no means just plain old standard--they were beautiful, and well furnished. We were on the third floor of building 2, with great views as mentioned earlier and a cathedral ceiling, which made it even more airy. The air conditioning was great, too! Man, was it ever hot on those days!!!
We were travelling with two tweens and got around the privacy issues. Our party had a one year old as well, and they provided him with a brand new playpen, with a great mattress. I also saw cribs being rolled about. We had two doubles and a twin bed, which was larger than a regular twin. Even with all these beds, the room was not crowded.
I cannot go on and on about the Majestic without acknowledging the phenomenal staff. They were always eager to please and help you out. Annemarie was so kind and approachable, ready to assist anyone in need. Every time we saw her, she was dashing here and there. The only time I saw her sit down was when she was responding to the posts on the TA forum! Marisol and the rest of the staff at the buffet restaurant were a joy, always helping us out with our children with whatever request we had, with a smile. The animation team was the liveliest group of people I have ever met. They kept us all going with their games, dance lessons and general fun stuff-- thanks all of you, we got our sexy on-- thanks Sandy and Teresa! They always greeted us with a smile and do their very best to ensure that our stay was a wonderful memory.
Now, I am just happy to have a meal prepared by anyone other than myself, so I'm pretty easy to please. My husband, on the other hand, is very particular as he has been working in the food business for 25 years. He was very impressed, the variety, the quality, the taste, the freshness and the preparation of the food. A variety of fish and meat were available, with a wider variety of fish we noticed on Fridays--calamari, Mahi-Mahi, kindfish, snapper, and other kinds that we tried for the first time at the Majestic. Yes, very brave. I got to stir the humungous paella on the beach on our last day and watched them generously place numerous, entire lobsters in the pot. Choices varied daily at the buffet with the regular pizzas, pasta, delicious fresh baked bread, local fruit, decadent desserts and sometimes the yummiest flavours of ice cream, coconut and rum raisin, made an appearance. There were many vegetables prepared in several ways, and many local favourites. There were assorted cold cuts, cheeses (including bocconcino, ricotta and brie on occasion), soy milk, yogurt (even the probiotic type)---too many to things to mention. We ate at the gourmet twice--excellent! Highly reccommend the pumpkin spice soup and chateaubriand. The Matsuri restaurant was so much fun--we had a private room for all 12 of us and our chef Wellington ("Welly") gave us a show. He does this great egg trick that no one should ever attempt at home. We had lobster twice at the seafood restaurant and great sirloins at the Rodeo Grill. Breakfast was incredible--too many things to mention, but no hesitation when I asked for an egg white omelette with vegetables. Fruit smoothies were refreshing, especially after our long morning walks on the beach. We loved the breakfasts.
No one got sick, so we continued to celebrate. Our drinks were plentiful. They always gave us Sambuca for our espresso (yup, it's great) whenever we needed the kick. Of course, the drinks at the lobby bar were of a better quality but well worth the walk. We had our fair share of Marco Polo's, Majestics, Blue Lagoons, Dirty Monkeys, etcetera, etcetera. If you wanted alcohol in them, you just let them know or gestured with your thumb that you want a little bit of goodness added to your concotion. No problem.
We balanced all of this overindulgence with the activities offered and we hit the gym a few times, which was pretty good. They even came around and asked if we needed water when they saw you working out really hard. The gym staff was always ready to assist.
The shows were very entertaining--and the dancing was incredible. Games were fun and over the top, which we loved. We took the time to go to the market just outside the resort (a 5 minute walk) and haggled like crazy for great deals.
We had an incredible time-the ambiance, staff, food, activities--just came together to give our family and unforgettable vacation with memories to last a lifetime!
I cherish our days with the Majestic family and will return, hopefully soon!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.