Near Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is a fabulous Margaritaville resort perfect for families with teens or tweens. I personally thought it was,great for families with college students. I can make both these statements since that’s who I traveled here with. The good vibes start the second you walk into the resort and don’t end until you’ve left. To kick things off you are greeted with a spiked popsicle or a non-alcoholic one if that is what you prefer. Many Thanks to Apple Vacations for sending us to Margaritaville Cap Cana Island Reserve.
Apple Vacations is the nation’s largest provider of Nonstop Exclusive Vacation Flights. The Apple Vacations robust product line includes popular vacation destinations throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, the Hawaiian Islands, Central America and South America, as well as ski resorts throughout North and South America.
Suites
Enjoy bright colorful rooms with lime and orange ascents in every type of room. Swim-out suites are what I highly recommend booking. We had a swim-out suite and it made the entire stay even more fantastic than it already was. The suites do have around 4 bottles of alcohol in them, so if your kids have their own room you may want to be mindful of this. If you have a butler you can just request they be removed from the kid’s room. During your stay, you get a credit to use at their little on-site store where you and your kids can purchase snacks they would like to have in the room.
The TV had a schedule of each day’s activities which I found incredibly helpful. I also appreciated the Bluetooth speaker. We used it on the patio a lot so we could listen to our music while we hung out. The 24-hr room service was a nice perk too. We had breakfast in our room most mornings. The breakfast buffet was great, but we preferred our breakfast in the room.
In the room are two pairs of flip-flops that you can wear around the resort. There are also two robes in the walk-in closet. The shower is a two-person shower with two rainfall shower heads. There’s a massive tub should you want to soak instead or you need to bathe your child.
Food
The food at the resort was fabulous, which shouldn’t have been a surprise given they are part of the Karisma brands. Every meal we had was excellent. We definitely enjoyed some more than others but that certainly doesn’t discount the other restaurants.
Floating Tacos
Two words that will elevate your vacation: floating tacos. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. These were by far our favorite dining experience at the resort was the floating tacos. You can order them to be served at the pool off of your room if you have a pool there or down at the It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere pool. It’s exactly what it sounds like, tacos that are on a floating tray and you stand around in the pool and building and eating them while washing them down with a fruity beverage. It came with 18 tacos, chips and salsa, and guacamole! We had ours at the pool attached to our room where it was less chaotic. I am not sure why this was so much fun, but is was one of the highlights of our entire trip. Granted, we love tacos. But doesn’t everybody.
This does cost extra but it’s totally worth it.
West Indies – Rum Runners
The Caribbean restaurant was one of our favorites and a must-try. It was so good. It can be a little intimidating reading the menu and trying to pick something. None of us knew what we were ordering, but everything was so good we went again for lunch the next day. They offer island-inspired dishes like Dominican sancocho, Caribbean fish broth, chicken pibil, and the always-fresh catch of the day. We haven’t had a lot of experience with Caribbean food, but it didn’t matter. The descriptions were enough for us to each pick out something we enjoyed. Caribbean food always seems to have loads of flavor and this definitely did.
JWB Steakhouse
The Steakhouse was our other favorite. Everything we ordered here was superb including the simple bread dish served at the beginning of your meal. Dining here is a must during your visit. All of their steaks are marinated with herb butter and sea salt, and expertly finished on a wood grill. So. although the service is a little slow at times it’s worth the wait.
Frank & Lola’s- Italian Trattoria
The pizza here awesome and so were the traditional items like lasagne. Like the steakhouse, it took a really long time. So keep that in mind when deciding what time to eat.
LandShark Brewery & Grill
Here you can enjoy a Landshark lager made at their on-site brewery located behind the bar. The Landshark beer made here is less boozy than what they make in Latin America. In addition to brewing Landshark they brew three other seasonal beers, including an American pale ale. None of these four beers go into a bottle or a keg. They each come straight from the barrel into your glass. 
Bars
It wouldn’t be Margaritaville without a handful of bars to choose from. They are all equally great and no matter which one you go to you should be able to order exactly what you want. My personal favorite was the 5 o’clock somewhere bar because you could sit on a swing at the bar and have drinks.
The open air bar that is like a lobby, Punch, has live entertainment off and on throughout the week. My favorite was the rollerblade guy.
Activities
They have a lot of planned activities that are fun to participate in, but also equally fun to just watch. One afternoon we watched a super funny pool game where two people that had been blindfolded try to find a small ping pong ball that was floating around in the water. They are given directions but everyone starts screaming and it gets so confusing it’s almost impossible.
Game Room
There is a small game room on site with a pingpong table and a shuffle board table. There were also two tvs set up for playing video games.
Parakeet Kid’s Club
My kids were too old for the kid’s club so we didn’t experience it first hand but it appeared to be quite good. According to their website the club has tons of island-inspired fun with supervised activities curated for kids aged 4-12.
Fitness Center
Their fitness center is excellent. It had tons of equipment including
- Punching Bags & Mitts
- TRX
- Multi-Press Stations
- Treadmills
- Ellipticals
- Rowers
- Bicycles
- Olympic Plates
- Free Weights
- Resistance Bands
Tennis and Pickleball Courts
They have tennis courts and pickle ball courts that you can use throughout your stay.
St. Somewhere Spa
In addition to all the offerings you would expect like scrubs and massages, it has a hydrotherapy area with a sauna, steam room, and red-light shower, sensory pools, thermal loungers, and more. The spa is also home to a lagoon-like “polar pool” where water is kept at 50 ° F to stimulate blood flow and improve circulation.
Pools
No explanation needed. Lots of pools.
Beach
The beach has that white powder sand that everyone always prefers. And it is beautiful but like many locations right now in the Caribbean, it’s got a seaweed problem. That’s why we never got into the water. It didn’t really matter though because there were so many pools. And when your room has a pool, it’s your favorite place to be!
Their beach has tons of chairs and beach beds with shade. We never had to fight for a spot because there were so many available. There’s also a small bar right on the beach so you never had to wait long to get your drinks. If you are a timeshare holder/vacation club member there’s a private area on the beach just for you.
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