Our experience for a 3 day stay was realy nice with 3 exceptions:
1) Not everything they said at the front desk is included, like lobster, for example
2) The tipping process is confusing
3) They told us at the front desk that we could have late check out for $80, and at the end, the front desk manager change the rate to $120

Sanctuary Cap Cana will always hold a special place in me and my husbands heart! We got married at this amazing resort a year ago with our closest friends and family. It had everything we wanted in our dream wedding settting! From the breathtaking private island where we said our wedding vows, to the gorgous setting for our reception at the Blue Marlin Lounge and Restaurant. It was a day we will never forget! The scenery/the grounds/the staff/ truely a GEM resort! At the time this resort was under different management, Secrets. So as our 1 year anniversary approached we were excited to return here. We were a little hesitant if the new management would work with us and honoring any contracts we had with our wedding package that included free nights to return for our 1 year anniversary. After reaching out to the management team in the US, they put me in contact with Norberto Garcia in reservations and they did just that, honored our return stay. We were so pleased and excited. Upon our arrival @ Sanctuary we were greeted by Joseph, Max and Hector. Right away they knew we were returning for our 1 year anniversary upon meeting us and we felt very special. These guys are great and were so accomidating. They upgraded us to a honeymoon suite which obviously was more than we anticipated in a room. It changed the entire feel of our vacation and we couldn't have been more pleased. Our room had breathtaking views from the top of the fortress/castle. Very private setting with our own private pool on our deck. The room was top notch!! They had champagne in our room to greet us, rose pedals on the bed, 1 year anniversary sign on the door, champagne breakfast the next day on our patio for our 1 year return. We were very impressed how this resort just goes above and beyond to make sure your stay is perfect, and that it was! Everything here was just as we had remembered it but even better! We were very impressed by the service. Yissel @ the concierge desk answered all requests/questions we had during our entire stay. She was fabulous! I really enjoyed talking to her daily. Make sure if you go here you ask for Yissel. My husband and I wanted to get pictures taken at the resort as they have a company Tropical Pictures on hand there. Yalitza Garcia Avila, with Tropical Pictures worked with us and was a pleasure to work with. I have to give kuddos to this photography company they have partnered with as they do fabulous work. Very impressed and would say to future brides I would highly recommend using their company at the resort for your wedding pictures. Yalitza will take care of all your needs. She is very attentive to everything. She even got us permission to go out on the private island where we got married at the year before so we could go get pictures taken out there again. So special! If you get pictures taken here, request Rolando as the photographer. His work is amazing!!
As far as the resort accomidations go you really can't go wrong with any of the rooms. For those that do not know, they have 14 different room types here and all have great views of the resort/ocean. The food was good. Our favorite was was the blue marlin of course. Both for the scenery and food. Johnny and Ruth waited on us every day either at the pool bar or beach and were a lot of fun to talk too. Honestly I cannot say enough about the staff at this resort. My husband and I have traveled many places and I have to say the service/staff here is our top. The scenery here goes without saying the prettiest setting in the carribean. I would say for anyone looking to get married, this is the dream setting for you and your guests. Anyone looking for a romantic getaway, this is your resort. My husband and I are already planning to return for our 2 year anniversary. This is our special place and its truely a hidden GEM of the Caribbean!!

A paradise in Punta Cana, quite and relaxing. Leafy and stunning views. The accommodation was exactly what I was looking for. The ocean was very lovely, clear and clean. The staff were very attentive and polite, always upbeat, and made the stay absolutely outstanding. The restaurant served the best . Wonderful stay here in Sanctuary Cap Cana. Would truly stay again.

Just spent a week + at Sanctuary and had a fantastic time. The property is exquisite. There were hardly two dozen guests altogether, so while I can't comment on what the place is like when it's fully booked, I can say that it felt exceptionally private, quiet, and luxurious. Sanctuary was a perfect place to decompress. The property is beautiful, with lush landscaping and several great pools -- all painstakingly maintained. It was a great getaway.

Many thanks to the folks at Jetsetter.com, who helped move my reservation over to Sanctuary after I booked the neighboring property, Fishing Lodge Cap Cana, in a flash sale. As many reviewers have pointed out previously, FL is not ready for prime time -- it's basically a construction site with a gorgeous pool.

I cannot emphasize enough just how friendly and professional the staff at Sanctuary is. From the waiters to the spa attendants to the poolside "entertainment team" to the concierge to each and every individual puttering around the place on a golf cart, staffing the little market, or working in the garden, everyone was incredibly friendly and accommodating. Perhaps a little too doting at times, but in kind of a cute way.

My only complaints:

1) I may be a food snob so take this with a grain of salt, but the food is just ok. Breakfast was always wonderful with a huge display of fresh local fruit and ready-made omelettes etc. There were always 2 choices for lunch and dinner, rotating among the restaurants on the property. The asian place, Wok, was pretty bad. The seafood place, Blue Marlin, was mediocre on a first visit, and I had much better meals once I figured out what to order (the paella, for example, is quite good). The steakhouse is probably the best. I heard complaints about a bad ribeye steak, but I enjoyed the chicken, the pork chops (chuletas), and the skirt steak (churrasco). Poolside grouper sandwiches and burgers were pretty darn good and always hit the spot, but room service was a little hit or miss. One half-eaten vegetarian wrap, left outside for pickup, was enjoyed by the resort's resident cat.

2) Sanctuary has clearly not quite figured out how to handle guests who are not on the all-inclusive plan. I heard all-inclusive guests complaining about filling out receipts for positively everything (and every receipt includes a line for a tip). After reading other reviews, I arrived with a pile of one dollar bills figuring I'd need to tip in cash, so I didn't really mind adding a buck or two to everything purchased -- but some people clearly didn't appreciate this and didn't know what was expected or appropriate (especially since a marginal service charge is already added).

I'm honestly not sure whether paying a la carte for everything was a good value, and on a couple occasions it was awkward -- for example, when the poolside bartender billed me for a bunch of drinks, figuring I was on the all-inclusive plan, and I had a tough time explaining that I wasn't comfortable actually paying cash for a round of drinks for a huge group at the pool. I also had to contest a whole bunch of inexplicable charges for a dozen or more minibar beers I never touched, room service meals I never ordered, etc. Luckily, with some repeated prodding, the staff at the front desk looked into it and I wasn't charged -- but it did kind of make me anxious and made me start hanging on to receipts for everything, which was a drag.

3) I misunderstood from previous reviews the nature of the souvenir sales on the property -- I thought commenters meant that individual salespeople were allowed on the property to hawk their wares, like you might expect to see someone selling roses in a restaurant. In fact, there were several tables set up poolside in a kind of twice weekly, sanctioned "bazaar" sort of atmosphere. The salespeople were extremely pushy -- one actually grabbed my arm -- and they were selling jewelry, liquor, and random souvenirs at a pretty steep markup compared to what I saw in the airport. I walked away and avoided these guys ... but just generally, I would caution visitors that it's hard to get away once you give them the time of day.

4) Finally, I would warn cigar smokers (or would-be gift givers) that the on-premises tobacconist in the market square a few steps from the main lobby sells counterfeit Cubans. I bought and smoked a few, and they didn't taste quite right, so I went online and checked out the labels, which were obvious fakes. I confronted the salesperson (a bit sheepishly, I'll admit) and didn't make a scene or ask for my money back or anything -- but I did ask whether he had any real Cubans for sale amidst the rather impressive collection of Cohibas, Romeo y Julietas, Cuabas, Partagas, etc in the humidor. He shook his head no.


... Hope this review is helpful to prospective Cap Cana-bound travelers. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions!