Majestic Elegance Punta Cana
Majestic Elegance occupies a sweet spot in the Punta Cana market, clearly a step above the budget chains without the premium pricing of Secrets or Excellence. It sits on a wide stretch of Bavaro Beach, and travelers routinely describe it as a resort that outperforms what they paid for. The property is not new, but it has been worked on steadily: the lobby, the Italian restaurant Il Botaccio, the theatre and the walkways were redone in the years up to 2023, and Majestic Elegance reopened in autumn 2024 with renovated dining areas and updated suites. As of October 2026 there is no construction notice on the resort's own page, and the staff culture is the thing guests write home about, with bartenders remembering your drink and housekeepers leaving towel art.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Beautiful Bavaro Beach location with a wide, well-maintained stretch of white sand and calm turquoise water that is one of the better swimming beaches in Punta Cana
- +Rooms are enormous by all-inclusive standards: 532 to 1,064 sq ft depending on category, with King four-poster beds, indoor or outdoor Jacuzzis, and a terrace or balcony on almost every category
- +Nine pools across the resort, headlined by a 300 metre river-style pool with a swim-up bar and two jacuzzis built into it, so you can spread out instead of fighting for a spot at one main pool
- +The Elegance Club upgrade is a genuine step up and not just a wristband: four adults-only Club pools with their own swim-up bars and Bali beds, five Club-only bars, 24-hour room service, a la carte breakfast and lunch at the Italian restaurant Il Botaccio, and two free green fees per adult on stays of five nights or more
- +Staff go above and beyond, and travelers consistently mention specific bartenders, servers, butlers and housekeepers by name
- +Seven restaurants and eleven bars, and only two of them take reservations: Limited Gourmand, the nouvelle-cuisine room with a live pianist for ages 12 and up, and the teppanyaki tables at 9 Doors. Everywhere else you walk in, which is rare at this price
- +Dining has real range for the tier: 9 Doors does sushi and eight teppanyaki tables, Asadito Steak House pours from a wine cellar called The Vault and cuts US and Argentine beef, See & Sea is beachfront fish and seafood at night, and La Bodeguita stays open 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. for late food
- +Solid value with a strong repeat-visitor culture: priced below Secrets and Excellence but delivers a surprisingly polished experience, with guests coming back three to five times
Cons
- −Sister property Majestic Colonial has been closed since 6 April 2026 for a renovation, and WestJet's own advisory warns that guests at Majestic Elegance may hear construction noise until it reopens. The resort group now puts the reopening at 5 November 2026
- −The shared facilities sit on Caribbean Street between Elegance and Colonial, which means the Splash Kids Club, Coco's Night Club, the casino and the sports bar are a short walk off-property rather than steps from your room, and families travelling before 5 November 2026 should confirm with the resort what is open on that side
- −Beach can get overcrowded during peak season, and the resort doesn't always have enough beach chairs for everyone
- −Buffet food gets repetitive after a few days: Flavours is the only full dinner buffet and the same dishes cycle through, with quality that is fine rather than memorable
- −Plenty carries a fee on top of the all-inclusive: the two-storey spa, motorized water sports, scuba excursions and PADI certification, fishing trips, private pickleball and tennis lessons, the wine tasting room and golf cart rental. Some guests also report being upsold at check-in for premium restaurant access, spa packages or room upgrades
- −Air conditioning struggles in some rooms during summer months, leading to hot and humid sleeping conditions
- −Sargassum seaweed can be an issue on the beach during summer months, though staff work to clear it daily and guests travelling in late 2025 reported very little of it
- −It doesn't match Hard Rock or Barcelo for sheer scale of entertainment, and the pools shut at 6 p.m., so the evening funnels toward Coco's Night Club, the casino and the sports bar on Caribbean Street
The layout is unusually spread out for the price. Nine pools include a 300 metre river-style pool with a swim-up bar and built-in jacuzzis, plus four adults-only Elegance Club pools with their own swim-up bars and Bali beds. Rooms run 532 to 1,064 sq ft with indoor or outdoor Jacuzzis depending on the category. Seven restaurants and eleven bars are included, and only Limited Gourmand and the teppanyaki tables at 9 Doors take bookings, so there is none of the 7 a.m. reservation scramble that plagues other resorts at this level. Flavours is the main buffet and the weakest link; 9 Doors for sushi and teppanyaki, Asadito Steak House, and Il Botaccio get the most consistent praise. The gym is included and open daily, non-motorized water sports, four tennis courts, a basketball court and pickleball group lessons are included too, while the two-storey spa and motorized excursions cost extra.
Majestic Elegance is best for couples and small groups who want a quality Punta Cana stay without the sticker shock of a luxury property, and for families willing to walk to the shared kids club. That kids club, Splash, takes ages 4 to 12 and sits on Caribbean Street between Elegance and Majestic Colonial along with Coco's Night Club, the casino, the sports bar and a chapel, roughly a three minute walk from Elegance. Colonial itself has been closed since 6 April 2026 and reopens 5 November 2026 after a renovation the group values at $40 million, which adds a Caribbean Water Park with multiple slides, a lazy river and age-zoned areas, a new Italian restaurant called Toscana, a renovated Taino Mexican restaurant, a rebuilt Supreme International Buffet, thirty new 1,025 sq ft Family Suites with outdoor Jacuzzis that sleep six, and new bathrooms and jacuzzis across more than 600 rooms. Until then, expect some construction noise. After that, Elegance guests have a brand-new water park a short walk away. Compared with Excellence Punta Cana, Elegance costs less and doesn't quite match the food or the room finishes, but for the money the beach and the pool complex are as good as anything in Bavaro.
Common Questions
What's the difference between Majestic Elegance and Majestic Colonial?
Is the Elegance Club upgrade worth it?
Do I need restaurant reservations?
Is this a good resort for kids?
Is the beach good for swimming?
Are there any hidden costs I should know about?
Restaurants (7)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Flavours |
| Italian | Il Bottaccio |
| Teppanyaki / hibachi | 9 Doors |
| Steakhouse | El Asadito |
| Seafood | Mar House |
| American & grill | McJestic |
| International & fusion | Limited Gourmand |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
Bávaro Beach30 min drive · 9.8 mi
Macao Beach20 min drive · 8.6 mi
Cap Cana Marina40 min drive · 21 mi
More things to do (22)
- Playa Blanca · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Juanillo Beach · beach40 min drive · 21 mi
- Scape Park · adventure park50 min drive · 25 mi
- Punta Espada Golf Club · golf45 min drive · 24 mi
- Higüey · town55 min drive · 23 mi
- Arena Gorda Beach · beach20 min drive · 5.2 mi
- Hoyo Azul · cenote50 min drive · 24 mi
- Los Corales · town20 min drive · 6.9 mi
- Cana Bay Golf Club · golf13 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Iberostar Bávaro Golf Club · golf14 min drive · 4.2 mi
- White Sands Golf Course · golf15 min drive · 4.7 mi
- Cocotal Golf & Country Club · golf20 min drive · 8.1 mi
- Vista Cana Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 10 mi
- Catalonia Caribe Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 12 mi
- Dolphin Explorer · adventure park30 min drive · 15 mi
- Barceló Bávaro Golf · golf35 min drive · 10 mi
- Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park · nature40 min drive · 20 mi
- Dolphin Island Park · adventure park40 min drive · 11 mi
- Deep-sea fishing charter · excursion40 min drive · 21 mi
- Hoyo Claro · cenote50 min drive · 25 mi
- Cabo Engaño Beach · beach55 min drive · 17 mi
- Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higüey · historic site55 min drive · 23 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Punta Cana gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.8 · 25,168 reviews
“I had a great experience staying in this resort. The room can be a little old, but it is very clean and no moldy smell. Most of the restaurants have good food. My favorite restaurant is 9 doors( the teppanyaki restaurant). The server Carlos from see&...”
“The resort has been around for a while, so there is some noticeable wear and tear. That being said, the rooms are beautiful and housekeeping does an absolutely wonderful job keeping to rooms clean and stocked. We just got home from spending a week th...”
“I enjoyed my vacation at Majestic Elegance Punta Cana every single day. Everything felt like paradise. The animation team at the hotel was fantastic — we had activities several times a day, and for me this trip also became a dance vacation. I wasn’t...”
Similar Resorts
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$$$Currently closedMajestic Colonial Punta Cana
Bavaro, Dominican Republic
Temporarily Closed - Reopening Nov 5, 2026 ($40M renovation)