Punta Cana Princess
Punta Cana Princess is the budget adults-only door onto Playa Bavaro, and it is honest about what that buys. All 270 rooms are suites with jacuzzis, 256 Luxury Suites and 14 Honeymoon Suites, the age floor is 18, and the hotel sits directly on the beach. The piece that genuinely raises the value is the exchange with the two family sister hotels, Caribe Deluxe Princess and Tropical Deluxe Princess, under 10 minutes by car or a 15-minute walk along the sand, which widens your restaurants, activities and evening shows well beyond what a 270-room hotel could carry on its own. Grand Bavaro Princess, the chain's best property here, is not part of that exchange.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Every one of the 270 rooms is a suite with a jacuzzi, 256 Luxury Suites plus 14 Honeymoon Suites, which is unusual at this price on Playa Bavaro
- +Adults only from 18, and it is the calm one of the Princess hotels on this stretch, with the family properties kept at arm's length next door
- +Free use of Caribe Deluxe Princess and Tropical Deluxe Princess, under 10 minutes by car or about a 15-minute walk up the beach, so your restaurant and evening-show options are three hotels wide rather than one
- +Mare Nostrum restaurant and bar runs 24 hours, so there is real food at 3am instead of a vending machine
- +Free basic Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and in every suite, with a paid premium tier only if you need the bandwidth
- +Non-motorized water sports are included rather than upsold: catamaran, canoe and snorkelling gear, plus an introductory dive class and a tennis court
- +Beachfront on Playa Bavaro at roughly $180 to $190 a night on an average weeknight for two adults all-inclusive, dropping near $179 in September and peaking around $328 in February
Cons
- −This hotel has not been renovated. Princess told the travel trade in September 2025 that Punta Cana Princess continues without a refurbishment while Grand Bavaro, Caribe Deluxe and Tropical Deluxe Princess were all redone after the pandemic, and an August 2026 guest summed the place up as dated, tired and unremarkable
- −Room cleanliness is the most repeated 2026 complaint, covering mold in bathrooms, surfaces not properly cleaned and bathroom supplies not restocked
- −Air conditioning underperforms in some suites, which is a real problem in a room you booked for the jacuzzi
- −One swimming pool serves the whole hotel, so it gets tight through the middle of the day and there is no second deck to escape to
- −Pool and beach service wind down around 6pm, earlier than at the bigger Bavaro resorts, which pushes the evening indoors
- −Food is the part nobody books this hotel for. A buffet plus four themed restaurants covers the week, and guests describe it as edible rather than enjoyable
- −Service swings. The same months produce guests praising staff by name and guests reporting indifference or rudeness, so your week depends partly on who is on shift
- −The sister-hotel privilege covers Caribe Deluxe and Tropical Deluxe Princess only, not Grand Bavaro Princess, and the children's water park sits at Tropical Deluxe rather than here
The physical condition is the thing to go in knowing. Princess confirmed to the travel trade in September 2025 that this hotel continues without a renovation while its three Punta Cana siblings were refurbished, and it shows: guests through 2026 report mold in bathrooms, supplies not restocked, surfaces missed and air conditioning that struggles. There is one pool, not several, and pool and beach service tends to wrap around 6pm. Dining is a buffet plus four themed restaurants, with Mare Nostrum open around the clock, and the consistent verdict is functional rather than good. Against that, the same 2026 months produce guests on their third consecutive year calling the place wonderful, usually the ones who came for a quiet beach and attentive bar staff rather than for the room.
It suits couples and adult friend groups who want Bavaro beach and an 18-plus pool deck for roughly $180 to $190 a night, and first-time Dominican Republic travelers testing the destination before committing to luxury money. Catalonia Royal Bavaro and the adults-only side of Majestic Elegance sit a tier up and deliver noticeably better rooms and food for the extra spend, and Iberostar Waves Punta Cana is the usual mid-point comparison. Free scuba intro, tennis, a gym and a spa are on site, with treatments charged separately, and the standard half-days from here are the Saona Island catamaran, the Hoyo Azul cenote at Scape Park, buggy runs through the cane and sunset horseback rides along the beach.
Common Questions
Is Punta Cana Princess really adults only?
Which other Princess hotels can I use, and how far are they?
How many pools are there, and when do they close?
Has the hotel been renovated recently?
What is included beyond food and drinks?
What excursions are worth doing from here?
Restaurants (12)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Buffet Casabe Restaurant |
| Mexican | Steak House Rio Grande, Tex Mex Restaurant Nopal (at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| Italian | Italian Il Bacio, La Tagliata Restaurant (at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| Asian | Asian Restaurant (at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| Seafood | Mediterráneo Restaurant (extra charge, at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| Mediterranean & Spanish | Mare Nostrum |
| Caribbean & local | Dominican Restaurant El Pilón (at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| Brazilian churrascaria | Fogo Restaurant (at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
| International & fusion | Swiss La Petite Fondue, Gourmet Restaurant La Cava (extra charge, at Caribe Deluxe Princess) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. Venues marked "extra charge" are not covered by the all-inclusive rate; the others are, per the resort.
What's nearby
Bávaro Beach25 min drive · 6.8 mi
Macao Beach25 min drive · 11 mi
Cap Cana Marina40 min drive · 21 mi
45 min drive · 24 mi
More things to do (21)
- Playa Blanca · beach35 min drive · 18 mi
- Juanillo Beach · beach40 min drive · 21 mi
- Scape Park · adventure park45 min drive · 24 mi
- Punta Espada Golf Club · golf40 min drive · 24 mi
- Higüey · town55 min drive · 25 mi
- Arena Gorda Beach · beach8 min drive · 1.4 mi
- Los Corales · town13 min drive · 4.0 mi
- White Sands Golf Course · golf6 min drive · 1.3 mi
- Iberostar Bávaro Golf Club · golf11 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Cana Bay Golf Club · golf14 min drive · 4.8 mi
- Cocotal Golf & Country Club · golf20 min drive · 7.7 mi
- Vista Cana Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 9.7 mi
- Catalonia Caribe Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 12 mi
- Barceló Bávaro Golf · golf25 min drive · 7.3 mi
- Dolphin Explorer · adventure park30 min drive · 14 mi
- Dolphin Island Park · adventure park35 min drive · 8.0 mi
- Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park · nature35 min drive · 19 mi
- Deep-sea fishing charter · excursion40 min drive · 21 mi
- Hoyo Claro · cenote50 min drive · 24 mi
- Cabo Engaño Beach · beach50 min drive · 16 mi
- Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higüey · historic site55 min drive · 25 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Seaweed & sargassum
Punta Cana gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.7 · 10,768 reviews
“Excellent personal experience and Fredrick and Serge made us feel like family. They concierge Alexander was on the spot to help us when we needed it. I had two professional massages and they were the most amazing experience of my life. Julia was mine...”
“We have been to many all-inclusive adults only resorts in Punta Cana. Punta Cana Princess is an older resort and the rooms are not updated with all the new tech stuff (USB chargers, fancy lamps, etc.) but they are maintained and look nice. The ground...”
“An amazingly wonderful hotel where we spent seven unforgettable days! We were absolutely happy with our stay. The whole staff was incredibly friendly, always smiling, and so kind. We especially loved the evening entertainment — and the Halloween part...”
