Zoetry Agua Punta Cana - Dominican Republic

To celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary, Bob and I decided to try out Zoetry Agua Punta Cana, a luxury boutique all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. We spent our 5th anniversary at one of its sister properties (Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita in Riviera Maya Mexico) and were eager to see how Zoetry's newest offering measured up.
http://www.zoetryresorts.com/agua/



Note: Our stay was in Mid-April 2010. In recent months, it sounds (based on tripadvisor reviews) that many improvements and adjustments have been made to help bring the resort up to the 5-star level it advertises itself to be, so many of the issues we experienced may have been resolved at this point. We had a long chat with the lovely and gracious manager Natalia one day about our experiences at the resort--both good and bad--and it was quite clear to us that she takes all concerns very seriously and is completely committed to helping the resort live up to its full potential!

Upon landing at the Punta Cana airport, we sped through customs and immigration. Counting in the time it took to have our photo taken as soon as we enter the airport (no way to avoid this--you can purchase it at the airport on your way back home from Punta Cana, but we didn't bother since it was terrible), pay for our tourist visas aka arrival tax ($10 per person), and get our bags, it took about 15 minutes from the time we walked into the airport from the jetway to walk out and meet our driver. Definitely the smoothest and quickest international arrival experience we've ever had!

We were driven to the resort in a GMC Yukon stocked with chilled champagne and bottled water, the experience reminding us of a Caribbean version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The ride took about an hour and 15 minutes, but the scenery kept things interesting, as we passed small but hectic towns and colorful villages and rode on bumpy roads through miles of palm-dotted fields and farms with a backdrop of misty purple mountains.


Check in was fairly quick and simple, and then we were taken to a spacious 2nd floor Agua (pool view) Junior Suite. The suite itself was beautiful...




...with a very nice view...


...but we were very disappointed that we had not received the requested Ocean Front Junior Suite, especially as the resort seemed to be almost empty (we were later told it was at 40% occupancy, but even that number seemed inflated). As we settled in, a staff member arrived at the door with a lovely anniversary cake and a chilled bottle of champagne in the room--very nice touches!


Bob had also pre-arranged for a beautiful bouquet of flowers to be waiting for me as a surprise!




We called down to the front desk to see about being moved to an Ocean Front, but were told none were available. However, a few hours later we were contacted by the resort manager, Natalia, who told me that one actually was available and that they'd move our things for us while we were at dinner.

That night, there were 2 options for dinner (aside from room service); a beach buffet or the resort's European gourmet restaurant, Olena (formerly called Maroon). We decided to check out the buffet but strong winds, communal tables, and the fact that it was so dark we could hardly even see the food soon convinced us that Olena would be a better choice.

We were the only people in Olena for most of the meal, and saw only one other couple the entire time. While we love low-key, peaceful properties, the resort felt oddly deserted during our whole stay, rather than simply tranquil and quiet. Bob's salad and my shrimp appetizer were good, though not amazing.


My entree of grilled fish (I believe it was swordfish, but can't recall for sure) was very good, but Bob's steak was 95% fat and thus pretty much inedible.


My chocolate mousse was delicious, but again, Bob's was disappointing. His first choice was unavailable (we also had trouble finding anything on the wine menu that was actually in stock), and the "creme brulee" was just...well, not creme brulee. More like instant pudding. We were also surprised that instead of coming back and telling us that choice #1 was unavailable and asking what Bob would like instead, the waiter just picked something for him.


Arriving in our new room after dinner, we discovered that the bed had been decorated with rose petals, and more strewn in a path from the bedroom to the tub, beginning and ending with flickering candles.


Since it was late in the evening, we could not get a good sense of the view from our balcony, but enjoyed waking up to the spectacular view of the beach and ocean the next morning!




While the rooms are very spacious and beautifully decorated, we did have a few problems. The air conditioning in our room was not nearly strong enough for the tropical heat, so we had to sleep with the balcony doors open (the strong winds were a plus in this sense, as they kept the room very comfortable (if a bit loud as the thick drapes were blown around like sails).

The hot water in the shower was iffy, and the blinds on the window in the tub/shower area were broken and so did not fully close. Since we were on the 2nd floor, privacy was not too much of an issue, though in theory people probably could have seen into the room from outside if they were in the right spot on the beach/in the water. Our room was at the top left of the yellow building:


Our routine was pretty much the same each day of our stay. Every morning we'd start the day off with breakfast at Amaya (except the last day, when we ordered room service), the "pond-side" restaurant in the center of the Zoetry grounds.


The breakfast menu is not particularly extensive, but the food was always delicious (although dishes rarely were prepared exactly as listed on the menu).

While we waited on our food, we enjoyed watching turtles swim lazily around the pond as their friendly duck neighbors came over to inspect the new guests.



We would then spend most of the rest of the day on the gorgeous beach!




The water in front of the resort is spectacular, even after the nightly storms. I can't even imagine how clear it is when the water is calmer!


There was a waitress who comes around every once in awhile to take drink orders, but food is not served on the beach. It took on average 30 minutes to actually get our drinks, even though we were only sitting about 100 feet from the bar. Not a huge surprise though, as every time we were in the bar or the restaurants, many of the servers would be standing around chatting and often all but ignoring the guests. When we did interact with staff members, they were almost all warm and friendly, but just seemed to lack either training or any significant interest in helping the guests (I'm used to "island time", but this went way beyond what is acceptable for a supposed 5* resort).

Lunch is served some days at Amaya, and every day at Indigo, the resort's beach- and pool-front bar/restaurant. Again, orders rarely showed up exactly as noted on the menu.






In the afternoons, we'd usually take a walk down the beach.


Zoetry is pretty secluded from any other hotels, though there is a restaurant/bar a little ways down to the right. The landscape here is still fairly "wild" (in a mostly good way!), with lots of cool driftwood. Zoetry keeps their beach scrupulously clean, though you do see a reasonable amount of garbage washed up once you get a little ways from the resort.



One afternoon, we took advantage of the included horseback riding excursion, which was fun if a bit painful! Honestly, unless you are really in to riding/have never been before and are curious to try this, I would skip it. The ride is just not scenic/interesting enough to justify the resulting soreness!


A 20-minute massage is also included with every stay. I highly recommend scheduling this for after your horseback excursion--definitely helped with those sore muscles! The spa is lovely, the masseuses charming, and our massages were excellent.



For dinner, we ate at Amaya one night...




...and had dinner brought to the room the other two nights. One night, we ordered from the room service menu, the other we ordered from the Indigo menu (I was pleased to learn that the resort allows this, rather than only allowing you to order from the dedicated room service menu). Never did we get exactly what we ordered, but this was not a huge surprise considering the experiences we'd had in the restaurants.



Unfortunately, the food was generally only fair (aside from a few dishes) at Zoetry Agua - especially disappointing when you're at an all-inclusive with no nearby restaurants. The same goes for the "umbrella drinks" (pina coladas, daquiris, etc.) - I did not have a single one that was even decent, and a couple were all but undrinkable. Very surprising and in my opinion unacceptable at a Caribbean "luxury" beach resort! I did enjoy the premium tequila shots, though, and trying the local "mamajuana" shot made with local liquor is a must!


On our last morning we spent a few hours relaxing by the pool that curves through much of the property and ends with a beachfront infinity edge.





Before we left, I wandered around with my camera to capture the lush grounds and tropical foliage...









After a quick stop at the lobby bar, it was time to head for the airport and home...





Note: As I mentioned in my review of Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita last year, Zoetry properties accept all ages, though they should be adult-only. But we did see only 1-2 children at Agua, despite the fact that it was the tail end of spring break week. It also has a much larger pool than Paraiso, so children would likely be a bit less of an issue at Agua than Paraiso.

Overall, I would rate our stay at Zoetry 3 out of 5 stars. The suites, grounds, beach, and spa were all wonderful, but could just not make up for the less-than acceptable service, food, and drinks. However, once those issues are resolved, I think it would be a fabulous place to stay, and am hopeful that in the very near future it will be a property I can wholeheartedly recommend to others!