When my husband and myself turned 40 within a few months of each other we decided to go down south to celebrate. We also decided to take our families along. The first thing we had to do was find a resort that would have something for everyone. Everyone being our family of four, two sets of grandparents, and a brother/sister-in-law and our niece.
Thankfully we found Now Onyx Punta Cana all inclusive in the Dominican Republic.
Now Onyx
Now Onyx Punta Cana
Having opened only a few months before our visit we were nervous – we had heard stories of newly opened resorts being only half done, under staffed or just not able to handle having guests. We were bringing our family and were worried about being their guinea pigs. That was not the case at all! When we first arrived and were welcomed with a fresh juice drink and a moist towel we knew we were going to have a good week.
Now Onyx view from the lobby
We wanted to make sure everyone we brought on the trip was having a good week and this made us realize what our criteria is for a resort.
The Beach
Now Onyx beach
Located 35 minutes from the airport on a remote stretch of the Uvero Alto beach, we were pleased to find very fine, soft sand beach with virtually no rocks. The Now Onyx beach is a breathtaking palm-studded beach and was amazing. But there is so much more to the resort.
Now Onyx Beach
Talking about the beach, I have to mention the infinity pools, which my children LOVED! Also the Now Onyx Punta Cana lazy river was a HUGE hit with the grandparents and grand kids who would float around it for hours every day.
The Rooms
This was the best part of being at a newly opened resort. All their 502 rooms are modern and family-friendly with 24-hour room service, air conditioning and an outdoor whirlpool – which was a great place for the kids to wash off all the beach sand. Like all the ground-level rooms we had a swim-out pool right off our terrace. The fact that the rest of our group were all on the same row and could access the same swim-up pool made it super convenient! Each evening before supper the kids could swim and the adults could sit on the terrace and have pre-dinner cocktails.
Now Onyx swim-up pool
We had a king bed and a cot, but found the fold-out love seat was a great addition. We had a cot for one kid and because one kicks in their sleep the other slept on the fold down couch. Of course, the kids loved the flat-screen TV and minibar! The TV had a good variety of English channels so we didn’t even need the wifi which was great in the rooms.
The Food
We have been to many resorts and we usually know the activities, sun and not having to cook or clean make up for the food. This was not the case at Now Onyx. There was nothing to make up for. Like all resorts, the Now Onyx food offered unlimited amazing quality food and drinks. But unlike many places, every restaurant offered gourmet dining. With ten restaurants and ten bars there is lots of options for everyone. And they have a kids menu in each restaurant. We were a large group so we made sure to send one adult early to the reservation because sometimes things got mixed up between our booking and that night.
Getting Creative at Cafe Coco
As for our favorites, my kids loved Coco Café. To be honest we all ended up there in the evenings for a coffee, which much to our surprise was very good! The Steakhouse, Italian and Asian are not to be missed. The Teppanyaki at Spice (the Asian restaurant) was a great show – make sure you ask to be seated by the grill to enjoy the show. A note to any planning on going: the Bluewater Grill is their steakhouse does have a dress code of men in long pants.. and my husband hadn’t brought any. The greeter (who had gotten to know us over a few day) had a great idea. He seated us towards the back and suggested my husband pop through the shared bathroom with the italian restaurant and join us. This way the long line-up of people waiting and being turned away would not be disappointed.
Note: the wine you can buy by the bottle is available free in some of the restaurants, and didn’t really taste any different than the house wines, so don’t waste your money.
Entertainment Services
This has to be the most important criteria for our family trips. My husband loves to pretend he is still 20 years old playing volleyball with the college-aged crowd. On this trip we were traveling with grandparents who although are active were hoping for something a little laid back. Like most resorts Now Onyx offers scuba diving, windsurfing and beach volleyball. Sadly, our kids were still too young to take part in most of those extra services, even the free non-motorized water sports (it was too windy when we were there anyway). They did love the Explorer’s Club which brought them on treasure hunts, had big-screen projection movies on the beach and day trips to the beach. A great perk was the Explorer’s Club staff members are certified in CPR for children by the American Red Cross.
Of course my kids took part in all of the activities until they both got gifts!
My son and niece even got to check out Core Zone Teens Club to play some pool and video games. It was open 9 to midnight, so our kids were a bit young, but next time we will use it more.
They had a wide variety of activities in the afternoon around the pool and the beach. Everything from bingo, arts n crafts (painting bottles), archery, darts, games, volleyball, and water activities. If you get the chance to do the rum tasting on the beach don’t miss it!
Our big thing is the evening entertainment. In addition to the big screen movies they had open-air theatre shows and a beach party with limbo and entertainment.
It was also nice one night to leave the kids with the grandparents and pop over to the After Dark nightclub and casino right next door at Breathless Punta Cana, an adults only resort. Next time I want to check out the relax spa there too.
Extras
If you aren’t traveling with children you may want the Preferred Club Pool access. Adults only means families can reserve but children cannot enter the pool. At first, I thought how mean for these parents, but their kids were the kids club the entire time and they got some adult time without everyone else’s kids. There is also the Now Onyx Punta Cana nightclub you may want to check out if your without kids!
With 5 pools, including the freshwater infinity, there is something for everyone. My kids love the saltwater kids pool. Younger kids will want to take advantage of the now onyx punta cana kids pool.
I also heard about a private bali bed in Preferred Club Junior Suite I’d like to try.
If those don’t satisfy you, you can always spend more time at the Now Onyx punta cana, lazy river. Can you tell it was my favorite!
Next time we’d also like to try some ziplining over the jungle, cave exploring or island hopping.
