April is a big month for us in our household. All of our birthdays are within days of each other. The best way to celebrate? A family vacation of course! Because we had never been to the Dominican Republic before, we decided to give the Nickelodeon Resort, Punta Cana a try!

**This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy and Disclosures Statement for more information.**

For this past trip, the Dominican Republic was an easy choice as it has a ton of all-inclusive resorts to choose from and direct flights throughout the day.

The Dominican Republic lies on the east side of an island shared with Haiti. It is the most visited country in the Caribbean, which is no surprise with its 800 miles of beautiful beaches and rich history.

The average temperature is 77°F and this stays consistent throughout the year, making it a great country to visit no matter what season!

Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) is about a 30 minute drive to the Nickelodeon resort. This is super convenient because the last thing you want to be doing after a long flight is sit in a car!

For the ease of traveling with children, we booked transportation ahead of time that was waiting for us at the airport. For round-trip, private transportation, it cost us $75. Taxi service is also readily available at the airport.

To book your vacation now, click here!

The Resort

When we arrived at the resort, there was a wait to check-in. It ended up being about 45 minutes. Luckily, the lobby has a kids play area with plenty of toys and Nickelodeon shows playing on TVs.

Upon arrival, you will notice that the resort shares some of its grounds with another resort, the Sensatori Punta Cana. While the guest room buildings are different, the resorts share pools and restaurants.

Once you have completed your check-in, a member of the staff will show you to your room. The bellman assisted us with our luggage and we were in our room within an hour of arriving at the resort.

The resort has guest rooms ranging from standard king rooms all the way up to The Pineapple. This two-bedroom, three-bathroom suite is designed after the home of SpongeBob SquarePants. It includes butler service and has its own, private infinity pool.

For more information on this resort, click here.

Our Suite

We stayed in a Pad Swim-Up Suite. The room was quite spacious and featured a king bed, couch, soaking tub. Outside we had a private deck area with a day bed and more seating.

The bathroom was huge and had both a stand-up shower and a giant tub. Although there was a glass wall in between the bathroom and the bedroom, a shade was available to create privacy.

If you have children who still nap or go to bed early, I would highly recommend spending the extra money to have the direct pool access! When our son would nap or when he would go to sleep early, we would sit out on our private deck and enjoy the pool.

Our room was right across from Fresco Bar & Restaurant, making it easy to get cocktails or snacks while sitting outside.

Despite having 208 guest rooms, the resort felt more like a boutique hotel. It was great to never have to search for chairs at the beach or pool or to have to worry about getting a table for dinner.

The resort is tastefully decorated and, aside from the orange decor, you never feel as though you are staying at a Nickelodeon resort!

Every staff member went out of their way to make sure our son was having a good time and to make him feel special. We were very impressed with all of the staff that we experienced at the resort!

Dining

Nickelodeon Punta Cana is part of the Karisma Hotels & Resorts line which aims at providing a Gourmet Exclusive Experience. The food was above and beyond what I expected and the decor in each restaurant was unique and fun!

The only restaurants that we did not dine at were Kitchen 23 (adults only) and Aqua Bite (at Aqua Nick), but we had delicious meals at all of the other restaurants.

Space Walker

This restaurant is sure to be loved by any child. The fun spaceship decor and menu will make the sitting-still-at-a-restaurant experience much more enjoyable. The bread and butter even comes in tin cans!

Some of the dishes that we enjoyed were the beef carpaccio, cheddar cheese pate, prawn cocktail, beef filet and the passion fruit parfait in a chocolate dome.

Wok Wok

This Asian inspired restaurant was our favorite! The interior design of the restaurant was beautiful. The food was delicious and our wait staff were so friendly and helpful.

Some of the dishes that we enjoyed the beef satay, spicy tuna roll, lamb curry meatballs and chicken fried rice.

Sugarcane

This is where we ate breakfast each morning. The food was always delicious and there were so many options to choose from. To top it all off, as soon as you walk in you are greeted with a make-your-own mimosa and bloody Mary bar!

There is also a “Children’s Corner” section of this buffet that includes baby food pouches and other items for young children.

Zest

Located right next to the infinity pool and ocean, this restaurant is the perfect place to dine to maximize your time outside. We came here to get a little shade while enjoying cocktails and good food.

Lunch is served buffet style. Options include traditional Caribbean dishes but they also have plenty of kid-friendly staples like pizza, macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers. The food was always delicious and the view is great too.

This restaurant is also where the character dining takes place.

Unlike many all-inclusive resorts that I have experienced, the drinks at this hotel were always made well. They were strong but always tasted delicious and we never had to wait long at any of the bars!

For another great family resort, check out my post Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando!

Activities

The majority of the resort activities are located across the street from the resort.

In order to access these activities, you will need to take the shuttle bus or go through the walking tunnel.

Here you will find the soccer field, archery center, tennis, giant chess board, running path, sports hub and Nickelodeon Place.

Nickelodeon Place

This is your one stop shop for getting slimed, meeting characters, playing at the Aqua Nick pool and splash park, floating down the lazy river and visiting the Just Kidding indoor clubhouse.

During the day you can dine at Aqua Bite for quick service lunch. In the evening, Plaza Orange is where you can enjoy Wow Family Fiestas and even dance parties.

Character Breakfast

If you have children that are into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob or Paw Patrol they would love this resort!

Kids can meet their favorite characters at one of the character breakfasts that are offered (at an additional cost). If you aren’t interested in spending the extra money for the character dining, you can also catch some of the characters while they are roaming around the grounds!

Get Slimed

Don’t forget to get slimed at Aqua Nick during the daily 3pm sliming or book a private sliming for an additional cost (best Christmas card ever!). This is one activity that I regret not doing because it would have made for some great family photos.

To be honest, we didn’t even visit the kids area because we had plenty to do on the resort side. Now that our kids are older and would really enjoy all of the activities at Aqua Nick, I am sure we will spend a significant amount of time in this area the next time we visit.

Overall

Although the stay was mostly enjoyable, we did note a few downsides to the resort. The check-in, check-out process took a considerable amount of time. Especially when first arriving to the resort, the last thing that you want to do is have to spend a good amount of time trying to get to your room. I have read this is a common complaint at the hotel.

We spent everyday sitting in a cabana by the ocean or by the pool. We didn’t experience staff coming up to us asking us if we needed anything. Having cocktail service poolside would have been a nice addition!

When I first discovered this resort, I didn’t put much thought into it. I didn’t want to vacation at a hotel that was going to feel like we were at a theme park and offer no relaxation at all. We decided to give it a try because of all of the great reviews and I am really happy that we did.

For large families that have a mix of couples with children and without children, this location is ideal. Those with children can book the Nickelodeon Resort Punta Cana while those without children can book the adult-oriented Sensatori which is literally right next door!

Overall, I would highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a family-friendly vacation option. The positives far outweighed any minor negatives that we experienced and I am sure that we will be back!

To book your vacation now, click here!