Sirenis Cocotal Beach Resort Casino & Spa Punta Cana

I just spent a wonderful week (December 6-13) at the Sirenis Cocotal Beach Resort in Punta Cana. This is an all-inclusive resort on the Uvero Alto-Macao beach north of most of the resorts, found in the Bavaro Beach area.

After a bumpy but interesting 50 minute drive from the airport you enter the Sirenis Resort. A beautifully maintained property with a pleasant mix of modern and rustic. Greeted at the entrance by a bellhop and escorted to the desk in the open-air lobby where I was given a cocktail and promptly checked in by one of the extremely friendly staff.

The same bellhop then took my bag and escorted me to my room: G106 on the Cocotal side (the other side is suites.) The room was simply but very nicely appointed with tropical colors but not too garish. The views of the pools and ocean are gorgeous! The room is very clean as is the bathroom. The maid service was prompt and thorough and kept my mini-bar well stocked with what I was drinking (they noticed I drank the Diet Coke and not the Regular or sprite so kept it full of Diet Coke the rest of the week.) No alcohol provided in the room, but there was plenty elsewhere, so I wasn't too disappointed.

The food was fairly typical all-inclusive resort faire: bland but pretty. However, I was able to find some diamonds in the rough pretty much every night but one. They had 3 Dominican dishes every night which was a nice departure from the typical resort food. Breakfast (of which I made it to only two) was also typical of resorts but in this case is a good thing. No complaints. I never went to the lunch buffet as the bbq on the beach was so good. Just burgers, fries and chicken, but the chicken is REALLY good. I didn't go to any of the ala carte restaurants but I heard mixed reviews and don't feel like I missed anything.

The alcohol is not top shelf and the beer is local Presidente, which is not great but grows on you. However I have absolutely no complaints about the bars. The bartenders are attentive and are some of the nicest people I have ever met (Felipe, Jose, Melvin, Yael, Luis, Pasqual). They work long, hard days for very little money but do it with a big genuine smile. Try the local drink, mamajuana: a spice and honey-infused rum drink that is potent but has a nice honey aftertaste... like a sweeter Jagermeister.

The beach is clean, sandy and beautiful. I never had a hard time finding a sunny spot, or a shady spot when I wanted one. The views are beautiful and the swimming is nice... too rough for snorkeling when I was there but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. The pools are equally as nice, clean and accessible.

The resort entertainment was good. I've never really been to a resort with an "animacion" team before, but they were entertaining, engaging and very friendly. Many of them go by nicknames, my favorite animacion were James Bond, Will Smith and the lovely Naomi.

There was a nightly show in the theater, some great, some not so great but everything was so informal it was easy to come and go. The "Mama Mia" and Michael Jackson productions were great. The dancers are extremely talented and obviously put a lot of time and effort into the shows. Most nights there was also a live band just outside the theater with dancing. The music is mostly Merengue/latin, and is perfect for the setting.

The disco usually left something to be desired... it was loud and dark and the drinks were not included in the all-inclusive, so most nights after the band I ended up back at the lobby bar and only went to the disco for one last drink when the lobby bar closed.

The casino is small but nice if you like to gamble. I saw no improprieties and actually won a few hundred bucks on blackjack.

All in all, this is a great vacation. Due to a recent knee injury I was unable to leave the resort for the excursions I wanted to, or participate in many physical activities at the resort, but there was plenty to do and I had a great time. The people really made the trip for me. I traveled alone but quickly made friends, both with the staff and guests. As far as I could tell I was the ONLY American there that week, but I met a lot of Canadians and Europeans.

I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 because of the food and alcohol selection but it is definitely not a complaint! I would definitely return to this resort, as many of the people I met have, and would recommend it to my friends.