Zel Punta Cana

We are here right now January 30th, 3rd day of 14 staying in a Zel Master suite ground floor. The room is awesome and we have a great large lanai with plenty of lounging options. The check in was great after a 2 hour wait outside in all the lovely exhaust fumes waiting for the Air Canada Vacations bus at the airport. Take a cab instead. The buffet is adequate. We have tried 2 of three restaurants the steakhouse and Japanese and it was good. If you want better wine you have to pay. All the staff here have treated us great. The biggest disappointment is the beach situation. The actual beach is fantastic. It is a short 15 minute walk or wait for the shuttle outside the front door. The hotel has a small designated beach area with limited loungers and very limited small umbrellas. The issue is that if you are not down at that beach by sunrise you will not get a seat. Poor system which only favors those that think they are entitled by placing an object on a chair and claiming it as their own while going back to their rooms or to have breakfast. I witnessed an argument between two men one with a baseball hat on backwards that apparently reserved his 2 chairs with towels and admitted he put them there 3 hours earlier and went for breakfast. I guess one could rent a day bed for 80 USD. Anyway if you like the beach you will be disappointed especially if you are a senior and cannot find a chair to use. Also, there were 4 people with wheelchairs that had an awful time accessing the beach. There are rubber roll outs that have been invented and should be available for these folks. The pool areas are very quiet and plenty of loungers so that is an option for some. When you pay over $11,000 for a two week stay you should have access to a beach lounger and umbrella. If this property spends a few bucks and addresses this issue I might return.

We stayed at Zel Punta Cana from January 14 to January 20, 2026. The resort is located in the Bavaro area, in a great location, and only about 20 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport. ⸻ 👍 Pros Zel Punta Cana is a brand new, modern, and well maintained resort. Everything feels fresh and clean, and the overall design is contemporary and elegant. Check-in was fast and smooth, which made arrival very easy. The staff is generally friendly and welcoming, even though there is room for improvement in professionalism. The rooms are the strongest point of this hotel. They are very spacious, modern, and clean, with a large and extremely comfortable bed. The big balcony with a jacuzzi tub overlooking the pool is a great feature and adds a lot to the overall experience. There are several large swimming pools, all clean and well maintained. The beach is beautiful and very clean. Although beach access is not direct, the shuttle service from the lobby is convenient and easy to use, and the beach bar and restaurant are enjoyable. ⸻ 👎 Cons The resort atmosphere is very calm and quiet, with limited entertainment and activities. This is perfect for guests looking to relax, but may not suit travelers who expect a lively all inclusive experience. While food quality at the buffet is acceptable, variety is limited compared to other all inclusive resorts. If you arrive later, some items may already be finished and are not always refilled. The resort also has only three restaurants, with overall average quality. Unfortunately, the Japanese restaurant did not meet expectations. Service can sometimes feel slow, and English is not widely spoken among staff. Additionally, there is no convenience store on site, which makes it difficult to purchase basic necessities. In the room, towels and bed linens were clean but look worn and outdated. Only one large bath towel is provided, with no small towels or floor mats. Humidity inside the room is high, and the air conditioning could be more effective. The shower head is installed quite low, making showering uncomfortable even for someone of average height. Another disappointment was communication before arrival. I emailed the reservation department twice and never received a response. ⸻ ⭐ Overall Impression Overall, we were satisfied with our stay. Zel Punta Cana is a modern, clean, and peaceful resort with great rooms, but it still needs improvement, especially in food variety, entertainment, and service organization. Special thanks to Alejandra Vasquez, who was extremely kind, helpful, and friendly throughout our stay. This resort is best suited for travelers who are looking for a quiet and relaxing environment, rather than an active or entertainment focused resort.

Excellent staff and service. Attentive service from Elvis, Carliana, Warner, Raphael, Mari, Innocencia at Volcan and Parda restaurant. The entire team is so wonderful friendly and helpful. Highly recommended. We had a tremendously relaxing visit at this modern boutique hotel with all the amenities we could possibly ask for. We will be back!

The facilities were very nice and had a cool vibe. The food was just ok - the buffet was small and there were only a few restaurants. We ended up eating at the steakhouse 4x. We were not allowed to book a restaurant on our first day and were told to eat at the buffet. There is no access to restaurants at the other Melia resorts. We specifically booked this resort because the pictures advertised showed numerous palapas (huts) on the beach. In fact this was a picture of another resort - Zel has no palapas - only about 20 small umbrellas. We felt mislead as we would never have chosen this resort had we known. Zel is not on the beach and you need to take a golf cart to get there. Other resorts that we have been to usually have a binder or other information available about the time our transfer would take us back to the airport. Zel had no information and sent us to another Melia resort - that resort offered to call and find out for us.

We had a great time at Zel Punta Cana. Upon arrival we were greeted by Yunior who made our entire experience here enjoyable. Yunior was quick to answer questions and helped to arrange our dinner reservations as well as transportation to shopping. The room was very spacious and comfortable. We enjoyed the having different restaurant options. And we especially enjoyed our daily trips to Zel Beach. I highly recommend staying here and hope to return again soon!