RESORT REVIEW: NH Real Arena

Trip Date: December 2009

Location: Punta Cana, Domincan Republic

Beach Junkies Rating: (based on 5 stars)

Beach: 5 / Food: 4 / Rooms: 5 / Pools: 5 / Snorkeling: N/A

We went to NH Real Arena from December 18-25, 2009. Yes, we saw all the negative reviews but it did not stop us from booking this resort. Prior to us leaving Toronto, we emailed Roberto and asked him for a top floor, ocean view room with a king size bed. We flew with Air Transat (happy that they now serve hot meals) and arrived on time to a beautiful sunny Punta Cana. A good thing about this resort is that it's only a 20 minute ride from the airport.

CHECK IN

Because we had booked a Mirage Deluxe room with Transat Holidays, we were check in privately. Surprisingly at 12:30 pm, our room was ready. We were given a map, keys and coupons, and were told to see the bell boy to bring us to our room. We had asked about a la carte reservations, they showed us where the desk was and since there wasn't a line up, we booked two of our five a la cartes. We were then brought by a golf cart to our building which was a 60 seconds away from the lobby.

ROOM

Our room (#2441) was in building 2 (I think it's the Punta Cana building) on the top (4th) floor. To figure out where your room is located, follow this: 1st number represents which building you are in, 2nd number represents what floor you are on and the last two numbers is which room you are in. The rooms are very spacious. You have a closet with bathrobes, slippers, iron & board and a safe (you program the code yourself). There is a bathroom with a toilet and shower, the doors are made of frosted glass, some toiletries and a jacuzzi tub. There is a big hole in the wall but that didn't bother us. It's where my husband put his luggage. We had a king size bed. The sheets and duvet are comfy, the bed is on the hard side and the pillows were nice and fluffy but we could have used more than three. There is a fridge (stocked with coke, sprite, water and beer), coffee maker and ice bucket. Also in the room is a flat screen TV, a desk (but no paper or pen to be found), a chair, table and a pull out sofa. The balcony is great. If you are in building 2 and the last digit of your room number is an odd number, then you will have a great view of the pool. If you are on the 4th floor, you will also have a view of the ocean. The rooms are immaculately clean. There was a slight odor near the toilet but we just sprayed with febreeze and it was fine.

FOOD

For breakfast, we only ate at the buffet once and ordered room service twice. Room service is much better. I had read in so many reviews about Felix who makes the best eggs. When we went to the buffet, we didn't see him, probably his day off. For lunch we ate at the poolside grill for most days. Some things to eat - salsa, chips & guacamole, rotisserie chicken, pasta, grilled chicken and fish, hot dogs, hamburger, french fries and paella. Each day there was something new to eat. At Festival Buffet (main buffet), there was pizza, pasta, rice, potatoes, the usual but it was much nicer to eat at the grill where you have a view of the ocean and pool. We ate at the main buffet for the Mexican and Spanish themed nights. I wasn't that impressed, their buffet is smaller than other resort buffets. At the Mexican night, we discovered the beef fajitas. They were delicious. It's too bad that we found them after we had already eaten a lot. We ate at all four a la carte restaurants:

Senses (French) - This was our favorite restaurant. We had a gin mojito granita, a tuna carpaccio salad, red snapper/lobster main entree and a chocolate dessert. This is the restaurant decorated in all red. The service was quite fast.

Shore Grill (American/Surf & Turf) - This restaurant looks like a saloon and is more casual than the others. We had an appetizer platter of nachos & cheese and really yummy wings. After was caesar salad on bread (we thought this was odd but it tasted delicious). My husband had the rib-eye and I got the garlic shrimp. I have to say that I was really disappointed with my shrimp dish. All the resorts I have been to in the past have served jumbo shrimp. This is the first time I received small "cocktail" shrimp. For dessert was cheesecake and a brownie.

Cinque Terre (Italian) - This was our least favorite restaurant. I believe we started off with a soup, then an arugula salad, two pastas (the mushroom fettuccine one was amazing and the olive tomato penne was okay). The mains were seafood gratin or beef encrusted in herbs. The service here was extremely slow. So slow that we didn't even wait for our dessert. We just left.

Asian (name speaks for itself) - Teppanyaki is usually a fun meal with the chef entertaining you. Our chef just did his job, he cooked, served us our food and left. Before having our meal of cooked beef, chicken and shrimp with vegetables and fried rice, we had miso soup, tempura and some sushi. All were very good. After we had fried ice cream for dessert.

Christmas Eve Gala at Shore Grill - For Christmas Eve dinner, the resort was serving the same meal at all the a la carte restaurants and I think they had an elaborate buffet at Festival. We chose to eat at Shore Grill (this is before we knew what any of the restaurants looked like). The dinner was six courses and took us over two hours to eat. Our waitress kept the champagne flowing. Our glasses were never empty. We ate liver pate (I will admit that I would never eat pate, let alone liver pate but I tried it and it was delicious. I ate the whole thing), lobster salad, fish in a pastry puff, gin mojito granita, beef fillet and a double chocolate cheesecake for dessert. We were stuffed.

BARS

There are many bars located around the resort - Alisios Bar in the lobby (never went), Arenas Sports Bar (never went), Olas Bar (good to get limonata- frozen limeade), Wet Bar (we are not pool bar people) and Tanhtra Rooftop Bar. When you are in the courtyard watching the show, the resort has makeshift bars around the perimeter but there are servers taking drink orders. We didn't drink much during the day except for beer at lunch. At dinner, it's either a beer or wine. Their red house wine is better than the white. I also like drinking champagne in the evening while watching the shows. Another good drink is the mojito at the pool bar, it's made with the lime slushie.

BEACH

The beach is gorgeous and no seaweed to be found on the shoreline. The beach chairs are quite different from the usual ones you see at the resort. They are plastic wicker-looking chairs. It makes the resort look modern and classy. They are not that comfortable but I am not going to complain about it. There are plenty of palapas with chairs and tables but you will find that the one closer to the water are taken early in the morning. Don't worry, all those taken spots will be evacuated by 2 pm when everyone leaves for lunch. The activities that I have seen are volleyball and aerobics. When you are facing the water, towel and water activities hut is to your right and to the left is the massage hut. Past the massage hut is a quieter area but you do get the yelling from the vendors asking you to come see what they are selling. But don't worry, there is a security guard there and an invisible line they can not cross.

 POOL

There is a large pool where all the activities take place and the pool bar, and a smaller pool where most people go to relax and read. The water in the pool looks green because the tiles are green, not the usual blue. We like this look of the pool, it makes for a unique quality that the other resorts don't have. The same type of wicker furniture surrounds the pool. I must say that this is the first resort that provides tables beside every two chairs.

NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Most shows take place at NH Plaza or in Tanhtra Bar. Both the circus show and the white party are fantastic. Be sure to catch these when they are on. You can check the activities board by the main buffet to see what the nightly entertainment is. Before the main show in the plaza square, there will be some musical act or a giant inflatable screen playing a music concert. On the 24th, a booklet describing their Christmas program was left in our room (along with a little Christmas gift). They had a great program for the holidays (Dec 24-Jan 5) but unfortunately it started on our last day at the resort.

STAFF

The staff are great and very hard working especially when on our last day there was a torrential downpour. All hotel staff were either mopping up water, towelling down the 1st floor rooms, evaluating the pool, etc. Yes, many of them only speak Spanish, but I find that if you try to speak Spanish, they will try and speak English. Please be respectful and learn a few key phrases before you head down. It will impress them. Some of our favorite staff are Ronaldo at the Mirage Concierge, Mirabel at Shore Grill, Henry at Shore Grill/main buffet and Ronald from Senses/Shore Grill. Another person who was extremely helpful was Roberto, who fulfilled our room request. Danny, our rep from Air Transat doesn't work for the resort but he lives there, has to be hands-down the best rep we have ever had.

CHECK OUT

Check out was simple as ever. We checked out at the front desk and then hung out at Mirage Concierge to enjoy the TV and free wifi, along with those delicious mini donuts and Dasani water.

OVERALL

I would definitely recommend this resort to others. I would like to try staying at NH Royal one day (but only if there is another operator offering it besides Sunwing), although I like the pools better at Real Arena. Guests at NH Royal have access to everything at Real Arena. I don't know why people complain about this resort. There is honestly nothing to complain about. I love the modern look of the entire resort and the staff are fantastic. You won't be disappointed. Click here to check out more photos we took at the resort.

Still not convinced?  See what others think here

MUSIC MONDAY: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, John Mayer

I like to nap on the beach and I found that this song is perfect to listen to. There's just something about the guitar rifts and the ocean breeze that puts you to sleep.

John Mayer - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by SemRedeas

ADVICE: Late flight = late check out

With chartered flights, chances are you're departing either late morning or late in the evening. If you have a morning flight home, you have nothing to worry about. Just check out and wait for the bus to pick you up. However, if you have an evening flight, let's say 9:55 pm, the bus is going to pick you up around 6:00 pm. Sure, you can still enjoy everything the resort has to offer until you board the bus but do you really want to step on the plane smelling of sweat and sun?

You have two solutions: #1 - enjoy your day on the beach or pool and ask for a courtesy room to shower or #2 - ask for late check out. I would go with #2. There is no harm in asking. You will probably have to pay somewhere between $40-$60 for a 4 pm checkout but believe me, it's worth it. On your departure date, wake up early and check with the front desk. If they have availability, they will re-program your card and then you can enjoy your day and be all refreshed for your return home. If you choose to go with #1, no problem. Check out at the designated check out time, store your luggage with the bell boy (remember to lock your luggage and keep your sunscreen & valuables with you), check with the front desk about a courtesy room and see if you can reserve a time to use it and then head off to the beach.

Personally, we like morning flights and we aim to get those flights. We have in the past had some evening flights and we have done everything from storing our luggage and freshening up in our friend's room (they were leaving a week later) to actaully sitting in the lobby all afternoon after checking out to getting late check out. I highly suggest getting late check out, it just makes life so much easier!

MUSIC MONDAY: Paolo Nutini

It's an essential part of your experience.  It helps you relax, get into the mood and it keeps you entertained while you are out staring at nothing.  This is music.

Leesh and I thought that we would recommend some great songs and albums to add to your vacation playlist.  My first recommendation is Paolo Nutini's first album, These Streets.

ADVICE: How to get rid of that musty smell in your room

A big complaint that I always see on reviews is a musty smell when they enter the room at the resort. Most of the time there will be that musty smell because of the air conditioning. One great tip we learned from Kathleen & Nancy (Royal Hideaway Ensenachos) is to turn on the ceiling fan (provided you have one in your room). This will circulate the air and hopefully remove the smell.

Other ways to banish the musty smell is to light a scented candle or febreeze your room (yes, I actually pack these with me).

ADVICE: The Perfect Tan!!

miQ tanning on Bavaro Beach

We all want it! From the second we arrive at the beach, the first thing we think of is a tan!  We need the tan to prove that we had gone away and enjoyed the sun, we need the tan to look good and most importantly, we need that tan to look good lol!

Lets face it, most of us roast ourselves to the point where we get burned and from experience, sunburn is NOT comfortable.  Your skin hurts all the time.  In the heat, in the cold, in the pool, in your shirt, in the blanket, it just HURTS!  I had one bad case of sunburn and I never want another one EVER!

this is what you call sunburn

I see a lot of people roasting themselves on the beach.  Everyone has their own system and strategy.  Some turn on a timely basis, kind of like a rotisserie.  Others just lie there and grab every second of the sun at all costs, even if they do look purple.  That my friends is NOT a prefect tan.  That is skin cancer waiting to happen!!

We have gone many times and I think we have finally perfected how to get the perfect tan.  Keep in mind though, this piece of advice works for OUR skin type.  It may not work for others.  The 3 things you should consider before you head out to vacation is Before, During and After.

Before: If you are fair skinned and get sun burnt easily, maybe tanning isn't the best thing for you.  Just accept it and loathe on that 70 SPF and let your pictures do the talking.  Another thing you can do is go to a tanning salon to get a base so that you don't get roasted the minute you get there.  It worked on me when I first started to visit down south, and I know it has worked for other people as well.

You should also buy all your sunblock before hand.  Sunblock is expensive at all resorts because they know you need it and have no other choice but to pay if you run out.  Get a variety of SPF's when you do.  We normally get a bottle of 45, 30 and 15 preferably waterproof.  Make sure you do your research as to which one to get.  Some are very hard to apply and some wipe of right after you sweat!  The brands we go for usually are Hawaiian Tropic and Neutrogena.  You should also buy some after sun care as well as one bottle of spray block.  It's good to use on your feet and legs when you don't want to rub the sand thats stuck onto them.

Leesh hydrating in the shade during peak hours

During: The best piece of advice I can give you is stay away from the sun from 12:00 pm-2:00 pm!  This is where most people get burnt!  The assumption is that you will tan faster this way, which is true, but you will also get BURNT faster!  Try to stay in the shade or in the water.  Basically, keep your skin cool during these times.  You still tan while you are in the shade.  The sand and ocean act like a mirror and bounce the rays off to your skin so you can get some decent gradual sun.

If you want to tan faster, my best advice is to be in the water for as long as you can.  You can get an awesome tan that way.  You still however need to apply sunblock too and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep yourself hydrated all the time with WATER not beer or alcohol!

After:  After a nice shower, apply a deep conditioning lotion.  I use Vaseline Cocoa Butter.  It's AWESOME!  Only use the Aloe if you are burnt in some areas.  This helps cool the skin down but it does NOT act as a moisturizer.  You still need something to prevent the peeling.  If you are burnt, wear long sleeves to sleep and try to keep your room at a comfortable warm temperature.  I find the cold stabs into your skin when it's burnt.

When you get there, people watch.  Compare the people that sit in the sun all the time to the ones that do it all in moderation.  One normally looks like a nice bronzed healthy person and the other looks like a boiled lobster in the buffet.  Take your pick to which tan you prefer.

Here is a rule of thumb...if you think it's too hot for your skin, chances are IT IS!

Happy Tanning!

DID YOU KNOW...Air Transat serves hot meals

As of December 1, 2009, Air Transat will offer up hot meal service to sun destinations plus, a glass of champagne or a mimosa. Click here to view their announcement. Keep this in mind when you are choosing which tour operator to go with for your all-inclusive vacation.

We have had excellent experiences when travelling with Transat Holidays/Air Transat and now they are improving their service. On our recent trip to Punta Cana, our morning flight offered a choice of a spanish omelette or eggs florentine (we passed on the food because we were sleeping) and on our afternoon flight back home, it was shepherd's pie or veggie pasta. It also included cranberry wild rice salad, bun, fudge and a lindt chocolate.