Short Summary:
We just made our third visit in a row in three years. This is an amazing small resort with staff that will treat you like family. You will have a butler who is there to make sure you maximize your enjoyment, so don’t be shy about telling them exactly what you want or need. They are there to deliver and will. While there isn’t much of a beach on property, Juanillo beach is a 10-minute free shuttle away. The pools in the DR close around 6PM. Get a swim up room so you can swim any time you want 24/7.
Detailed Summary:
We had a wonderful time at TRS Cap Cana again this year! There is so much great, but as a TripAdvisor reviewer, I do have to share the not so great as well, so let me start with a few "cons", which are far outweighed by the Pros, and why we’ve gone three years in a row!
CONS:
As noted, there is not really a beach that you might expect, however, Jaunillo Beach (free) will scratch that itch and is amazing, so I wouldn't let this be a huge negative. TRS Cap Cana shuttles guests and a butler there free along with sunscreen, towels, beverages, chairs and umbrellas. There are a few restaurants, typically with two open a night. We really loved the food, though. And the poolside grill is amazing! There is no lunch or dinner buffet, which is nice to have if you want to try a little of this and that. This is a very relaxed resort. At breakfast there is a buffet along with menu options. There are activities if you choose to participate, and there is music and such all day at the pool, but this is not a constant party atmosphere. We see that as a positive, others see that as a negative. One last thing, the free wi-fi leaves a lot to be desired, but it does work. It was not good enough to stream this year, if that’s your thing.
PROS:
Now for all the greatness! You'll have a personal butler assigned to you, ours was Maria this year. You will want to have WhatsApp (they can help set it up) and your butler will get you anything you want or need. Don’t be shy and do get your Whatsapp set up right away so you can get any questions answered quickly. Maria set us up with a special Birthday dinner for my wife and decorated our room for us on our last night. She also arranged an amazing anniversary dinner as well. Ramon was our server that night, and it was amazing. We’ve known him for 3 years now. More on Ramon later.
For our room, we liked to meet our fridge stocker, this year it was Wilson. We would leave a note with that we wanted to drink and snacks with a daily tip, and he took great care of us.
I can't even begin to tell you how much the Animation Team (activities) made this trip incredible every day and night. They added a Saturday foam party this year, which was very engaging for all! Everyone had a blast! Charly and Francisco are the best and can almost always be found by the pool during the day, and in the lobby area at night! John the DJ just LOVES making people happy. They are so fun, full of energy and attentive to making sure you are having a great time. Get to know them and ask about the activities! (Hint, there are alcohol prizes) When they are playing music, don't be afraid to request music, and when you do, there's a good chance they will remember it and play those songs when they see you! Haha Thank you Charly, Francisco and John, you guys have become friends, and we miss you!
Herick and Bilmary really took great care of everyone at the pool bar. They were constantly engaging everyone and keeping the spirits coming! Must keep people hydrated!
The food was very good, and while there are only a few physical restaurants, they do rotate the menu. They are very allergy conscious as well and will ask before each meal. The servers were always attentive and just want to make sure you’re well taken care of. We have grown to know Juan Luis over our three years, and we were so thrilled to see him. He made sure to take special care of us every time we saw him. Gregory and Braily were amazing as well! Edwin never served us, but I had to mention that he was always smiling and welcoming, even if we were not one of his tables. He’s going places. Domingo was such a great guy and made my wife’s birthday a very special night. Luis Paralta did a great job taking care of us when we decided to just get room service! Alexander grills up the best food poolside, don't skip it, it's very, very good!
Now back to Ramon. We have also grown to know Ramon over our last 3 years. He took care of our anniversary dinner the last two years. This year, Ramon asked if he could do something special for us on our last night. He created a very romantic secluded setting and served us a very delicious meal!
Luis Paralta did a great job taking care of us when we decided to just get room service! Anabelis was our lovely coffee shop server and made us wonderful lemonade teas almost every day! Alexander was our guy at the grill! He not only makes great food, but he learned what my wife liked, and offered it up whenever he saw us at the pool! Yudelka and Joanna took great care of us at the Aurum bar.
The people made TRS Cap Cana amazing, we can't thank them enough. We tried to consistently tip everyone who was serving us, because they work hard to make sure we were doing great. The size of the resort really plays into this. It's not a big resort, so there aren't TONS of guests, so you will get to know all the staff, and benefit from their increased ability to be attentive.
Bonus Tips:
--Determine what soda and snacks you like and ask for that in your room daily.
--If your room is freezing, make sure you check to see if the thermostat is on auto instead of on, you can easily control room temp if you take a moment to figure it out.
--In the Bars part of your app, you can find drink menus, which will help you communicate what you are wanting.
--They may try to clean the rooms with you in them, don't forget to put your sign out and request it when you're out of the room.
--The pool closes at 7PM, if you want to swim at night, get a swim up!
--Ask about Jaunillo beach if it’s not explained to you, you’ll want to hit that up to enjoy a nice ocean view day!
--If you're new to all inclusive, make sure and read up on what is included so you can make sure you get the full experience! Always ask for anything you want or need, they may not proactively do it, but they provided everything we asked for!
--People always ask about excursions. We’ve gone on the same excursion four times because it’s a blast, the food is awesome, the staff is amazing and it’s just a great value. We snorkel, get a great meal, get great views on the ocean, stop on the shore to get a coconut cut open into a rum drink, and then to a natural pool for drinks or more snorkeling. They take pictures of it all and post on Facebook for free! Hispaniola Aquatic Adventures – Semi-Private Tour.