The all-inclusive resort is the real deal and has everything for the perfect holiday
I’M sipping a cocktail on an impossibly perfect white-sand beach lined with palm trees.
It’s so idyllic it could have come straight out of the classic Bounty bar adverts.
And on this occasion, it actually did!
I’m on a catamaran tour off the gorgeous coastline of the Dominican Republic.
Already I’m feeling like a star after a lunch of freshly-grilled lobster and dipping my toes into the sand where the ad was filmed is the icing on the cake.
The temperature in London when I left was 2C.
But on the beach, it’s a toasty 28C and those palm trees offer the perfect dappled shade.
The real appeal of the Dominican Republic is the great value.
And Thomson’s newest 5star Sensatori hotel in the resort of Punta Cana is the perfect example of this — luxury facilities for less than a grand.
All the rooms are suites and the decoration is chic with calming cool colours and high-end furniture.
Splash out a little more and there are swim-up rooms complete with access to the pool.
Family rooms have a separate lounge area that can be partitioned off from the bedroom, and family swim-up rooms even come complete with a child safety gate.
The hotel sits on the wide, soft sands of Uvero Alto Beach, complete with more of those swaying palm trees and four-poster day beds.
But the sea can be rough so is perhaps not great for kids.
GETTING/STAYING THERE:
Thomson has seven-night all-inclusive holidays to the new 5star Sensatori Resort Punta Cana from £947 per person, including flights from Manchester on June 8 and transfers.
See thomson.co.uk or call 0871 230 2555.
However, there are four pools to dip your toe into, as well as SEVEN restaurants all included in the price, from the beachside BBQ burger bar to the high-end gastronomic Kitchen 23.
Breakfast in the Sugar Cane restaurant is stunning, with every fruit you can think of.
It almost makes you want to eat healthily!
But for those that don’t, the usual full English is on offer, along with many different varieties of bread, omelettes and — if you fancy an early start at the all-inclusive resort — bucks fizz.
Some of Sensatori’s facilities are shared with the Nickelodeon Hotel next door and, as you can imagine, there are a lot of excited youngsters running about.
To counter this there are adult-only areas in some restaurants, adult rooms and an adult pool but, despite the best efforts of the attentive staff, there is some crossover.
Appealing as it may be to simply enjoy the hotel’s facilities — there’s every sport you can think of, as well as a spa and even a cookery school — getting out to explore the island is an absolute must.
I loved the Jeep safari that took us to nearby Macao beach before heading inland to a coffee and cocoa plantation.
After trying the local produce, it was onwards and upwards to the top of the mountains for lunch with a breathtaking view.
Fully refreshed, we headed off for a “coco loco”, or coconut water and rum, followed by a visit to a picturesque lazy river among the trees adorned with hammocks — perfect if you start to feel a little tired.
And then there was the cruise, with a fast boat whisking you off to Saona Island, the setting for the Bounty Bar adverts for those old enough to remember.
The advert boasts the bar is a “taste of paradise” and the island certainly is, with miles of beautiful white sands and emerald seas.
My return journey was aboard a catamaran with the music pumping and the rum flowing.
The resort has everything you need.
And unlike so many all-inclusive holidays, this is the real deal.
Excellent food, branded booze, attentive staff, luxury accommodation . . .  and scorching sunshine.
A taste of paradise indeed.
©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/

source