Punta rucia lodge: the dominican republic’s most instagrammable hotel
Looking for a secluded paradise in the Dominican Republic? Look no further than Punta Rucia Lodge! And let’s be honest, this day in age we all like a good photo op and Punta Rucia Lodge has plenty of them. This boutique hotel is full of Instagrammable photo spots and in my opinion may be The Dominican Republic’s most Instagrammable Hotel full of instagrammable spots.
Where is punta rucia lodge?
Punta Rucia Lodge is located on the NorthWest coast of the Dominican Republic and 2 hours away from the Puerto Plata airport. If you are not from the area, I highly recommend hiring a transfer like we did to take you to the Lodge as it is not an easy place to find amongst some rough dirt roads. But trust me, it’s worth the drive!
The bungalows
Punta Rucia Lodge is an intimate boutique hotel with only 13 bungalows spread out around the property. Each bungalow is unique and has a boho beach chic design with plenty of seating on your front deck to take in the views of the crystal clear waters. We were lucky enough to get a beach front bungalow with an incredible view and just steps from the beach but the property is very intimate that if you are in another bungalow further back, you won’t have a far walk.
Each bungalow includes a beach bag that you can use to bring your stuff with you down to the sand which makes it very convenient to carry all your belongings.
Book your bungalow at Punta Rucia Lodge here!
The Amenities
Punta Rucia Lodge includes 1 restaurant and 1 bar on site which is conveniently located right next to the pool overlooking the Caribbean sea. All amenities of Punta Rucia Lodge are an open air concept, even the reception area. There is also a spa on site as well as a gift shop.
Other amenities include a lounge and game room next to the pool, hammocks throughout the property, a volleyball net and lots of lounge chairs and huts to order all the pina coladas! The boho decor is immaculate throughout the lounge area, and even in the bungalows.
The Food
The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If breakfast is included in your stay, there is a set menu for breakfast where you can pick 1 item from each section. The lunch and dinner menu is the same which was the only downside. As this is the only restaurant on site, it would be nice if the menus changed for lunch and dinner if you’re not planning on leaving the property during your stay to allow for more options. Nonetheless, the food was good. During our 3 night stay, I enjoyed the Chicken Caesar Salad and the Fajitas (twice). I highly recommend them.
However, if you are lucky enough to stay on a Saturday night, Punta Rucia Lodge hosts a BBQ dinner on the beach and that was a fun experience! During the Saturday night BBQ’s, there is a different menu which includes plenty of meat and fish options and roasted pineapple! Your food arrives already prepared on your personal charcoal grill. It was very neat.
(Don’t forget your bug spray)
On Sunday’s the tables and chairs are also placed out on the beach and guests can enjoy their breakfast with their feet in the sand while taking in the breathtaking views of the blue water and peace and quiet of nature.
The Property at punta rucia lodge
Punta Rucia lodge is an absolutely beautiful property that is well kept and an Instagrammer’s paradise, well probably everyone’s paradise! Let’s get into Punta Rucia’s epic photo op locations or spots to enjoy your vacation and unplug!
Let’s start with the long dock that walks over the water with the most instagrammable swing at the end where you can swing with an endless view of the ocean. At the end of the dock, you can also choose to lounge in the net above the water or step down from the stairs into the crystal clear water.
Punta Rucia also has two swings that you can get to while walking into the water with the dock in the background.
But wait, there’s more!! On the other side of the doc, you’ll find multiple hammocks in/over the water and that’s when you know you’re truly in paradise. All you need is a nice cold beverage in your hand!
Not to mention, the beach bungalows are very instagram worthy as is everywhere you look on the property.
What’s Near Punta Rucia?
We didn’t venture out of the resort as we were creating content and it’s just that beautiful to leave, but there are some restaurants and a beach club West of the property and a public beach East of the property. However, when you have a private beach to just yourself (and the other guests), it’s pretty hard to leave.
Excursions and paradise island (cayo arena)
While we were here, we hired a boat directly from Punta Rucia Lodge for $150 USD to take us out to Paradise Island also known as Cayo Arena which is a small sandbar in the middle of the ocean. This was one place we had really wanted to see and we were able to take a boat out at 7a to be the only ones on the island and let me tell you, it was an incredible experience.
The boat will stop at a natural pool for a few minutes and then make its way to Paradise Island. Don’t forget your snorkel gear, there’s so many tropical fish. Also, with any nature site, please leave it better than you found it!
We enjoyed having Paradise Island all to ourselves before any of the catamaran excursions showed up. Now that we’ve experienced the island to ourselves, it would be cool to see Cayo Arena at full capacity and check out the party vibes. After Paradise Island, the boat will make it’s way for a fun adventure through the mangroves. We arrived back at the resort just in time for breakfast.
Aside from Paradise Island, Punta Rucia can set you up for any excursions in the Dominican Republic or boat rides out on the ocean.
Check the availability at Punta Rucia Lodge Here!
Watch our excursion to Paradise Island (Cayo Arena) below:
The Staff
The Staff was incredible and made our trip very memorable. The entire staff and management was so hospitable and made our stay a great one! We will definitely be back, hopefully sooner than later.
Do I recommend Punta Rucia Lodge?
Yes, absolutely! We stayed for 3 nights and thought it was the perfect amount of time before heading to our next destination. Punta Rucia Lodge was where we were able to relax the most on our last trip to the Dominican Republic. So if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation in the Caribbean, Punta Rucia Lodge is for you!
If you’re looking for the best Instagram spots in the Dominican Republic, Punta Rucia Lodge is also for you.
I hope you enjoyed reading this review on Punta Rucia Lodge: The Dominican Republic’s most Instagrammable hotel. Pin this so you can reference later for your trip to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Book your stay at Punta Rucia Lodge here.
Check out my Instagram to view all of our content from our trip to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I have a highlight saved as well as a ton of reels!
If you’re heading to the Southeast side of the Dominican Republic, check out my review of Tracadero Beach Resort here!
