THE GEN X WANDERER / Celebrating my 50th Birthday at the Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with 28 People

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Book Your Stay with Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana, a Marriott Bonvoy All Inclusive Resort Property

If you are planning to stay at the Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana, check out this map for it’s location where my logo “X” marks the spot! If you want to add excursions to your trip, check out my curated experiences for Punta Cana in my Viator Shop.

Did you know? Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana is part of the Marriott Bonvoy all inclusive collection. This means that you can get your entire trip for free using Marriott Bonvoy points. I give you the entire blueprint and roadmap so you can do this yourself and I’ve stayed in countless hotels for free and even an all inclusive in Montego Bay, Jamaica for one week!

See how to earn points for free travel here!
(Absolutely free PDF, and no strings, and no scammy course either)

Celebrating My 50th Birthday at the Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana

Turning the big 5-0 half a century milestone felt like it deserved something bigger than a dinner party at home, so my husband decided to gather 28 of our favourite people and head south for a proper celebration.

After a lot of research, we landed on the Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana, booked through Air Canada Vacations with our travel agent. Looking back now that the suitcases are unpacked and the tans have faded, I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I have made for a milestone birthday.

Why We Chose Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana

So we actually found this a place a year before and there’s actually a backstory.

We were staying at the Serenade Punta Cana for an all-inclusive vacation (our first time ever in the Dominican Republic), and we were thinking of doing a destination celebration. My cousin mentioned Royalton Bavaro and how she’s been there 4 times. We quickly google mapped while at the resort it and it was only about 25 min from where we were. We quickly hopped into an uber and drove there.

We were stopped at their gate. Me, not speaking Spanish, the gate agent, not speaking English, we were using Google Translate to talk to teach other. Long story short, we couldn’t just “walk in” and check out the resort, we needed an appointment. Ugh. Back to the Serenade we go and the next day we called their guest services rep and scheduled an appt for that same day.

One thing was a bonus, the place was built like Fort Knox, meaning we would be safe if we decided to stay there. lol!

We ended up meeting a a group representative and from there we decided to celebrate my 50th Birthday there for the next year.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t book this trip using points. My husband tends to be a hoarder when it comes to points so we actually just earned more rewards for this trip.

Planning a Group Trip for 28 is No Easy Feat

Planning a trip for a group this size is no small task and thank goodness we had a wonderful travel agent who helped us. We had grandparents, cousins, cousin’s kids and close friends, so we needed a resort that could handle a big crowd without feeling chaotic.

We were happy that we chose The Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana because it was all inclusive and everyone can enjoy themselves at one location without me having to worry about wrangling everyone on the hour. My motto to the group was this: Picture yourself at a vacation but your friends just happen to be there. If you see them, say hi, if you want to hang by the beach, then hang, there’s no agenda, no pressure. Just R&R and enjoyment.

The resort sits right on Bavaro Beach, one of the most talked about stretches of sand in Punta Cana and it’s a perfect setting for families. 3 families that were with us got the swim up suite and we requested that we all be side by side. There’s places quiet mornings by the beach or pool and later in the day, we all hung out by the lazy river most of the afternoon. Throw in a couple of flowrider sessions and we were all happy, (extra cost, but free if you upgraded to the Diamond Club).

Booking Through Air Canada Vacations using a Travel Agent

Coordinating flights and rooms for 28 people was a logistical puzzle, and Air Canada Vacations made it far easier than I expected. We worked with a travel agent who helped us block rooms together, arrange group transfers from Punta Cana International Airport, even a mobile scooter for my mother in law and keep everyone on the same flight schedule. Having one point of contact for such a large booking saved us countless headaches.

Air Canada Vacations also offered flexible payment options, which helped a lot of our group members budget for the trip over several months. By the time we all landed in Punta Cana, everyone had their documents in order and their rooms confirmed, which made the arrival feel smooth rather than stressful.

Arrival and Check In

We arrived as a wave of suitcases and excited chatter, and the resort staff handled our group check in with a level of patience I did not expect for 28 people showing up at once. We were greeted with a welcome drink, which felt like exactly the right way to start a birthday trip. There were minor hiccups while checking in, I mean who wouldn’t expect that for a group this size, however within an hour, everyone had their room keys and wristbands, and we were off exploring the property.

The rooms themselves exceeded expectations. As mentioned, a few of us booked swim up suites side by side, which led us to step right from their patio into a quiet section of the pool. And because we were all together, we were just one giant long pool. Others chose ocean view rooms or pool view.

Food and Drink for a Crowd

Feeding these many people with different tastes could have been a nightmare, but the resort’s variety of restaurants made it simple. For my actual birthday night, we celebrated at Rio, their Brazilian Grill, which was amazing. We also hired their on-site events photographer. My husband also surprised me with an after party, where we had a whole private section at another location of the resort to ourselves with a cake, and our own bartenders.

The rest of the week, we went between the buffet, Hunter’s Steakhouse, Oceanside, and Zen and the others. We had to book it through their app so we tried our best to co-ordinate with our group, but it wasn’t easy and we didn’t always eat together. But everyone found something they loved. A few of our pickier eaters stuck close to the buffet most nights, while the food lovers in the group made a point of trying every specialty restaurant before we left.

The drinks were just as much a highlight. With the all inclusive plan covering premium liquor at several bars, our group found a favourite swim up bar early in the trip and returned there most afternoons. The bartenders even learned several of our names and drink orders by day two, which added a nice personal touch to the whole week.

Lazy River at Royalton Bavaro

Activities and Entertainment

With a group our size, keeping everyone entertained could have been tricky, but the resort’s schedule of activities meant there was always something happening.

The kids and their parents spent much of their days at water park, pools or beaches, while others joined beach volleyball, pickle ball or took part in the daily fitness classes by the pool.

One of the highlights was the foam party held at one of the pools where everyone got together and had a blast.

I personally, lived in the lazy river. This was by far the best lazy river that I’ve ever been to at an all inclusive and it was one of the main reasons I ended up booking this resort. There’s also a surprise bar hidden in a cave midway.

There was no shortage of nightly entertainment held in the main stage area where there was a variety of performances. Everyone at the resort gathered together. Great for the kiddos. Also, a casino where we went nightly to keep ourselves entertained.

The biggest highlight of this trip though, was the surprise arrival from our neighbours who came 2 days into the celebration. We had absolutely no idea they were coming and even though we talked to them right before we left, they kept it under wraps real good. They looked everywhere for us all day and finally found us at the buffet for dinner. The resort was so big it literally took them a whole day to find us.

Tips for Planning a Large Group Trip

Looking back, a few things made our trip to the Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana run smoothly, and I would pass these tips along to anyone planning something similar.

• Book Early
  Rooms for a group of 28 fill up fast, especially if you want everyone in the same building or section of the resort. Second, work with a travel advisor rather than trying to coordinate everyone’s flights and rooms individually. It saved us so much back and forth. Third, set clear expectations with your group about any shared costs for things like private dinners or excursions, since not everyone will want to join every activity.
• Set up a group chat on What’s App
  This made it super easy for communication. It was fun to see messages when you wake up with “we are at the buffet, see you there“, or “we are at the beach, if anyone is looking for us“. I actually had to manage 2 groups, one for the elders and one for the younger crowd. I say younger like we aren’t in our late 40’s or 50’s. 😂
• Be flexible and lower your expectations
  With a group this size, not everyone wants to do the same thing every day, all day, and that is okay. The beauty of an all inclusive resort like this one is that people can split off for a quiet afternoon or a lively pool party and still come back together for dinner and evening plans. Setting these boundaries will save your sanity and you won’t be coming home saying “I need a vacation from this vacation“.

Final Thoughts

Celebrating my 50th birthday at the Royalton Bavaro Punta Cana with 28 of the people I love most is a memory I will carry for the rest of my life. The resort delivered on comfort, food, and entertainment, while Air Canada Vacations made the logistics of a large group booking far less stressful than I expected. If you are thinking about planning a milestone celebration with a big group, I cannot recommend this combination enough. Punta Cana’s warm water and warmer hospitality, paired with a resort built to handle a crowd, made turning 50 feel like the start of something rather than an ending.

Things to do in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic