Review of Hilton La Romana, An All-Inclusive Adult Resort

by SKFootPrint · Published December 31, 2022 · Updated December 31, 2022

Planning your next escape and not sure where to go? Well, Dominican Republic is an excellent choice as the country offers a good mix of everything that tourists love. From relaxing at the beach, to adventurous explorations to cultural exposures – Dominican Republic has it all!

For those of you that are adventurous and looking to explore different parts of the country you may need 10 to 14 days to comfortably explore Dominican Republic’s diverse regions. Santo Domingo is a great stop for exploring and getting to learn more about the country’s history and culture, whereas Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and La Romana are perfect for a tropical escape for relaxation at all-inclusive beach resorts and some fun water activities.

This was the first international vacation we were taking with our 1-year-old, so we opted not be too adventurous. We wanted to stay back at a resort, wind down from being new parents and enjoy the beach!!

There are lots of all-inclusive resorts to choose from in Dominican Republic. After looking into various options, we decided to spend our 6 day Dominican Republic vacation at LA Romana, located on the Southern Coast of the country and home to some top resorts of the island. We chose to stay at Hilton La Romana, an All-Inclusive Family Resort.

Tip: This resort is located 45 minutes from Punta Cana, Saona Island, Catalina Island and Altos de Chavón making it a great selection for people who would like to take day trips to any of the nearby islands.

Review of Hilton LA Romana an All-Inclusive Family Resort.

Hilton LA Romana offers many all-inclusive perks that attracted us to this resort, and we were most drawn to their waterpark which is suitable for people of all ages.

It includes three extremely thrilling waterslides!!

A lazy river which was our most loved activity of the water park…

There is also a kids splash zone for the little ones!

Besides the waterpark, the resort also has 4 outdoor pools…

2 Jacuzzis..

And direct beach access!

There is a kids club for ages 4- 12 open from 9am to 9pm daily with fun and engaging activities such as music sessions, treasure hunts, arts and craft activities etc.

There is also a teens club for ages 13 – 17 which is open from 11am to 11pm daily with video gaming stations, ping pong, foosball etc.

Next to the teens club is a baseball batting cage open to everyone.

And finally there is a giant outdoor chess board for family time, party and more!

There is live entertainment each night featuring different themes such as acrobatics, fire shows, dance shows, comedy shows etc.

For Hilton Diamond members, you also get access to a private VIP lounge for check in..

This lounge is open for diamond members throughout their stay and small bites and alcoholic beverages are served complimentary for diamond members only.

There is also a private pool, exclusive to diamond members..

Next to the pool, is a bar area serving cocktails complimentary for diamond members only.

Resort Restaurants and Foods

The resort offers a variety of restaurant options with a large array of cuisines and a decent selection of vegetarian options.
The resort has 7 dining options, listed below, and various bars and lounges throughout the resort.

Spices Market – This is the main buffet featuring different cuisines and international specialties based on theme nights

The Grill – Open for a la carte breakfast and lunch offering grilled specialties with a sea view.

Tres Hermanas – An a la carte café at hotel entrance offering various beverages, finger foods, pastries etc. from 7am to 11pm.

Pizzeria – A small eatery by the poolside serving pizzas by the slice.

Ausangate – An authentic South American restaurant open for dinner only.

Moustache – Restaurant serving gourmet French specialties.

Azzurri – An incredible restaurant serving Italian classics open for dinner only.

Tip: Guests staying at the all-inclusive family resort are allowed to visit any of the restaurants in the adult only resort which is literally next door and a short walk from the family resort.
Luckily, we were able to dine at Sakura, a teppanyaki style Pan-Asian Restaurant at the adult only resort, which ended up being our favorite! It was very impressive to see the chef cook in front of us showing off his culinary talents and excellent knife skills as he made for us pineapple fried rice and Pan-Asian noodles which were extremely flavorful and delicious!

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at this resort and think it’s a great destination for family vacations.

Things to do in La Romana

There are lots of day trips and excursions one can engage in when in La Romana. We were limited to the tour choices with our little one and mostly looking for kids’ friendly excursions. We managed to squeeze in two tours during our 6 days stay at La Romana. You can check out other La Romana Tours here.

ATV & Buggy Adventure Tour

We booked this tour through Hilton La Romana concierge at $140 for 2 adults and 1 vehicle. We were picked up from the hotel where we boarded a bus and it was a short ride to the meeting point, a ranch which was the base for all the buggies and 4-wheel ATVs.

Upon arrival, we were given a briefing on the tour, the route we were going to take followed by a training on how to operate the vehicles. The adventure began by driving through the Macao village to explore the small village as it is. We passed by locals, children waving and smiling at us – it was a great glimpse of the local lifestyles!

At the end of the village, we had a stop at a picturesque lake, which the tour guide mentioned was famous as a scene of the movie, Anaconda, was shot here. For those of you that are more venturesome you can also go for a swim in this lake.

From there we headed to a small town called, Bateyes, where we had a small refreshment break. Fruits and drinks were served!

At this stop, we switched our vehicle from a Buggy to an ATV and headed to local sugarcane fields with giant grass.

The ATV ride was even more thrilling as we rode through muddy roads, up and downhill.

All in all, this 4-hour tour was a fun way to explore and get a taste of the local village and lifestyles.

A day in La Saona!

When in Dominican Republic, a visit to Saona Island is a must! The Island is like paradise on earth surrounded by white sand beaches, turquoise clear waters, and countless palm trees. It is the perfect atmosphere to relax and enhance your vacation experience.

This was a full day 8-hour tour from La Romana. You can also take this day trip from Punta Cana or Santo Domingo. This excursion is suitable for all including infants which made it a perfect day trip for us with our 8-month-old son.
The pickup was from Hilton La Romana and the meeting point is at the resort beach where we received a short briefing of the tour.

We then boarded a speedboat for a 20-minute sail to the natural pool where we got to spot starfish in the crystal clear waters of the natural pool and it was extremely refreshing to swim in the cool clear water.

After the refreshing swim at the natural pool, we boarded a catamaran and sailed to Saona Island, an absolute beauty!
Upon disembarking the catamaran, is a charming walk through lush green palm trees and narrow pathways to get to the Island.

Tip: We arrived the island around 11am and were among the first tour groups to arrive. Many more tour groups started arriving shortly after and within a mere 30 time the island was crowded. We, therefore, recommend quickly getting to the beach to secure sun beds hopefully in the shade, if you are there early enough.

Upon getting to the beach, we had another quick briefing followed by 4 hours of free time to enjoy the Island beauties! You could go for a swim, walk around the lushy green vegetation and there is also a play are for kids.