The Best Family-Friendly Hotels to Book in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Whether your kids prefer Lucy Loud or Powdered Toast Man, there won’t be any arguments at Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Punta Cana. This giant upmarket resort celebrates every aspect of the can’t-get-enough-of-them shows. Attractions include a mammoth AquaNick water park, spread over six acres (2.5ha) – kids and adults alike can get their kicks on the water slides, the river rides and the slime bath. If your budget doesn’t stretch to the resort’s most iconic accommodation – the SpongeBob SquarePants-inspired Pineapple Villa – the range of suites, swim-ups and villas are so well designed that you’ll be at home whatever you pick.

This place has the largest water park in the Dominican Republic – so every day is a swimwear day. But there’s more to the place than that, once you’ve had your fill of fun on the water tubes, been spat out of the spinning ball funnel and found yourself whooshed off your feet in the wave pool. Drag the children away to explore the on-site tropical jungle – unless they’d like to make some friends of their own age at the supervised Kids Club or Teen Lounge.

With more than 1,400 rooms, the Barceló Bávaro Palace is undeniably big. The advantage? Lots of amenities, along with a policy of first-rate entertainment that’s been honed to a tee. Our advice? Start with the dynamic Barcy Water Park and its exhilarating slides and rides, with options for all ages so the little ones don’t feel left out. Explore, too, the expertly organized nightlife, the amazing beach activities and the free non-motorized sports including kayaking, windsurfing and snorkeling. In essence: a great all-inclusive package sure to keep the whole family happy.

If your offspring are picky on the culinary front, then they’ll love the Meliá Caribe Beach hotel. It’s home to an impressive 13 restaurants that’ll take their taste buds through Italian via Tex-Mex to Spanish – enough to keep even the fussiest eater satisfied, even if you need to spark up a golf cart to get to your table on time. This is a sprawling mega-resort with a beautiful beachfront setting in extensive tropical gardens, so give yourself plenty of time to get around. Better yet, ditch your phone, lie back and do nothing. You are on vacation after all.

If your kids crave to learn how to walk a tightrope, juggle or do magic, the Dreams Onyx Resort & Spa is the answer. It has all kinds of tricks up its sleeve, learnable at its daytime circus school. Water babies will love the five pools, including a saltwater kids’ pool with plenty of inflatables. Older kids – and grown-ups – can take advantage of a free introductory scuba lesson, or wear themselves out grappling with non-motorized water sports. The choice includes kayaking, Hobie Cat catamarans, stand-up paddleboarding or windsurfing.

Guests choose Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana for the rock’n’roll signature decor and branding. But there’s also a huge range of family activities here, along with the largest casino. Also on offer are 13 pools, so worry not if your brood can’t stay away from the water slides. Also on the program is crazy golf as well as a supervised kids’ club. As for accommodation, standard rooms are quite spacious, but if you really want to splurge, book the three-bedroom Rockstar Suite: you get a luxury penthouse complete with baby grand piano, pool table and all kinds of gaming equipment.

Sprawling among coconut groves, this five-star all-inclusive is family-holiday heaven. The clue’s in the full name: Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort and Aquagames. Kids love the curly-wurly water slides, themed Caribbean pirates area and – for ages two to four – pool with animal statues. Adults are in for limitless pleasure, too: the 7,000sqft (650sqm) spa does everything from mud wraps to massages. There’s a PADI dive school as well as beach volleyball and tennis courts. And as for food and drink, there are nine restaurants (including French and Japanese), plus 13 bars.