Secrets & Sisterhood in Punta Cana

There is something about doing a girls trip that just hits different! After completing my junior year, my mom decided that we should take a vacation somewhere before I had to start studying for the Optometry Admissions Test. I got to go to Punta Cana with my mom, aunt, sister, and cousins. It was everything I did not know I needed.

My cousins came over to my house the night before our flight so that we could all head to the airport together because we had a really early flight. Two hours before we had to leave for the airport, my cousin realized she forgot all of her bathing suits on her bed at home. Luckily, it was only a 30 minute drive back to her house, but it is forever a core memory that we snuck out of the house at 2 AM to go grab her bathing suits. Our moms had no idea what was going on and we told them the story on the flight there and we all laughed. The second we got off the plane, the energy shifted and we were all in relaxation mode. No responsibilities and no care in the world.

Link to find flights!

We stayed at Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana, an adults-only all-inclusive resort that felt like stepping into a Pinterest board. My mom used her points to get us VIP rooms, which was really nice. There were palm trees everywhere, turquoise water, and the kind of warm breeze that makes you instantly feel relaxed.

Image taken by Esha Shah at Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana in May 2025

Walking into the resort lobby felt unreal. We were greeted with fresh juice and drinks from the bar. Within an hour, we got our hotel room keys, changed into our bathing suits, and we were sitting by the pool with fresh fruit, fries, and fun drinks. We were laughing about absolutely nothing and that's when I knew it was going to be a good few days.

Every morning started slowly. Coffee runs together, breakfast buffets, sitting outside, talking about life and memories from when we were little. We fell in love with Huevos Rancheros at the breakfast buffet and got it every morning!

Most days were a perfect cycle:

• Breakfast

• Pool/Beach

• Snacks

• Dress up

• Dinner

• Party

• Room Service

• Sleep

• Repeat

Thanks to the VIP rooms, we had two sets of lounge chairs right outside our room by the pool and room service was included! We didn't even have to bring or buy expensive sunscreen because the resort provided it for us, which was amazing.

Image of pool at Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana taken by Esha Shah

The best part? no one had to plan meals or worry about anything. All-inclusive really means all-inclusive. We would decide at 7:30 PM where we wanted dinner and just... go. Italian one night. Hibachi the next. Mexican after that. Late-night desserts every single time. We always had a drink in hand too. We were living our best big back lives.

Image of apple juice cocktail at resort, taken by Esha Shah

I even enjoyed dressing up every night for dinner and figuring out which necklaces I wanted to steal from my sister. My sister and cousins turned into our unofficial photographers. One night there was live music and dancing, another night there were games (my cousin actually won a free t-shirt!), and there was also silent disco where everyone was given headphones and you can switch between two channels and just dance to the music without having a loud DJ.

Image taken by my cousin, Saachi Mehta as we were going out to dinner

This trip made me realize how important it is to pause, take a breather, and spend time with family. You can create the best memories that way.

Would we do it again?

Yes, Immediately (let's hope I can convince my family to go to Europe after my cousin, sister, and I graduate in May)

These four days were so worth it and I wish we could have stayed longer. I was thinking about the room service and the varieties of foods and drinks for a literal week after this trip ended. I wish I was joking.

#PuntaCana #AllInclusiveResort #GirlsTrip

What would you look forward to at an all-inclusive resort? Have you ever been to Punta Cana?