For some, birthdays are simply another trip around the sun. For others, like my friend Karen, they are a reason for celebration. She is the only person I know who enthusiastically dons a birthday sash and headband to announce to the world it’s her birthday (sometimes celebrating her whole birthMONTH). So when we began planning for Karen’s 50th birthday, she envisioned a birthday trip, and anyone who wanted to join was welcome. In all, a group of 24 friends and family members traveled from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida and New York to join Karen’s birthday celebration in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

She chose Royalton CHIC Punta Cana in Dominican Republic because it looked like a fun resort with a casino, diverse activities and lively nightly entertainment.

Resort Overview © Royalton CHIC Punta Cana

Main Lobby Area © Royalton CHIC Punta Cana

Karen was excited to take advantage of the Diamond Club — for those who wanted an upgrade to their experience. With that special black Diamond Club wristband comes great perks to elevate your stay: Your room comes with a butler who will help with basically anything you need … dinner reservations, drawing a nice bath, decorating your friend’s room for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary, and leaving some Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries for a treat. Our butler was Omar, and he did not disappoint! He made sure we were able to get dinner reservations for our group throughout our stay. He arranged a nice birthday dinner at Vespa, the Italian trattoria, for our entire group to honor Karen’s mother, also celebrating a birthday that week. And he made Karen’s mother feel special on her birthday with decorations in her room and at the pool cabana. He, of course, also decorated Karen’s room on her special day and went above and beyond to make our friends who were not in the Diamond Club rooms feel included and celebrated with fun surprises, as well.

Happy Birthday Bed © Tracey Cullen

Karen with her mom, Sharon, on her 82nd birthday © Tracey Cullen

Some other premium amenities that come with Diamond Club are exclusive access to Mermaid Pool, a unique pool with large, glass viewing panels that allow guests to capture fun underwater photos while swimming like a mermaid. Guests also enjoy a private lounge and beach bar with top-tier spirits and food, and a special area of the beach with lounge chairs and bar-to-sun waiter service.

Diamond Club bracelet © Tracey Cullen

Mermaid Pool © Tracey Cullen

Pool © Royalton CHIC Punta Cana

My husband and I stayed in a luxury Presidential one-bedroom suite in the Diamond Club. It was spacious and featured a comfortable sitting area with a table and well-stocked minibar complete with a coffeemaker, red wine and Champagne, and chocolate-covered strawberries. The bedroom, separated by sliding glass doors, offered a king-sized bed with the signature purple lighting underneath. Each area had its own TV and a balcony. Off to the side of the bedroom was a large Jacuzzi tub which I enjoyed one day when Omar the butler surprised me with a hot bath decorated with rose petals. The bathroom had a spacious shower, nice robes and slippers, and two waterfall showerheads. The glass door to the toilet area did not offer much privacy, but we learned to make an announcement to alert each other before using the facilities.

Luxury Presidential Suite © Royalton CHIC Punta Cana

Presidential Suite sitting area © Tracey Cullen

One of the highlights for our group was the pool cabanas. We had two reserved pool cabanas for our group during our stay, which worked perfectly. They offered shade for those who wanted some reprieve from the sun and comfy cushioned lounge chairs. They each had a TV, which was great for the day The Masters was on, as we had some golf fans. A waiter ensured a steady flow of drinks from the pool bar and meals when people were having too much fun to walk to the buffet for lunch. A pool with jets had plenty of seating for relaxing. It was nice to have a meeting spot for everyone, so people could go off on their own and spend time at the beach or the buffet or do activities and still know where to meet up with the rest of our group.

Cabana Decorations © Tracey Cullen

There is just too much to fit into one article, so stay tuned to read more about the food, entertainment and Karen’s 50th birthday cocktail party extravaganza!

— Tracey Cullen, art director