Review: ANI Private Resort, Dominican Republic /

This is your private resort, exclusively for your party. Plan the menu with the chef. Determine your own dress code for dinner. Stop by the spa for a holistic massage. Make your own playlist for the beach. Whether you come as a group of six or 28, the entire resort is yours.

Peacefully located on a fertile peninsula on the quieter northern coast of the Dominican Republic, this ÀNI private resort offers guests exclusive use of two living villas surrounded by 14 enormous suites. Hummingbirds soar over lush tropical foliage.

This is the worry-free Caribbean. Where Latin American style meets Old World elegance. And for your inner child there is a corkscrew whopper of a waterslide…

Created from the word “andjani” meaning a journey ahead, the ÀNI style of sharing memorable experiences draws people together as it takes them further.

The welcome

ÀNI can arrange fast track through immigration at Santo Domingo Airport, with ÀNI staff looking after luggage while guests enjoy a cooling drink in the lounge.

After a chilled flannel and ice-cold passion fruit juice welcome, guests are invited to appetizers overlooking the Caribbean. No frustrating bureaucratic check-in here.

Focus on the appetizers instead of forms: Spicy shrimp ceviche, scoop the creamiest guacamole onto tortillas. Meanwhile, the luggage will be taken to your room.

The suite

Long rooms are filled with blue-sky-azure-sea Caribbean light. Beneath dark wood ceilings, there’s a fern, orchid, and wicker aesthetic. Vogue photo shoot style is coming to the Caribbean on a big budget.

Each secluded room has a full width Caribbean view and leads to a teak deck with sun loungers, sunken chairs and a table. A serene place to listen to waves crash rhythmically on the rocks below.

As soon as you wake up, use the remote control, from the epically wide bed, to open the shutter on the sea view before stepping onto the cool acres of light marble tiles.

Few people go to the Caribbean to watch TV, but when they do, a flat screen swings out of the wall, complete with access to Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Behind the bed is a desk and an all-inclusive minibar. The rooms are separated by a backlit onyx partition.

The bathroom

His and her wash units flow into a dressing area with a half-egg bath as its centerpiece, with a dressing table behind. Light aquamarine frosted glass houses both rain and hand showers. Upon arrival, guests are given a choice of scents.

Your choice of toiletries: The lemongrass-scented ÀNI signature or lavender or eucalyptus also awaits you at the outdoor shower in the garden.

The facilities

As the resort is booked for exclusive group use, guests can enjoy up to 12 spa treatments each day. The adjoining gym is also open 24 hours a day.

Both Amber and Larimar villas overlook infinity pools. There are sunken seats for chess and checkers games.

Lunch and dinner are portable parties. Cooled by sea breezes and lit by candles, dinner can be served with a sea view from the open teak pavilions of Amber or Larimar. Another evening we dine outside under a canopy of Christmas lights.

The chefs are experienced in preparing Dominican specialties, Mexican meals, Italian evenings, seven-course tasting menus – or whatever you prefer.

Edison, activities manager, not only provides a tennis partner and facilitates water sports, but also organizes early morning bike rides and walks.

Rent

Led by Edison, an uphill hike through this rural part of the Dominican Republic sets the scene. We stroll past almond, avocado, cashew, cherry, coconut, lemon, orange and papaya trees. For the locals, breadfruit or plantains, freshly picked, cooked and mashed, often provide a frugal breakfast.

The walk passes a small wooden church with only 60 seats. Remember, this was the island where Columbus, representing the Spanish Catholic Monarchs, first set foot in the New World and many people are devout Catholics.

Other nice keys

The fun details are endless. Washes are promptly returned as part of the turn-down service, a nightly gift, ice-cold coconut juice when you return to the resort, an almost spiritual squadron of wishing lanterns lighting up the night sky on the last evening, a bag to take home wet swimwear after that last dive…

Service is beyond sublime. Waiters can sense when you need a margarita and quickly learn exactly how you like your low-fat decaf latte.

The art on display comes from the nearby ÀNI Art Academy, founded by ÀNI owner Tim Reynolds, who said when setting up the charity, “I can fill my house with art or fill the world with artists.” Guests can visit the academy and commission work from the students.

A cooking masterclass from Juan, the head chef, teaches diners how to bring Caribbean flavors into their own kitchen with a red snapper ceviche.

Each evening, the pre-dinner slot is always a highlight: a cocktail making master class, rum tasting and cigar rolling, a lively folk dance show, a sunset cruise or an early evening movie.

Costs

Reservations start from a minimum of five nights at $14,000 per night. From there, prices increase depending on group size and length of stay.

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The best bit

The staff at ÀNI drive seven minutes to a quietly idyllic crescent of a bay in Rio de San Juan to set up a makeshift beach club: lounge chairs, a trestle bar and your playlist.

There’s even wifi so you can send photos from your kayaking or paddle boarding home to the horizon. When ÀNI masseuses set up an al fresco spa for foot or head massages, guests slip into zen mode.

And then a BBQ is served by ÀNI’s staff in impeccably white shirts. Shaded by white chiffon curtains, they help guests to chicken, lobster, pork and ribs with matching avocado and mango salads.

The final verdict

This is the vacation of a lifetime with your favorite people, your favorite activities, your favorite foods. There’s A-list living at the pop-up beach club and rockstar chic at the sunset cruise.

All this in what may become your favorite destination in the world. Unless you step into one of the other ÀNI Private Resorts in Anguilla, Thailand or Sri Lanka…

Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by ÀNI Private Resorts.