First look: The Dominican Republic’s first all-inclusive Hilton Curio Collection hotel, Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort

The new Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, is among the Dominican Republic’s latest all-inclusive hotel openings, and it’s Hilton’s first Curio Collection all-inclusive resort on the island. The Playa Esmeralda area surrounding the northeastern Dominican town of Miches is quickly becoming a hot spot of new resort openings — including Hyatt’s Secrets Playa Esmeralda and Dreams Playa Esmeralda — as travelers continue to seek out the more secluded beaches northwest of Punta Cana.

Zemi Miches was on TPG’s list of the most anticipated hotels for 2025, so we’ve been excited to try out this new all-inclusive offering. And while the resort did hit a few hiccups that required postponing its planned opening multiple times, my experience at the resort was overwhelmingly positive. I loved almost everything about my stay — from the property itself to the amenities and service to the delicious restaurants.

Related: Best Hilton all-inclusive resorts

First impressions

The resort truly feels like a secluded island paradise from the moment you arrive.

When you walk through the lobby’s sliding glass doors, you’re immediately greeted with a stunning multilevel art installation that represents the wind and canoes used by the Indigenous Taino people who first inhabited the island.

The resort mixes modern amenities and minimalist design choices with neutral tones, natural textures and thoughtful nods to Dominican and Taino culture. Throughout the interiors and exteriors, you’ll find lush landscaping and plenty of places to relax with comfortable seating. The lobby tables and couches even have places to charge your devices, which was a thoughtful touch.

The music playing in the lobby was relaxing, the welcome drink was strong (and delicious), and check-in was a quick and easy process. By the time we checked in and got to our room, I was already thoroughly impressed and extremely excited to experience everything else the resort had to offer.

The rooms

We stayed in a Club Azure Plunge Pool Beach View Room during our stay. The room was a standard size with stone floors, two comfortable queen beds, a double vanity and a truly massive waterfall shower. There was also a full closet (with drawers!), a flat-screen TV, a table and a desk. There were numerous outlets throughout the room, equipped with standard North American sockets and USB plugs, though not all of them were working during our stay.

While it was a comfortable and stylish home base — and close to the main pool, restaurant area and lobby — the bedroom itself didn’t sweep us off our feet. However, the real showstopper was the personal plunge pool available via our own back patio.

The beach view? Lovely. The water? Refreshing. The ability to hang out poolside anytime day or night? Incredible. This outdoor feature is what made the room special.

It’s worth noting that the plunge pools are semiprivate, but definitely not fully secluded from outside eyes. The pools can be seen from the balconies of the upper floors and the beach, and your neighbors can easily pop their heads over the partition between pools.

Food and drinks at Zemi Miches

Usually, standout dining is not the first thing that comes to mind at an all-inclusive resort. But Zemi Miches offers an impressive lineup of restaurants and bars.

For most guests, breakfast is served at Guacete, the resort’s elevated take on a typical all-inclusive resort buffet with a mix of self-serve and made-to-order stations.

For a sit-down lunch, your best options are Yuca (open for lunch and sometimes dinner), the open-air beachside grill, and Guacete. But for more casual grab-and-go bites, you can check out Batey — the cafe that serves specialty coffee (including my go-to order: an iced caramel latte with almond milk), fresh salads, fruit, a selection of pastries and ice cream.

Where the resort really shines is the three a la carte dinner options:

• Toa: Dominican cuisine inspired by family recipes
• Boba: Elevated Thai street food
• Manicato: Pizzas, pastas and other Italian dishes

Especially for a newer all-inclusive resort, I was impressed with the quality of the food at every single restaurant that we visited during our stay.

You will need to make dinner reservations, which can be done through the front desk or via the app. Some reservations were made on our behalf by the resort prior to arrival, but I was able to easily make lunch reservations for Yuca via the app without issue.

Of course, there are also plenty of places to grab a drink, from the swim-up pool bar to the lobby bar to the sports bar (which even has its own cigar room).

Amenities and service

The resort is still in its infancy (it officially opened in June), and as with any new all-inclusive resort, there are still some expected kinks to work out. However, the service was top-notch, and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. English is widely spoken throughout the resort, though I did try to use my (admittedly very rudimentary) Spanish when I could.

Of course, I recognize that’s all somewhat expected from someone who was a hosted guest of the resort, but I witnessed the same level of service and care given to other guests throughout our stay.

Zemi Miches has all the standard all-inclusive amenities, as well as a few unique offerings:

• Taino-inspired Acana Spa: The Acana Spa features a full menu of both standard services and Dominican-inspired offerings that incorporate Taino rituals and healing practices. My massage was great and something I’d definitely rebook on my own dime the next time I’m at the resort.

• Club Azure: Out of the 500 rooms available at Zemi Miches, a mix of 135 rooms, suites and (soon to open) bungalows are designated as part of Club Azure, which comes with a separate check-in desk, additional in-room amenities (including complimentary bottles of Dominican rum and Jack Daniel’s whiskey), private Club Azure guest areas and a concierge.

• Multilevel gym: The resort has a fantastic multilevel gym with standard free weights, machines, treadmills and ellipticals, but the upstairs really steals the show with a yoga studio, row machines, TRX suspension equipment and my personal favorite: a reformer Pilates studio. The resort also hosts a rotation of free fitness classes for guests, and there will eventually be pickleball courts open for use.

• Family-friendly amenities: This is a family-friendly resort, with two-bedroom suite options, the ability to book adjoining rooms, and plenty of kid-friendly activities and programming (everything from video game tournaments to beach treasure hunts to Dominican culture lessons). There’s a separate children’s pool right next to the main pool area, and kids waterslides over at the edge of the resort property near the Coki Cove kids club (ages 3-12) and soon-to-open Palmchat Teens Club (ages 13-17).
• Unique activities calendar: A truly unexpected highlight was the resort’s activities calendar. I attended a pottery workshop, a painting class, two different gem workshops (including a larimar workshop, which meant I got to take home my very own rare gemstone only found in the Dominican Republic), and a “Taino Glow Show.” And that was only a small selection of the full rotation of activities hosted throughout the week.

• (Opening soon) Club Azure Bungalows: Bungalows will be available for booking starting Dec. 1, with prices starting at $8,000 for a two-bedroom suite. Bungalow guests will receive all Club Azure benefits, plus access to a private restaurant called Jagua. While booking one of the bungalows will be pricey, I think it would be worth it for a special occasion or celebration.

Zemi Miches pools and beach access

The resort features multiple pool areas and direct beach access, offering a range of water sports and excursions for guests.

I appreciated that the seating at the main pool area was entirely on a first-come, first-served basis; you didn’t have to pay extra to reserve one of the small daybeds (which is not the case at a lot of all-inclusive resorts).

Free water activity options at the beach included kayaking, paddleboarding and water biking. You can also pay extra for activities like a snorkeling tour or sailing.

The resort opted to lean into the natural shoreline and kept a lot of the natural sand, trees and other foliage. While it made for a lot of natural shade for those looking to lounge near the water (and is significantly better for the environment, which I personally respected and appreciated), it also meant the beach wasn’t a great place to swim in the ocean.

If you’re looking for a more traditional beachside vacation with long stretches of white sand and waves to splash in, you’ll likely be disappointed.

Location and logistics

What some may see as a downside to the resort, many may be delighted by: Zemi Miches is an hour and a half away from the nearest major airport, Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ). The drive is beautiful, though, and takes you through the mountains to a more secluded part of the region. I spent the entire drive with my nose pressed against the glass, watching the mountains and pointing out every cow and horse I saw to my friend, not unlike an excited toddler.

While airport transportation isn’t automatically included for all guests, Hilton does offer packages where transportation is included and arranged through the resort.

What it costs

Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort is a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection, so guests can earn and redeem points on their stay and enjoy elite status benefits when available (such as the fifth award night free and room upgrades).

Related: Hilton confirms new Diamond Reserve tier and Confirmable Upgrade Rewards for 2026

Standard room rates for two adults start in the low-$500s per night during the offseason, but easily reach over $1,000 per night during the peak season — especially for Club Azure rooms.

Hilton uses dynamic pricing to determine how many points a room costs, so rates can vary widely from night to night. During the offseason, I was able to find standard room rates as low as 130,000 Hilton Honors points per night for two adults. I found Club Azure rooms for as low as 265,000 points per night. That’s about 0.4 cents per point in value, which is just slightly lower than TPG’s November 2025 valuation of Hilton points at 0.5 cents per point.

Accessibility

The resort seamlessly integrates standard accessibility features throughout the property.

• The main walking paths are all wide, and there are elevators or ramps wherever there are stairs.
• You can select rooms with a roll-in shower during booking.
• The main pool has a zero-entry area.
• The restaurants do confirm whether you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.
• Service animals are allowed on-site (you just have to contact the resort ahead of time to arrange).

However, it’s important to note that the Club Azure infinity pool is not zero-entry and does not have a lift that I could see. And if you book a room with a plunge pool, those also have stairway entry points without lifts.

As always, it’s best to call the resort before booking to confirm if it can accommodate any special needs you may have for your stay.

Bottom line

It’s easy for an all-inclusive resort — especially one that falls under a major points brand like Hilton — to feel cookie-cutter with the food, service and amenities provided. But my experience at Zemi Miches felt distinctive, from the design choices to the food and programming.

Throughout my stay, it was clear that the resort prioritized incorporating Dominican and Taino culture into every aspect of the guest experience, and I appreciated some of the choices made to protect and respect the natural environment.

The resort isn’t perfect: It requires an additional hour-and-a-half drive from the Punta Cana airport (which may appeal to those travelers in search of a more off-the-beaten path getaway), some amenities and room types (like the bungalows) have yet to open, and there are definitely a few kinks the staff is still working out, which is completely normal for any brand-new hotel. But by the peak season in 2026, I’m confident that Zemi Miches will be one of the best luxury points resorts in the greater Punta Cana area.

I can tell you one thing: I’ll definitely be back.