Zemi Miches is one of the first properties to open in Miches, a new resort corridor on the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. A Hilton Curio Collection all-inclusive, it’s a lush, design-forward property with impressive dining, beautiful pools, and some of the nicest bungalows in the Caribbean at this price point. Read on for everything you need to know.

Location: 4.5/5

Zemi sits within a gated community in Miches, about 90 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport. Worth knowing upfront: though Miches is sometimes loosely grouped with Punta Cana, it is very much its own destination, and the transfer adds time to your journey. Everything from the beaches to the views are very different from what you will find in Punta Cana – there are no towering resorts everywhere here yet and the best part is there is no sargassum here in the summer so it makes for a perfect destination in the summer instead of what you’ll find in Mexico and Punta Cana with seaweed-covered beaches.

The property itself is expansive and beautiful. A lush coconut grove runs directly behind the resort, and the grounds feel tropical, green, and unhurried in a way that newer, denser resort corridors can’t quite replicate. Because Miches is still so new, there are only a handful of hotels open, which contributes to an uncrowded, relatively undiscovered feel.

The one caveat is the beach directly in front of the property. The water here is on the silty side due to small stream outlets nearby, and the beach has shifted noticeably over the past couple of years. It’s not Playa Esmeralda next door with Secrets, and it’s not Punta Cana. However, if you turn right at the bungalows and follow the beach for about 10 to 15 minutes, you arrive at something spectacular: completely clear water, a flat calm shoreline, and a lush, almost Jurassic Park feel. It’s a stunning stretch. The property is also in more of a marshland setting, so no-see-ums and bugs come with the territory. Pack repellent – it’s definitely a must though this is not unusual in Punta Cana either.

Lobby & Check in experience: 4.5/5

The lobby is gorgeous – it’s a large, multi-level space with beautiful architecture and a full bar on the lower level. It makes an excellent first impression. There are two check-in desks: one for standard guests and one for Club Azure guests. Both are standing check-ins, which is something we’d like to see changed as club level really should have a seated arrival experience, and bungalow guests should ideally be checked in at their villa.

That said, we did receive a welcome guava juice on arrival, which was a lovely touch. From there, a buggy took us to the bungalow for a brief room tour. There was a small bit of confusion around the butler assignment – the person who greeted us wasn’t actually our butler, and our butler didn’t start until 3:00 PM, but we received the butler’s phone number to text him later when he started work.

Rooms: 4/5

With 500 rooms on property, the standard room categories are differentiated primarily by view, locations and whether you’re on club level. The newest addition, and the real highlight, are the 20 bungalows: freestanding villas with small plunge pools, available as studios or two-bedroom configurations.

Our studio bungalow was lovely and reminded us a bit of the Maldives. When you walk in, there’s closet space on the right, followed by a spacious bathroom with dual vanity, a freestanding soaking tub, and both an indoor and an outdoor shower. The outdoor shower was a real highlight in this room as it’s very unusual in the DR to have this option at an all inclusive resort. The bedroom has a king bed, a daybed seating area, and a small dinette. The ceilings are vaulted and beautiful, with three large glass panes that open to the outside. Blackout curtains make the room extremely dark, which we love. The minibar in bungalows is well stocked: Grey Goose, Baileys, whiskey, rum, red wine, beer, and snacks. Bungalow guests can also request wine bottles through the butler, and we received a welcome bottle of Moët alongside snacks on arrival, which was a thoughtful touch.

Outside, the patio has two chaise lounges, comfortable chairs, an umbrella, and the plunge pool. The views are excellent, and the sunset from the bungalow is beautiful. We loved watching it with a glass of wine from the patio. The bungalows to the right of Jagua restaurant offer a bit more privacy if that matters to you, though you do trade the ocean view.

A few notes on the broader room categories: swim-out rooms are actually quite private and come with their own plunge pool, more private than you might expect compared to a lot of swim-up style accommodations you may be familiar with. The ocean view rooms on the upper floors are very impressive and probably our favorite of the standard/club categories. Suites in the main building should be avoided if you like to go to bed early, as the nightly entertainment theater runs right outside them until 11pm every night. If you’re booking a two-bedroom, stick with the bungalow for about the same price.

Club level is worth booking across the board. In addition to upgraded bathroom amenities and better minibar inclusions (a bottle of rum versus beer and soda for standard rooms), club level comes with a dedicated concierge, favorable room locations, access to exclusive dining and pool areas, and generally a higher service baseline. We’d recommend it exclusively versus booking a standard room here.

A handful of finishing details felt slightly rushed for a newer property. They also had no duvets (just a fleece blanket like the ones you may find in cheap hotels in the US) which we found to be absolutely bizarre and the first time we’ve ever seen this at a Hilton property. There are also outlets only on one side of the bed, and manual blinds that are awkward to open given how the door open. Nothing that diminishes the overall experience (other than the lack of duvet), but definitely room for polish.

While we weren’t able to tour the two-bedroom suites, we did tour the 2-bedroom Bungalow:

Service: 3.5/5

Service is the area with the most room to grow. Housekeeping was inconsistent and frankly not good. Simple, standard tasks like replacing towels and opening curtains were not really done and the room never was thoroughly cleaned. Countertops and floors were left dirty with stains, dirt and sand left to set, empty glassware sat uncollected, and on one occasion our beach towels weren’t replaced and we had to request new ones so we didn’t have to use the nice white towels. For a resort positioning itself at this level, that gap is noticeable.

Butler service in the bungalows is marketed as a premium experience, but in practice fell short. Our butler was responsive during his day shift and did small things like delivering sparkling water and following up via text, but there was no coverage outside of those hours, meaning requests in the evening or early morning typically went unresolved. A dinner reservation change we asked for didn’t happen even when he was on shift, and a buggy he confirmed never showed up. The disconnect between the promise of bungalow-level service and the reality of it was the most significant gap of the stay. I mention these things because we heard from multiple guests who had similar experiences so there seems to be a general lack of communication across departments and management.

That said, there were genuine standouts, particularly some of the food and beverage managers and floor staff at the restaurants, who were warm, attentive, and clearly cared about the guest experience. There’s real talent on property; it just needs more consistent direction.

Dining: 4.5/5

Dining is unambiguously where Zemi shines, and the food quality is meaningfully better than comparable all-inclusive properties in the region and next door.

Toa, the Dominican-inspired restaurant, was our favorite meal of the trip. The menu is inventive, flavorful, and representative of local cuisine in a way that feels considered rather than obligatory. The only issue is pacing and order timing. On our visit it took over two and a half hours to get through dinner, which is a logistics problem worth mentioning as it appears to happen somewhat regularly according to reviews. But what we had was outstanding, and we’d go back in a heartbeat. If we had another night on property, we would have absolutely returned, even with the long wait time.

The Royal Palm restaurant, exclusive to club level, is excellent for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast covers all the classics like omelettes, Dominican breakfast, eggs Benedict, waffles and mimosas are available even if they’re not on the menu. Lunch was our favorite on property: fresh seafood, well-executed meat dishes, consistently high quality. The Royal Palm bar runs morning through 11:00 PM and makes excellent cocktails. It’s also a great sunset spot.

Bungalow guests have access to Jagua for all three meals, which is always open when bungalow guests are on property. Breakfast mirrors Royal Palm and is similar quality and dishes.  We had lunch and dinner at Jagua as well and had good meals for both, primarily ordering fish and salads.

Yuca is available for all guests and offers an a la carte lunch and dinner option. We did have lunch here and they do offer mostly sandwiches and burgers. We did order a shrimp tostada but would love to see more fresh seafood options. For dinner, they are a steakhouse with some complimentary options as well as some paid steak options.

Boba, the Thai/ Asian restaurant, was enjoyable across the board except for the Nasi Goreng which was the only somewhat bland item. They had excellent appetizers like the edamame and tuna tartar cone,

Manicotti, the Italian restaurant, executes the core menu items very well, the pizza was fabulous and the beef carpaccio was excellent. They have a surf and turf add on and some other items but we did not feel the extra charge was worth it.. The setting is bright and a bit flat in terms of atmosphere, and it’s oddly difficult to get a reservation even when tables are clearly open.

Guacete, the main buffet for breakfast and lunch, looked high quality with strong variety. It was not open for dinner during our stay and we did not have a chance to enjoy it but we heard from other guests that the quality was great.

The lobby bar is lively and fun, especially in the evening. The main swim-up bar was active and fun and they had some daily activities next to the swim up bar that people were having a blast enjoying.

There is also a coffee shop that serves coffee beverages, snacks and some light bites throughout the day. They have donuts, muffins and the standard items as well as some salads and sandwiches if you want something to go.

Facilities: 4.5/5

The pool setup at Zemi is one of its best features. There’s a beautiful main pool accessible to all guests, plus two additional pools reserved for club level. The pools are well-designed and clearly the social center of the property, which matters here, because this is not a swim-in-the-ocean resort. The beach directly in front of the property isn’t the draw; the pools are. If you come expecting to spend your days in calm turquoise water steps from your room, it is likely not the right resort for you. If you come for pool vibes, swim-up bars, and a lively midday atmosphere, this delivers.

Club level has its own quieter swim-up bar with premium spirits as well as the Royal Palm Pool. One tip across all bars: they’ll pour the lowest-tier wine by default, and there’s no printed list of complimentary options. Ask for a taste of a few different options before committing. There are better bottles available, you just have to ask. Royal Palm is open until 11, while the Carey pool bar closes at 6pm.

The gym is a great. It has two floors, new equipment, a dedicated Pilates room, cardio machines, and weights up to 80 lbs. It feels very new, clean and spacious.

The spa is a bit of a mixed bag. The steam room and cold plunge were both closed at the time of our visit, with multiple reviews suggesting they’d been down for roughly two months. The overall facility feels slightly dated for such a new property, more afterthought than amenity. The treatment was fine and the therapists were pleasant, but it’s an area that could use investment overall. After the massage there is no relaxation area, you are simply taken to the locker room and told to leave which is the opposite of relaxing.

Buggy service keeps the large property navigable, and the resort’s web app for activities and daily programming is a useful touch. Nightly entertainment is generally good, though the outdoor theater positioned directly in front of the club-level suites is a poor choice, and we’d love to see the dance party moved indoors to the sports bar or the lobby after 10:00 PM.

They have a waterpark next to the kids club on property. It was not open during our stay but it looks fun and they do have a small food truck next door for snacks. There are a block of rooms that face the water park.

Style: 4/5

The overall aesthetic at Zemi is modern, tropical, and comfortable. The lobby is a beautiful lounge space, especially in the evening with a cocktail. The pool areas are striking, particularly the large tree in the center of the main pool, which is a wonderful focal point. The fire pits around the pool area were extremely popular at night; a few more would go a long way toward completing the look.

The bungalows are beautiful with the vaulted ceilings, glass panels, and lush surroundings. It feels like a little resort within a resort.

Where the style falls short is in the details. The outdoor dining areas lack atmosphere and feel more like a conference space than a luxury resort, there is also some brighter lighting in a few restaurants with no ambient energy, and lacks the sense that the setting was considered alongside the food. The nightly entertainment setup uses wedding-style chairs rather than comfortable lounge seating that you can find in half the theatre, which reads a bit as an afterthought. The spa feels disconnected from the rest of the property’s design investment. And a few room-level decisions – no duvets, misaligned hardware, too many sun chairs at the Royal Palm pool with no shade – suggest areas where the finish work got ahead of the guest experience thinking.

None of this undermines the style wins, however. It’s a beautiful, modern resort. It just has some uneven execution that keeps it from feeling fully considered.

Overall: 4.2/5

Zemi Miches is an exciting addition to the Dominican Republic’s all-inclusive landscape that offers much better cuisine than most properties in this pricepoint. The bungalows are beautiful, and the pool atmosphere is excellent. The beach situation requires realistic expectations, this is a pool resort with a great beach nearby, not a swim-from-your-room destination. Service, particularly for the premium bungalow and club categories, needs meaningful attention to match the price and the promise. But at the right price point, with a club-level booking and realistic expectations about the beach, Zemi Miches can be an excellent choice.