Nickelodeon resort combines five star luxury with cartoon fun for the kids in stunning Caribbean setting

IT didn’t take long for the Nickelodeon effect to work on my daughter – about two seconds flat!

As we walked across the threshold of the stunning Punta Cana resort, she started singing the theme to Paw Patrol, one of the franchise’s biggest hits.

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Then it was on to ‘who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants!’ – the theme from their smash show.

But whether you are a fan of Marshall and Chase, or you want to live in Bikini Bottom (where Spongebob is from before you ask), the immersive five star experience is designed to put you in cartoon holiday mode.

The fun-packed resort is all about the characters and the memories – whether it’s current favourites like Dora the Explorer or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – or old school cartoon classics like Garfield.

The giant AquaNick water park is perfect for families to splash the day away and the kids club, with regular meetings with their costumed heroes, will bring the cartoons to life.

And it’s not all geared towards youngsters either. There’s an infinity pool, swim-up bar, a host of restaurants and a chic late night lounge with live music and late hours for the adults.

You also have access directly from the pool area to the golden Uvero Alto sands, where you can enjoy a cocktail or two from the beach bar while the sun shines.

My daughter Grace and I spent a week at the amazing development which combines luxury and first class service with excellent food and entertainment for all.

We were greeted with a glass of slime on arrival (ok, it was a green cocktail but you have to play along) and a Spongebob statue as we headed to our room.

We dumped the bags and headed straight out to get a cocktail at the swim-up bar – a true sign of a top class hotel.

Luis the barman made Grace a special mocktail while for me, it was a Hurricane made with the potent local rum the Dominican Republic is famous for.

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Things had started well – and after a couple of welcome drinks it was time to hit the beach.

Usually the closest we get to a wave machine is the Time Capsule in Coatbridge so to have one on our doorstep was fantastic.

The beach and the infinity pool would be enough for most resorts to entice guests but this is a cartoon paradise – with a cartoon waterpark to enjoy too.

AquaNick is geared for under 12s with slides, splash pads, a giant tipping bucket and lazy river.

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Once there, you will be lucky to get your little angels away, especially with characters like Spongebob’s sidekick Squidward regularly showing up to meet their fans.

Of course, fuelling the family is crucial to having fun – and what a selection you have to enjoy here!

Five star buffets are very hard to pull off successfully. By their very nature the food can sit and sit under hot lights and lose their appeal.

But Sugarcane, the resort’s outstanding buffet choice, cooks much of the hot food to order in front of your eyes.

And the choice is off the scale – you could eat here for weeks and not have the same permutation twice.

The chefs are ready for you at breakfast if you want eggs poached, scrambled or fried – which prevents them sitting under a hot light for ages and going all stale.

For lunch and dinner, the choice of meat and seafood was fantastic.

Grilled squid, salmon or local mahi mahi were my go to options but I could have equally had steak, chicken or pork cooked within minutes.

Grace was in pasta heaven with a chef there to cook your spaghetti to order with a choice of sauces and toppings.

Dinner could be either more of the same or themed nights. One evening was all Mexican fare while another was a Dominican night with a delicious hog roast.

There was a dizzying array of salad options, fruit and veg – some of them I had to google – and a freshly made pizza oven dishing out the favourites.

Then if you had enough room, the pudding selection was amazing.

Stunning cakes, cheesecakes, mousees, ice creams, pancakes and a massive cheese board … the list was endless.

The overall experience was pulled off by the staff who were available for drinks or the plates being removed but were not too in your face either.

The other restaurants in the resort were more specialised – but just as good.

You had the Sicilian eaterie Verdello where you could have beautifully cooked pasta dishes and, my favourite, the grilled salmon with fennel.

Wok Wok offered a blast of fusion fare while BRGRS dished out American classic burgers and fries.

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Spacewalker gave the experience of being in a lunar shuttle and the food was, wait for it, out of this world.

Linguine, steak, tuna tartare – it was high end restaurant stuff.

If you had any room, the Sweetery was the place for ice cream and coffees. I particularly enjoyed the barista made cappuccinos while Grace said the chocolate bread was ‘delectable.’

Entertainment is plentiful at the resort – you simply can’t be bored here. There is an auditorium for circus and magic shows after dinner, which we loved.

Kids are also welcome in the Snick Lounge, a classy music venue where live local bands play tunes while mixologists curate the cocktails.

The hotspot also has 90s arcade games like Pacman to show the young team what it was like before Playstations.

During the day, the staff also organise sports events like table tennis, water polo, volleyball and football matches.

After all that, you want a comfy room to kick back in. Our nest suite had a king size bed and a pull out double along with a minibar that was restocked daily and a balcony.

Little touches like the chambermaids putting out Grace’s jammies in fun designs made it more like a home than a bland hotel.

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Non-stop cartoon channels on the flatscreen TV also kept the fun going until we crashed.

The Nickelodeon resort has managed to combine luxury with fun, which is a hard balance to find.

The memories will live on for a long time – mainly because I can’t get the Spongebob theme tune out my head.

All together now.. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants!