My husband and I enjoyed a warm vacation over the Christmas holidays. We traveled to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This was our first time in the Dominican and also J's first all-inclusive experience (I have previously stayed at all-inclusives in Cuba). We were there for just under a week and enjoyed having our toes in the sand, swimming with fish and eating to our heart's content.
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Resort: Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana
Accommodations: We stayed at the Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana Resort. I had read many reviews prior to booking and almost all of them were positive. In some instances, some guests even raved about their experience. While this resort may have been worthy of a 4.5 almost 5 star in the past, I do feel that the rooms and some common areas may require some sprucing up. The state of our room didn't bother us too much since we spent most of our time outdoors. The grounds were beautiful and very well kept - the gardens were lush and there was virtually no garbage in sight. The restaurants and buffet seemed to have been renovated recently which was also a plus.
Food & Drinks: Food is really important to my husband seeing as he can eat almost anything, anytime, anywhere. We loved the food they served at the buffet. They had lots of variety and we never got sick of going there - even if it it was for all three meals in a day. The meals we had at the restaurants (Asian, Italian, French and Mediterranean) were decent, but nothing to write home about. We particularly enjoyed the Coco Cafe that served an assortment of baked goods, pies and cakes, as well as your choice of hot or frozen drinks.
Beach: Having been to Cuba in the past, I've got to say that the beaches in Punta Cana were a bit of a let down. Don't get me wrong, it was still beautiful and I loved digging my toes in the sand... it just wasn't the same. Walking along the beach, we noticed there was quite a bit of seaweed and debris both in the water and washed up on the shore. The resort staff were always hard at work raking up the seaweed and towing it away in their trucks. Reminiscing about Cuba has me missing the crystal clear water.
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Excursions
Marinarium: Since snorkeling is one of our favourite past times, we wanted to spend at least half a day (or more) doing that. After much thought, we booked a multi-activity excursion through our resort at $165 USD per person for a 4 hour boat cruise (thankfully, we had a voucher). The excursion was offered by a company named Marinarium. A shuttle came to pick us up from our resort and we were taken to the company's private docking station where we boarded a small boat with about 20 other people. Throughout the trip, we went snorkeling (mask, snorkel and fins provided), swam with nurse sharks, held a stingray and visited a natural pool where we were served drinks in the water. The staff on the boat were excellent and made sure we were well entertained and and always had a drink in hand. We even learned a bit of Spanish when they taught us how to make (our new favourite drink) Coco Loco which basically consists of coconuts, milk, sugar, ice and white rum. Overall, we had a great time but we wish we could have swam and snorkeled for longer.
Other Activities & Excursions: Before booking our excursion, we had considered many other options - water activities, 4-hour and 8-hour tours. Most of the resorts work with companies that offer excursions (mostly ranging from $80 - $200 USD per person). There were some water activities such as wind surfing, banana boats and parasailing offered by vendors along the beach for ~$50 USD and up per person. Note that most vendors take cash only so we would advise bringing USD for those interested in water sports and excursions.
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Weather
J and I checked the weather before we left and were highly disappointed that they were calling for rain throughout the entire week. Once we arrived, we realized the "rain" involved sporadic rain showers (lasting less than 10mins at a time/once a day, phew). Besides the rain, it was often cloudy with quite a bit of wind - especially by the beach. Some days it was difficult to lie on the beach for a half hour without consuming a mouthful of sand... I won't complain, I was more than relieved to experience much less rain than we had expected. We enjoyed 28 degree weather for most of our stay and even got a bit of colour on our skin!
Overall, we'd have to say that this trip has us dreaming about our next vacation spot. Although the weather wasn't perfect and the resort was in need of some revamping, J and I are already brainstorming for our next vacation. (Side note: Some of my friends have been asking if I'd consider returning to Punta Cana in the future. If and when I return to the Dominican, I'd like to visit another part of the island - perhaps Puerto Plata.)
Hope you enjoyed a safe and joyous Christmas and New Years!
E.
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