Trip duration: 5 days, Dec 2021
Our first real vacation in over 2 years... Needless to say we were beyond excited! I think my son was most excited about finally getting on an airplane and I was just thrilled to explore a new country. We wanted to keep our planning easy and the vacation relaxing (those who know me well know that this is NOT my usual style)... but for once even I was on board!
So after scanning Costco travel deals and coming up with a full spreadsheet of options and pros and cons, we finally picked Punta Cana in Dominican Republic.
This Caribbean nation shares the island of Hispaniola with its neighbor Haiti. Dominican Republic is one of the most highly visited Caribbean destinations and is known for the geographical diversity and pristine white sand beaches... so armed with beachwear, flip flops and lots of sunscreen we were off to explore the unknown destination.
Day 1
After the long red-eye flight, we finally arrived at Punta Cana around 1 pm local time. The package we had booked through Costco included the hotel transfer in a private van, which was really convenient. The resort was located in the Bavaro area, which is about 30-40 min from the airport. The friendly driver gave us little tit bits while my son and I were struggling to keep our eyes open. We finally arrived at our absolutely gorgeous resort, Dreams Onyx and were welcomed with some fruit based beverage.
By the time we arrived at the hotel and wrapped up check in we were famished since it was well past lunch time. Thankfully there was a 24 hour burger joint at the resort which came to our rescue.
We freshened up, relaxed at the pool for some time, then explored the resort's private beach for a bit and then had dinner at Mercure, the on site French restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food.
Post dinner we went on a stroll on the moonlit beach, before retiring for the night.
Day 2
10 am.. wooops! Thank you jet-lag... but honestly it had been months.. scratch that.. years.. since I had felt so well rested. However, in the interest of not missing breakfast we got ready and headed out to get breakfast... and it was quite a spread.
This day was all about lazing around at the beach and the pools, sipping several (watered down) alcoholic beverages and listening to some Zumba song blasting near the main pool on repeat. Given the size of the resort, all the guests were pretty well spread out and at no point did it seem crowded. It felt wonderful to just unwind and relax. We got lunch at Barefoot Grill and dinner at Carnival Cafe, two of the on site restaurants. Post dinner we watched the show at the resort's theater and was once again impressed with the quality of the production.
Day 3 - Isla Saona
This day we were off to explore Isla Saona and had a super early start to the day, with a pick up scheduled at 7 am.. groooaaaan! (Mind you that's 3 am PST)
Located off the southern coast of Dominican Republic, this beautiful island pretty much encompasses the Caribbean dream.. Pristine white beaches lined with palm trees, warm turquoise waters, hammocks and beach chairs... yeah you get the picture. The island is part of a government protected reserve called Parque Nacional Cotubanamá.
We booked the tour through a vendor on Tripadvisor. We were picked up around 7 am and then about an hour later were transferred to a bigger bus that took us to the port of Bayahibe. From there we boarded a catamaran to the island. Typically all of these tour providers do speed boat in one direction and catamaran on the other. There's also a professional photographer on board who will take pictures throughout the day and then sell you the package later. I was personally hoping that the sequence would be reversed since the catamaran portion promised drinking and dancing.. and I wasn't too keen to start drinking at 9 am! Anyways.. here I was on the catamaran surrounded by blue waters and the warm sun beating down on us. And life felt pretty darn good.
The music aboard the catamaran was loud at times but good in general and once Macarena came on.. oh well I had to join in. About 2 hours later we arrived at the island.
We arrived close to 12 pm and started with lunch.. it was part of the package and included some okay Dominican fare. The island itself isn't too commercialized so your options are limited.
Post lunch we pretty much lazed around at the beach which has plenty of chairs and hammocks to go around... sipping fresh coconut water or dipping in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and toasting in the 80 degree sun until it was time to leave, this time aboard a speed boat.
Our next stop is touted to be the world's largest natural swimming pool. In the middle of the Caribbean sea, not too far from the coast is a huge sandbar. The water is about 3 feet deep and is perfect for swimming.. so the name is not totally off. While kiddo napped on the boat and a couple of tour guides watched him, we swam in the waters. This stop was about 30 min or so, following which we went back to the port.
We then retraced our route back to the hotel. We had Mediterranean food for dinner at Cin Cin and then wrapped up with the evening with the evening show.
Day 4 - Santo Domingo
Another early start.. 6.45 am this time (cue more groaning) and we were off to explore the historic city of Santo Domingo. We had booked the trip on Viator with Runners Adventures.
Santo Domingo is the capital and largest city of Dominican Republic. Located on the south eastern coast of the island, the city is the seat of the oldest Roman Catholic archbishopric in the Americas. Founded by Christopher Columbus's brother Bartolome Colombus in 1496, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas and was the first seat of the Spanish colonial empire in the New World. The fortified Colonial zone of the city has a rich historic and cultural heritage and is thus a designated UNESCO World Heritage Center.
A van collected us right on time and transported us to a bigger bus waiting to consolidate tourists from different resorts. After that it was a long 3 hour drive to the city with a quick restroom and coffee break en route. By the time we reached Colonial Zone, the overcast skies showed enough promise to deliver rain that the tour guides armed us with umbrellas for the walking portion of the tour.
Alcazar de Colon
Built in the early 16th century, this Gothic and Renaissance style palace was once the home of Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, and his wife María de Toledo, niece of King Ferdinand of Spain along with two subsequent generations of the family. The palace offers commanding views of the Plaza de España on one side and the Ozama river on the other. Today it has been converted into a museum showcasing 16th century furniture, art, musical instruments, and weapons.
We explored the beautiful palace before heading out into the rest of the Colonial zone on foot.
Our next stop was Hodelpa Casa Real for a traditional and delicious Dominican lunch.
Following lunch we went to a little souvenir shop where we got to watch some jewelers working with larimar, a rare pectolite and the national gem of Dominican Republic.
We continued walking along the cobblestoned streets of the fortified city and arrived at our next stop.
National Pantheon
This was originally a Jesuit Convent and is now the mausoleum that houses the remains of many of the national heroes of the Dominican Republic.
The original church, a beautiful Rococo style building was constructed in the 18th century but once the Jesuits were expelled, it was used as a tobacco warehouse, a theater and eventually a government office building. In the 1970s the building was converted into the mausoleum that it is today.
The neoclassical facade of the building towers over Calle Las Damas and boasts of a trio of bells and the engraved Dominican national shield over the main entrance.
The baroque interior has a ceiling mural depicting the ascension to heaven and the Last Judgment, and an eternal flame burning beneath it.
After exploring the church we continued walking along the streets, lined with bougainvillea until we arrived at Columbus Park, a plaza/square with a statue of Christopher Columbus.
Cathedral of Santa María la Menor (Metropolitan Cathedral)
It is dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation (Nuestra señora de la encarnación).
Built in the early 16th century, this is the oldest cathedral and the first Catholic diocese in all of the Americas. The majestic Cathedral has a golden-tinted coral limestone frontal façade, and it combines the Gothic and Baroque styles of architecture. The ornate church once housed the remains of Christopher Columbus until they were moved to the Columbus Lighthouse, in the eastern part of the city.
We purchased tickets and the audio guide and went inside.
After this we went souvenir shopping, following which we returned to the bus which then drove around showing us several other landmarks in the city.
We drove by Mercy Gate (Puerta de la Misericordia), which was historically a site of public executions and Count's Gate (Puerta del Conde), where the Dominican flag was raised for the first time after the nation gained independence on Feb 27, 1844.
Our next landmark was the Parliament and finally we drove by China Town.
We then began our drive back towards Punta Cana. En route we stopped for some sweet treats.
Choco Punto
Dominican Republic is the largest exporter of organic cocoa in the world. Hershey's in fact sources from this country, therefore it comes as no surprise that this island makes some pretty awesome chocolates.
Our next stop was an award winning and incredibly tiny little chocolate factory. After we saw the equipment we got to sample some delicious chocolates. Needless to say every one of us left the store armed with several bars of chocolates... ooh and chocolate liqueur too.
After this we were dropped back at the hotel where we had a delicious Mexican dinner at one of the many onsite restaurants and then retired for the night.
Day 5
This was our final day before our flight back to US, so we pretty much spent the entire day relaxing at the resort. We visited the fantastic water slides and then treated ourselves to massages and more at the onsite spa.
The resort offered Covid testing for our flight back, which was quite convenient... so we got that done as well.
To wrap up our stay, the day being Christmas Eve, we also enjoyed a phenomenal 5 course meal for dinner.
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| X-mas Ornament? Or Dessert? |
Day 6
Not much happened here.. we had a heavy-ish breakfast and then headed straight to the airport for our flight back home. Dominican Republic you were awesome!
Other places to visit and things to do
Buggy Tour
Several operators offer an adrenaline rush inducing tour which involves following your guide in a 4x4 dune buggy along muddy trails and stopping at picturesque view points.
Three Eyes National Park
Located to the east of Santo Domingo, this is a natural open air limestone cave system featuring crystal clear turquoise blue lakes known as the "eyes".
Scape Park
It's an eco theme park features jungles, waterfalls, springs, beaches and you can hike, zipline and swim your way across the park.
Monkeyland
Located right outside Punta Cana, this area boasts of trained squirrel monkeys that are happy to greet and charm the visitors.
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