The treatment I received on my vacation to the Dominican Republic would be one that I will always remember. I stepped off the plane and onto the runway and felt as if I was caught in a long, warm embrace by the Caribbean island. The temperature was HOT, the air was fresh and the sun was brightly shining. This was a big difference from the frigid kick in the butt weather I left back in NYC just a few hours earlier.
As my friend Tamara and I walked into the terminal, we were welcomed to DR by a live band playing meringue and shaking their hips. Behind the band were two female representatives of the Dominican Republic dressed in festive holiday attire. Christmas had just passed. Everyone that stepped off the plane we were asked to take pictures with the women. We purchased a copy of the pictures days later before flying back home. I used that picture as a way to measure how tan I got during the my trip. Once we cleared customs we were picked up by our ride and whisked off to our home a way from home, The Occidental Grand Punta Cana all-inclusive resort. The staff greeted us with smiles and a glass of Mamajuana (a favorite Dominican drink). After checking in we went off to explore the resort.
The resort was luxurious and the staff was great. The resort has about 865 rooms in 17 three story buildings. They have nine themed restaurants and seven bars. More than enough to choose from. Three lagoon style pools (one for children only) and plenty of daily activities. Included in the all-inclusive package was the use of the water sports equipment for snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking & Hobie Waving. At night, the place really came alive with nightly entertainment shows and numerous vendors selling all kinds of items from paintings, jewelry, clothing to figurines.
For our first evening in DR we ate at the buffet (so much food to choose from), took in a Merengue show performed by the hotel staff and booked a few excursions for the following days. We were pretty tired from flying and roaming around that we decided not to break day just yet. Besides, we had an early morning ahead of us.
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| Welcome to the Dominican Republic |
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| One of the pools |
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| My second welcome drink |
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| My friend Tamara |
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| Ready for dinner and a show |
Day 2: Our first morning waking up in DR was breathtaking. It was comforting knowing that when we step out our room it wasn't going to be anywhere close to the 30 degrees we left back in city. After indulging in buffet breakfast we met with our hotel representative for orientation and a tour of the luxury houses (This is not mandatory). Once that was done we met our adventure tour guide for our ATV excursion. We boarded a mini bus filled with about 15 people from neighboring resorts and made our way to the ranch.
The ride to the ATV ranch took about 45 minutes to an hour. Along the way our tour guide gave us a history lesson about DR, made a few jokes and even tried to sing a few songs. He was very entertaining and made the ride seem shorter than it really was.. When we approached the ranch we were surrounded by young children asking for money in exchange for wilted flowers. It was a little overwhelming. Once we got through the children we were led to the waiting area where we received a safety lesson and test drove the vehicles before heading out. Some rode solo while others teamed up with a partner. One by one we headed out on the trail. At first it was a nice smooth ride on level ground, then it turned into an amazing, muddy, dirty, rocky adventure. Up, down, in and out of the rain forest we went. If you decide to do the ATV tour make sure to smile while driving. The employees of the ranch will be on motor bikes taking pictures and shooting video of the whole thing which you may want to purchase at the end.
As a group, we made a pit stop in one of the villages where one of the locals gave us a history lesson on Cocoa. We were shown the process of how it goes from being a plant to actual chocolate. We even got to try some fresh chocolate. It was a nice little break before heading back out into the harsh terrain of the DR rain forest (lol, it wasn't that bad).
We rode to the beach where we spent about and hour or so relaxing and hanging out with the local children. They made hats and other items out of palms and sold handmade jewelry. We had a blast. Back at the ranch, we sipped on mamajuana while our pictures were being developed.
At the resort we freshened up, rested for a while and prepared for the eveninf festivities.
Tamara and I had dinner at the buffet then went over to the neighboring night club Mangu'. Admission was free every night because we were guests at the Occidental right next door. The place was full of off duty staff members winding down for the evening, tourist and side show freaks such as a little person in a pamper, men on stilts and a guy covered in silver wearing short shorts and roller skates . The drinks were cheap and the music was okay. The DJ mostly played out dated American hits and meringue. Overall we had a good night.
Day 3: On this day all we did was RELAX. The day consisted of us hanging out by the beach until it was time for dinner. Dinner was at one of the themed restaurants where we enjoyed a lovely meal. Later on, the activity staff put on a Michael Jackson show which was very entertaining. They had the crowd up and out their seats dancing and singing to the king of pops classics hits. Once the show was over it was back to Mangu' for more drinking, signing and dancing.
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| Animalist |
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| Miguel (Michael) Jackson |
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| Let's party |
Day 4: This was one of our busiest days in DR. After breakfast, as we were leaving the premises to shop Tamara and I bumped into the resorts photographer and animal handler. The handler was holding a baby monkey and of course I got excited. I loove me some animals so I jumped at the chance to take a picture with it. After taking a few pictures we left looked around a few of the shops. There were wood carving shops, souvenir huts and a cigar store. The lady in the cigar store had us try a strawberry flavored cigar that wasn't as harsh as expected. After a few more puffs and purchasing a pack of our own we headed back to our room to get ready for our next adventure - horseback riding.
As we pulled up to the horse ranch there was one that looked very agitated. A woman was mounted on it and for some reason the horse the horse stood on its back legs and literally fell on its side with the woman still on it. Both Tamara and myself got real uneasy. Flashes of us falling off our horses went through our heads. We could have stayed in the waiting area while our group rode on and lost out of our money or be brave and take a chance. Be brave and take a chance is what we did.
We were assigned horses and luckily for me I got Loco (Crazy). They gave him the right name because he started shaking his head and speeding during the test ride. I got nervous and asked that my horse be changed.. Feeling more at ease on my new horse we rode off into the sunset. Well it was actually around 2pm so the the sun wasn't setting just yet, but it sounded good. hehehehe. We galloped through the forest, abandoned buildings, and along the Atlantic Ocean. It was extremely hot, bumpy and my butt was sore. The views were beautiful, but I doubt I'll be going horseback riding anytime soon. I was so happy when it was done and I was on solid ground.
Back to the resort we took a nice long nap until it was time for dinner. Another wonderful meal in our bellies and off to party it was. We partied with the staff and other folks from the resort. It was one of our best nights.
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| Me, Mara and the monkey |
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| Kept an eye on the weather |
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| Tamara heading out |
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| Riding along the Atlantic |
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| Riding into the sunset |
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| Dressed for dinner |
Day 5: After the night we had there was no way we were rushing to do anything on this day. We stayed at the beach almost the entire day. We slept on the beach, ate and drank on the beach. The animal handler was strolling along with a few parrots and you know it, yours truly went right up to take some pictures with them. Around 7pm we headed up to our room to change for dinner at the Asian restaurant. A quick delicious meal and then we made our way to the lobby bar where we threw back a few rounds of specialty cocktails including the Diablito (the little Devil) a hot liquorice drank that is lit on fire before drinking it. One shot did the trick. One minute Tamara was alert and ready to party and the next minute she was done. The Diabilto knocked her out for the evening.
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| Footprints in the sand |
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Take a walk with us
Me and my two little friends
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| Peppered salmon with cashews and cocomut rice |
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| Chicken stir fry |
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| One last dance |
Day 6: Tamara woke up a little woozy while I woke up feeling sad. Sad because I would soon be leaving the beautiful, warm Dominican Republic and be back in fast paced, cold New York City. Having a little fun before we left we took a few silly pictures of us on the beach wearing our winter coats. The fun didn't last long, our ride came and we said our good-byes.
Until we meet again DR.................
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| It's so hard to say goodbye |
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| Buring up |
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| Adios |
Tips:
- You may be scheduled to sit with a hotel representative the morning of your first full day. You do not have to attend. More than likely they will be telling you about the hotels VIP services, and timeshares. They say it'll only take a bout an hour but it tends to be longer.
- When going on any excursion wear comfortable clothing and footwear. Wear clothing that you won't mind getting dirty especially if you go on the ATV excursion. Always ask the person who books your excursion what items you should bring with you.
- Carry small bills when going on excursions. You'll need them for tipping the drivers, guides and instructors. You may get approached by panhandlers so be prepared.
Do not buy any Mamajuana from the excursion sites as they do not taste anywhere near what you will be served at the resort.
- Most importantly, ENJOY YOURSELF
DR was the best island ever, got into a bit of trouble there but its time to go back! the food and the friends were phenominal! Juan Carlos, Juan, Jose, Juan Chocolito, Juan One lmbo!
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