Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

We were taken on a trip to Punta Cana by his company and had a fabulous time basking in the life of leisure in a tropical paradise where we had no worries and no expectations. It was fun filled with a lot of downtime while soaking up vitamin D in the beautiful Dominican Republic.

 Score Card: 5.8/10

• Transportation: 5/10 (few people rent vehicles, most locals drive scooters or motorcycles. However, despite the poor roads in certain areas, most places that are tourist friendly provide shuttles and pickup/drop off services to accommodate your needs)
• Price: 5/10 (The excursions were what you would expect elsewhere but food/drinks/hotel prices are a lot less than elsewhere for the quality of service you’re getting)
• Safety: 5/10 (the town itself is poor and when in a tourist area I felt safe but wouldn’t go anywhere on my own at night)
• Food: 8/10 (the resort had a vast assortment of food, it was delicious)
• Culture: 8/10 (There were a lot of local flavor in all that we did from the music to the dances to the hospitality)
• History: 5/10 (We didn’t see many historical options but wouldn’t expect that in a tropical resort setting)
• Excitement: 6/10 (it was more of a leisure trip with the excitement being that we were relaxing. However, there were exciting outdoor excursions to take part in if one so chooses)
• Awe Inspiring: 7/10 (the beach and water were beautiful although it was, at the end of the day, a beach)
• Technology Equipped: 6/10 (Our resort has cell and wifi service for some providers but not others and it would sometimes go in and out)
• Female Friendly: 7/10 (A resort like this would be fun on an all girls trip as the food and drinks are free, plus lounging, tanning and taking in the beauty)
• Solo Travel Recommended: 2/10 (because it’s a resort town, it’s best enjoyed with people you know / people you’re traveling with)
• Language Barrier: 6/10 (Most of the staff spoke English but once you found the maids, they didn’t and many of the people outside the resort didn’t speak or understand English)

Where to go:

Pro Tips:

• The Dominican Republic has had cases of the Zika virus and is currently at a level 2 warning by the CDC. With that being said, the resorts take the situation seriously and the most spray constantly for mosquitoes. We didn’t see any mosquitoes while at the resort but did see some while at the airport. Bring bug spray!
• An all inclusive resort isn’t very expensive but, because it covers food and drinks, makes the trip well worth it if you plan on staying within the confines of the property rather than going into town for dinner. The resort we stayed at had amazing food options and room service.

Experience Highlights:

Paradisus
Description: The Royal Service package from their hotel is amazing, it’s not only all inclusive but has a butler service with 24/7 assistance, premium drinks, a fwe Royal Service only restaurants, and a Royal Service only beach plus 2 beach bars and a juice bar.
Location: Playa de Bavaro, Punta Cana 00000, Dominican Republic
Cost: $165 and up depending on the dates and the level of service. The enitre resort is all inclusive, though.
Hours: 24/7
Website / Tickets: http://www.paradisus.com/
Notes: Take advantage of all the beach excursions and enjoy the beautiful weather! Booking online through a third party bundling service may yield better rates than what you get on the beach or through the vendors direct website

Pearl
Description: A hopping dayclub that turns into a nightclub only a few times a year
Location: Cabeza de Toro Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Cost: Varies depending on the date, arrival time and what you are going there for (they have restaurants on the property too)
Hours: 9am until midnight or 1am depending on the day
Website / Tickets: http://www.pearlbeachclub.com/
Notes: The stage is flanked by cabanas and the entire area is surrounded by a pool. The property is on the beach and beautiful

Costs: $80 for 2 people for a 5 night, 6 day Experience (would have been $2036 if his company didn’t pay for it)

• His company provided all inclusive hotel with complimentary airport pick up (retails for $200+ per night depending on the night and level of service (with or without a butler, etc.)
• His company provided airfare (the total for both round trip flights was $550)
• His company paid for pirate experience and dinner with complimentary hotel pickup (retails for $114 per person)
• His company paid for cruise and snorkel experience with complimentary hotel pickup (retails for $89 per person)
• His company paid expenses at the club — n/a, would have went to club in resort
• $60 ($30 each) Parasailing
• $20 dinner at the airport before leaving

Itinerary

• Monday
  • 11:55pm red-eye flight from SFO to Charlotte
• Tuesday
  • 9:25am flight from Charlotte to Punta cana
  • 1pm land in Punta Cana and go through customs
  • 3pm take shuttle and check into hotel
  • 5pm Dinner at Fuego in the resort
  • 7pm meet other employees
• Wednesday
  • 9am Order room service breakfast
  • 11am Lay by the beach
  • Noon Grab lunch at the resort
  • Check out spa on the resort property
  • 5pm mixer event
  • 6pm fine dining company dinner at Passion in the resort
  • 9pm dancing at a club on the resort property – Red Lounge
• Thursday
  • 9am order room service for breakfast
  • 10am take complimentary shuttle and go on a boat cruise plus snorkeling
  • 2pm arrive back at the hotel and grab lunch then get ready
  • 6pm take shuttle to Pirate cruise and dinner excursion
  • 9:30pm head back to the hotel to go dancing at Gabi
• Friday
  • 9am room service for breakfast
  • 11am take part in beach volleyball
  • 3pm do a walk through for the nights event at Pearl
  • 5:30pm order room service for dinner
  • 7pm go to Pearl on complimentary shuttle and setup
  • 8pm Pearl awards event starts and it starts raining
  • 9:30pm Pearl turns into club and everyone dances in the rain while Tom & Collins DJ
  • 1:30am ride back to hotel on complimentary shuttle
• Saturday
  • 10am wake up and order room service
  • 11am head to the beach
  • 1pm go parasailing
  • 3pm take a nap on the beach
  • 6pm go to dinner on the resort property
• Sunday
  • 9am wake up and order room service for breakfast
  • 11am take shuttle to the airport
  • 11:30am grab lunch at the airport
  • 2pm flight from Punta Cana to Houston
  • 6pm dinner at the United Lounge in Houston
  • 7pm flight from Houston to SFO
  • midnight, land in SFO

Unique Takeaways:

• Punta Cana loves tourists as it’s their main form of income, the drivers yelled tourists out the window while driving us to/from our excursions and the people parted to make way.  It has a lot to offer, is inexpensive compared to other destinations and a beautiful place to relax. Be sure to look out the window of your plane as you’re about to land and check out the clear, blue ocean waters.