Dominican Republic
On arrival in Punta Cana airport, you know you have arrived in the Caribbean, besides the clear blue sky and the wall of heat that hits you as you step out of the aircraft the airport terminal is built in typical Dominican style with roofs built with Palm fronds and a lovely "Welcome Home" from airport staff which I soon learned is a phrase very well used around the Island.
We were based around the resort of Punta Cana where the beaches at most of the resorts were picture perfect, with powdery white sandy beaches and turquoise waters of the Caribbean. We came across one or two resorts that had a lot of seaweed from a recent rainfall but staff cleaned it up to the best of their ability.
Dominican Republic is very much a resort based holiday with Punta Cana leading the way with fantastic resort hotels that cater for your every whim. Having visited a lot of the properties along the Punta Coast, I was extremely impressed with the standard, facilities, food and service. Punta Cana has over 50 all inclusive properties so something for every taste and expectation. Hotels in Punta Cana cannot be built higher than the tallest palm tree! Venturing outside the hotel at night the resort has a few local bars and the Imagine Club (Dom Reps answer to Copper Face Jacks) but as hotels are all inclusive, not many tourists venture out at night.
The Island has plenty of adventure and action to offer. For a true adrenaline rush zip line through the lush mountain range of Bavaro, zipping from platform to platform wasn't for the faint hearted but a truly great fun filled day serviced by professional and friendly staff. We spent time visiting Altos De Chavon in La Romana. Altos Chavon is a re-created medieval village built in the 1970's and home to Dominican School of Design, the buildings and the 5000 seat open-air amphitheatre give a very romantic old charm feel but it is the view surrounding this artist colony that is breathtaking. For culture and heritage buffs a day trip to Santo Domingo is a must with museums and monuments which are located in the very historic colonial zone.
If it is World Class golf courses, deep sea fishing, snorkelling tours, shopping trips or swimming with dolphins, Dominican Republic has so much to offer to ensure you have a great action packed holiday.
My few tips for Dom Rep: Most services will accept dollars but if you need Pesos most hotels have exchange booths and the bigger hotels have ATM machines. Most of the speciality restaurants require reservations so don't miss out on some great dining experiences within your hotel. A lot of people ask me if Dominican Republic is safe and from my own expierence and walking the beaches on my own in the morning I felt as safe as walking the beaches in Kilmore, they recommend you don't walk along the beaches at night on your own but this can be said of anywhere. Even though all properties are all inclusive, I felt tipping a few dollars to those that make you smile and give great service goes a long way to the recipients.
Dominican Republic is no different than any other Caribbean Island their minute is more like our half hour but this is the charm of this laid back Island.
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