Bienvenida a Punta Cana

So I'm back from my vacay in Dominican Republic and I'm really sad. I wish I could have stayed longer. Five days was not enough time. But it was long enough for me to gain weight, get a tan, and meet wonderful people. Upon our arrival we found out that we had to pay a "entrance to the country" fee which was ten dollars per person which means that my dad had to whip out fifty American dollars lol. Anyway we paid the fee and kept it moving. We found our driver from "Coco Tours" and we left the airport. The ride from the airport to the resort was only about thirty minutes. We were immediately greeted by the wonderful concierge at the Riu Palace Resort. We were also greeted by a lady who served us some pretty and tasty drinks. Mhmm "The welcome drink". After checking in we made our way to our room where we had a balcony which faced the garden and fountains. We didn't waste any time, we slipped on our summer dresses and bathing suits and hurried down to the beach. It was a tad bit too windy for swimming so we decided to get a bite to eat. To be honest, the food was NOT good.

 NOT at all impressive, but I didn't complain...my sisters did. We spent the rest of the day checking out the resort and taking pictures. Later in the evening we had dinner in one of the restaurants which we would quickly become familiar with "Don Manuel". The waiters and waitress were so very nice and friendly. They pulled out your chairs for you to sit down, and they were always at your service. One in particular that I grew to love and will never forget was Joel. He was a young twenty year old waiter from Santo Domingo. He was extremely nice and not creepy like some of the other waiters. He always called me his "nubia" (girlfriend) and showed me off to his colleagues. My parents even liked  him because he was very polite and helpful. In the days that followed we spent our days at the beach soaking up as much sun as possible. I miss the "Scuba Caribe" men who constantly asked us if we wanted to participate in the water sports. I can hear them now saying in their accent "Para sailing, banana boat, speed boat" lol. On our third day we left the resort and went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. OMG. It was amazing...much better than where we stayed. It was more modern and Americanized. My mom, sisters and I went to the spa and enjoyed a massage on the house. The spa was BEAUTIFUL, and the massage was AMAZING. The whole resort itself was GORGEOUS and HUGE! The food and ice cream was much better there than at Riu. Unfortunately they were lacking the livelihood that the staff at Riu had. At Riu there was entertainment at the beach and pool and a friendly staff. Unfortunately I didn't see much of that at the Hard Rock. Don't get me wrong, it's not like the people were mean, they were friendly also but at Riu it was much better. When the clock struck 11pm our time at the Hard Rock was over, it was back to Riu Palace. The next day we enjoyed the beach and pool and my sister and I watched as a couple got married on the beach.

The spa at the Hard Rock

I didn't like that they didn't go to a secluded part of the beach or at least request that where they got married be closed off but I guess they didn't mind the sworm of people watching and taking pictures lol. Watever it was beutiful and they looked happy anway. The rest of the days in DR went smoothly. We all enjoyed the fun in the sun but on Sunday it all came to an end. Unfortunately I woke up with a stomach ache and I threw up. I didnt get a chance to take one last stroll on the beach or say bye to some of the friendly staff. I did say bye to Joel though lol. He  gave me a Dominican Remedy to make me feel better and it worked...after I left the resort. I wish I could have stayed longer. Nevertheless it was an amazing time and I wouldnt trade it for the world. One day I will go back to DR.

THE END!