Ever since our last all-inclusive vacation Amanda
and I had been making plans to take another one. We had been keeping an eye on
various places and prices and decided to book last minute because we were
flexible in terms of dates. The only plans we had were to find someplace hot
and sunny that had a beach, and that we would go sometime in January. Once
November came around Amanda had a few things pop up around that month which
narrowed down our timeline considerably meaning we needed to make our decision
sooner.
While I was open to going any place, Dominican
Republic was at the top of my list as it’s an island I had never been to. I
loved last years trip to Ixtapa, Mexico but wanted a beach that was more on the
Caribbean side then the rougher Pacific Ocean. Cuba is an island that I would
love to visit but they get very similar weather to Florida and beautiful sunny
days aren’t guaranteed in early January. Mexico was another option however
there were a few travel advisories issued which made us leery. As we started
seriously looking we both decided we wanted to spend the extra money and pick a
place that was adults only. It’s not that either of us have anything against
children but the idea of a week away without any families and small children
running around was appealing. Around Black Friday Sunwing had a relaxation package
for some of their adult only properties. Of course some of these were a bit out
of our budget (the amazing ones with 10+ restaurants, swim out rooms and
amazing amenities) but there were some nice-looking mid-range options. One of
these was the Punta Cana Princess, a resort that I had looked into a few times.
The price was good and the dates matched so we went
with it and booked. The resort is a smaller property with just under 300 rooms
– all of which are billed as suites. The resort had one large pool, was right
on the beach, had five restaurants on-site as well as a small market. Almost
all of the reviews were positive with previous guests raving about how amazing
the manager was. Plus, it was part of a larger property meaning that we were
able to visit/eat/spend time at the two sister properties.
We left in the morning of January 2nd
excited about getting away from the freezing cold Toronto temperatures and arrived
at the resort by 4pm. The flight was okay – mostly smooth with friendly staff.
The man next to Amanda talked to us – well mostly her – the entire flight, but
he was sweet. We had the priority package which made getting our luggage a
breeze and Amanda had pre-paid all of our arrival taxes which made it great.
Once at the resort check in was easy but we requested a room change as we
wanted to be in the building closest to the pool/beach. While we were waiting
the assistant manager came over with champagne and introduced himself to us. He
made sure that we knew he was there no matter what we needed and to answer any
questions. Once our room was ready, he actually walked us to it pointing out
all the features of the resort. I found this to be an incredible gesture and he
really went above and beyond for us.
The room was nice – it was on the ground floor with
two double beds, a couch, an outside sitting area, fridge and a large bathroom.
The bathroom however was clearly designed with couples in mind. First, there
wasn’t an actual door. The bathroom had a large Jacuzzi tub at the entrance and
a sink/counter area. To the back there was a toilet and a shower both with
stall-like doors. This allowed some privacy but not much. It meant Amanda and I
had to ensure coordination when the other was showering/getting ready. We made
it work, but it’s the only thing I disliked about the resort.
Our vacation was exactly that – a complete
vacation. We actually never left the resort and spent the entire week either
laying by the pool or beach. I had wanted to do an excursion or two but we
could never decide on which one so we ended up passing on them. Our days
followed the same pattern – we woke up, ate breakfast, laid by the pool/beach,
hung out with the friends we made, had some drinks at the pool bar, ate lunch,
did more of the same, went in, showered, changed, ate dinner, watched TV and
were sleeping by about 9pm (we are such thrilling 29 year olds huh?).
The staff at the resort were amazing – we loved the
daytime pool bartender who took great care of us all week and any time the
manager saw us he made a point of coming over to talk with Amanda and I to make
sure everything was going well. The food was wonderful – we loved our dinner at
the Mexican Steakhouse which had excellent beef fajitas. The Italian restaurant
was nice but wasn’t one we were in a rush to return to. The fondue restaurant
was a unique choice for the Caribbean but was very well done with great food –
we ended up eating there twice. The buffet
was also decent – we absolutely loved their seafood night!
While we had a low-key vacation there was a lot to
do around the resort. The activity crew always had fun games and contests going
on and we made a lot of great vacation-friends from around the world that we
spent time with. There was a super sweet older Canadian man from Saskatoon as
well as a group from Oakville/Burlington. Some of my favorite people were a
group of English tourists who were on their second week of their vacation. We
had a lot of fun times with them and still keep in touch via Facebook.
It was a wonderful vacation and a great mix of sun,
sand and relaxation. I loved spending a week with my best friend and look
forward to future vacations! Also for anyone heading to Punta Cana this is a place to stay!
