Dominican Republic Travel Agent Specialist

Anniversary Trip

For our 10 year anniversary, we decided that we needed a getaway without kids.  It took some planning since our families lived 1200 miles away.

I happened to stumble upon Punta Cana after seeing on TV, a senior golf tournament at a place I didn’t recognize.  It seemed fake, the sand was too white, the water was too blue, and the grass was too green. I had to look this place up for myself. Everything I saw online happen to match what I saw on TV. I presented the option to my wife (who happens to be a sucker for the ocean, beaches, and palm trees), and it was a done deal, we’re going!

After doing a little research, we wanted to do an all-inclusive resort that had plenty of food options, since we wanted variety. We didn’t do one on our honeymoon, and we were curious after seeing what it had to offer.  We decided to book a week at the Grand Bahia Principe. 

Once we arrived, we were greeted with a cocktail and once they learned we were there for an anniversary, they gave us a complimentary upgrade to the all adult section for our stay.  The room was vibrant, very colorful, had a tropical feel. The fridge was stocked with sodas, juices, Presidente (local beer), and a variety of mini liquor bottles. Anytime you took 1 (or all), they were replaced by the staff the next day when they cleaned the room.

Once we unloaded our luggage, the 1st thing we did was throw on our swimsuits and head to the pool (It was a very short walk from our room). We hop in and immediately go to the swim up bar. It’s a full bar, but the popular choice is definitely the frozen drinks. I believe they had about 8 different ones, ranging from pina colada, strawberry, mango, banana, and other special blends. The bartender was amazing to us. I tipped him the 1st day and it paid off the rest of the trip (they claim tip is already included with the purchase of the all-inclusive package).  Any time it was super busy at the bar, he would pick me of the crowd and serve me before the others.

On a not so busy day, we sat at the bar and I was introduced to Mamajuana by the bartender. It’s a local concoction that has the appearance of mulch it a bottle filled with whiskey. When poured, it was through a filter into the glass. It had a sweet, medicinal taste to it that packed a little punch. I was told the traditional way to make it is with rum, red wine, and honey. I’m sure there are numerous ways that it’s done. I feel you have to try it once if you're there

The resort is big! There’s shuttles that run constantly, almost like a Disney parking lot tram. There’s 5 pools (1 adult only), 7 restaurants, 8 bars, gym, spa, and many other things.  Make sure you book your dinner plans with the resort when you arrive, spots fill up quick. Options include, Mexican, Italian, Japanese hibachi, seafood, Greek, a few different buffet places, plus more that we never got around to.

A common theme I’ve had with my wife is, I golf, while she goes to the spa. I played 4 different courses on the trip, Punta Espada, Corales, La Cana, and Cana Bay @ Hard Rock. All were fantastic courses, but I listed in order of my enjoyment.

We set up a catamaran cruise. It was about a 4 hour trip that included lunch and unlimited drinks. After we set sail, the first stop was to a reef where we could go snorkeling. They provided the gear and off the side I went. The reef was probably about 10 feet down, so the longer you could hold your breath, the better. Saw an assortment of different sea life, but nothing that really caught my attention.

Next stop was an area where they housed stingrays and nurse sharks. It was a large netted off area where you can swim with them. I would swim down to the bottom and touch the nurse sharks. They would swim off as soon as you touched them, they didn’t want any part of us. I was able to get a picture of me holding one of the stingrays, he was large, about 6 feet in diameter.

And finally the last stop was the party in the water. We were out in the water about 200 yards off the coast and we jumped into the water which was about waist high. The captain turned into a DJ and the staff turned into the cocktail waitresses, serving everyone while we danced in the middle of the Caribbean.

Our last big activity was an ATV tour. It was a group of about 20 people, that featured 2 and 4 seater RAZR’s. If you don’t like getting dirty, stay away from this. You are going through mud and dirt the whole time. We were lead to various areas around Punta Cana, a local flea market, local’s beach, and an underground cave that was filled with the most crystal clear water. You have the option to jump off into it, if you like. You don’t have to twist my arm. It turned out to be like a cold plunge, wasn’t expecting it, but welcomed it with how hot it was outside.

I’m going to have to have an amazing experience to bump this vacation out of my top 3 of all time. I’ll keep on trying though!