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Every few years, we splurge and book a stay at an all-inclusive beach resort. I would be tempted to do it more often, but it gets expensive, because you have to pay for the accommodations, plus the all-inclusive fee (which is a set amount per person, per day) to cover food, drinks, and activities. So a week at one of these resorts can easily exceed $1500 for a couple. And that is the reason that we have always chosen to do these stays in the Dominican Republic, which is probably the country with the least expensive all-inclusive resorts*. And so we found ourselves doing our third all-inclusive vacation in our third Dominican city. On our previous visits, we had staying in La Romana (south coast) and Punta Cana (east end of the island). This time we stayed in Puerto Plata, on the north shore.
The resort we were staying at was actually just one of a whole complex of resorts, all owned by the same company, and we had access to facilities scattered across several adjacent resorts, including a number of different restaurants and pools, as well as several different bars. Our room was in one of the oldest buildings on the property, and it had its quirks, but it was roomy and the bed was comfortable, so it was adequate for our purposes, as we really didn't spend much time in our room.
The resort "beaches" were set back from the water, separated from the "real" beach by a sea wall. This allowed the resorts to control access to the property, but it also meant that you felt a bit removed from the ocean while you relaxed on a lounge chair or in a cabana. However, having a wait staff that could bring cold drinks and food to you as you lay in the sun (or, as we tried to do, the shade) certainly made up for the slightly limited access to the surf. If I could figure out how to support myself, I would be perfectly content to just stay on one of these beaches, enjoying bottomless drinks and reading good books!
The food was endless, but for the most part was only slightly above average in quality. Which was probably just as well, because if it had all been excellent, I would have found it impossible to not eat too much. As it was, I found myself snacking through the day, certainly consuming more calories than I was burning as I reclined on the beach. The other oddity of the resort was that the rooms did not have free internet access, but there was free WiFi on the beaches, which meant that many people lay on the beach with their phones or tablets, checking e-mail and Facebook, or just surfing the internet. Weird.
And because this was a tropical island, everything was lush and green and generally just gorgeous. There were several resident cats on the resort, who were completely prepared to beg for whatever food you might be willing to share with them. There were also birds that felt that it was totally acceptable to fly into the buffet restaurants and help themselves to scraps that fell to the floor or to food from the plates left on the tables when people walked away. And for those staying a few buildings over from us, there was a group of peafowl that provided a reliable, if annoyingly early, wake-up service.
We did leave the property twice during our week, on excursions to experience a little of what the Dominican Republic had to offer away from the beach. On Monday, we visited the waterfalls of Damajagua, where, after a *very* sweaty 40 minute hike in the jungle, we jumped, slid, and swam down a series of 12 waterfalls. Then on Thursday, we dis an all day tour to Santiago and Jarabacoa. Each of those excursions probably deserve an entry of their own.
* If you find an offer for an all-inclusive resort that includes a really low price, understand that the resort is probably taking a loss on the deal in order to get you on the property so they can try to sell you a timeshare or vacation club membership. These sales pitches are *very* high pressure and generally will cost you about half of one day of your trip, even if you consistently refuse to buy anything. This isn't to say that you shouldn't take advantage of these promotions, but understand what they are and be prepared for the sales pitch. These companies definitely try to take advantage of people who don't understand what they are being sold. If you are staying for a week, losing half a day may be worth the discounted price, but that is a decision that each traveller needs to make for him or herself.
The resort we were staying at was actually just one of a whole complex of resorts, all owned by the same company, and we had access to facilities scattered across several adjacent resorts, including a number of different restaurants and pools, as well as several different bars. Our room was in one of the oldest buildings on the property, and it had its quirks, but it was roomy and the bed was comfortable, so it was adequate for our purposes, as we really didn't spend much time in our room.
The resort "beaches" were set back from the water, separated from the "real" beach by a sea wall. This allowed the resorts to control access to the property, but it also meant that you felt a bit removed from the ocean while you relaxed on a lounge chair or in a cabana. However, having a wait staff that could bring cold drinks and food to you as you lay in the sun (or, as we tried to do, the shade) certainly made up for the slightly limited access to the surf. If I could figure out how to support myself, I would be perfectly content to just stay on one of these beaches, enjoying bottomless drinks and reading good books!
The food was endless, but for the most part was only slightly above average in quality. Which was probably just as well, because if it had all been excellent, I would have found it impossible to not eat too much. As it was, I found myself snacking through the day, certainly consuming more calories than I was burning as I reclined on the beach. The other oddity of the resort was that the rooms did not have free internet access, but there was free WiFi on the beaches, which meant that many people lay on the beach with their phones or tablets, checking e-mail and Facebook, or just surfing the internet. Weird.
And because this was a tropical island, everything was lush and green and generally just gorgeous. There were several resident cats on the resort, who were completely prepared to beg for whatever food you might be willing to share with them. There were also birds that felt that it was totally acceptable to fly into the buffet restaurants and help themselves to scraps that fell to the floor or to food from the plates left on the tables when people walked away. And for those staying a few buildings over from us, there was a group of peafowl that provided a reliable, if annoyingly early, wake-up service.
We did leave the property twice during our week, on excursions to experience a little of what the Dominican Republic had to offer away from the beach. On Monday, we visited the waterfalls of Damajagua, where, after a *very* sweaty 40 minute hike in the jungle, we jumped, slid, and swam down a series of 12 waterfalls. Then on Thursday, we dis an all day tour to Santiago and Jarabacoa. Each of those excursions probably deserve an entry of their own.
* If you find an offer for an all-inclusive resort that includes a really low price, understand that the resort is probably taking a loss on the deal in order to get you on the property so they can try to sell you a timeshare or vacation club membership. These sales pitches are *very* high pressure and generally will cost you about half of one day of your trip, even if you consistently refuse to buy anything. This isn't to say that you shouldn't take advantage of these promotions, but understand what they are and be prepared for the sales pitch. These companies definitely try to take advantage of people who don't understand what they are being sold. If you are staying for a week, losing half a day may be worth the discounted price, but that is a decision that each traveller needs to make for him or herself.
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