To & From:
The Dominican Republic is a picture perfect Caribbean island that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west. It’s known for its beautiful beaches, fabulous resorts, golfing and year round sunshine. Its terrain comprises rainforest, savannah and highlands, including Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain.
Notably days are short with sunsets typically around 6 pm, temperatures remain reasonably constant with the rainy season from May-November peaking in October with torrential downpours in the afternoons. The dry season is December to March and probably the best time to visit, but with associated premium.
While there are no direct flights to DR from Ireland there are a number of options including through the USA & Paris or London which we opted for with BA.
We choose the Occidental Punta Cana hotel upgrading to the Royal Level offers a little more space and luxury, and a tranquil and private experience for a wonderful sunshine holiday. The hotel is located just 30 minutes from the airport, so transfers arrange by the hotel fairly seamless. The hotel is expansive with numerous restaurants, check is a slow process, once done an electric golf buggy ferries you to your accommodation block some distance away from the main body of the hotel, which has all the amenities. Typical in these parts all – inclusive is the main chosen option, and with a large US contingent in house, best to try and miss the early feeding frenzy and opt for a later sitting at meal times although these are still somewhat hectic or pre book a la carte restaurants.
See useful link 1
Awake Tip : Try and avoid a weekend check-in, as this is a USA playground it gets an influx of New Yorkers at the weekend.
Activities /Day Trips:
If you decide to take a break for day /two from fabulous sunbathing there are some nice excursions available to take on the island including :
Santo Domingo Bus:
This is a chance to explore the oldest city in the Americas and visit its best cultural treasures. We strolled through the colonial streets, taking in its historic and cultural monuments and visited the New World’s first cathedral, a fine example of 16th century architecture, and the Museo de las Casas Reales, among others. We arranged it through the hotel concierge.
Manatí Park Entrance:
Experience the thrill of seeing exotic animals up close and touching them. Take part in exciting shows, and don’t miss your chance to swim with dolphins, one of life’s unique experiences.
See useful link 2.
Bebe Catamaran:
The half-day cruise on board a beautiful ship that sails along the Bávaro coast where we stopped to admire from above or snorkel the coral reefs and multi-colored fish and visited a natural swimming pool . See useful link 3.
Scuba Diving /Water Sports:
Available both at hotels & as part of half day /full day excursions outside hotels.
Spa:
Lots of the hotels have terrific spas including our hotel in Punta Cana where the spa offered variety of body and beauty treatments. The Spa in the Sanctuary at Cap Cana is a sanctuary for the senses, offering a sublime atmosphere of pure indulgence and pampering..
Golf :
There are number of golf courses on the island but one of the best is the Jack Nicklaus designed course “Punta Espada Golf Club” at Sanctuary Cap Cana, our second location.
See useful link 4
Shopping :
There are a number of shopping centres on the island. We visited Blue Mall Punta Cana where we found a range of high end /more high street shops including Aldo, Zara,Diesel & Inglot. Palma Real Shopping has a selection of shops with both international & national brands along with restaurants and services.
See useful links 8 & 9
Cap Cana
We also stayed a couple nights on another part of the island as we were fortunate enough to have some family staying in the stunning marina area of Cap Cana . It is is very tranquil & beautiful part of the island .
See useful link 2
Dining – Cap Cana
While at Cap Cana we dined in a number of restaurants both in hotel & at the marina including Api Beach serving local & international food while Yola Restaurant is ideal for a special more formal dinner serving gourmet Mediterranean cuisine with lots of seafood. See useful link 6
Awake Tip – Dress code: Gents you should pack long trousers as most of the restaurants have a dress code where shorts /flips flops are not permitted!!
Woke Tip : If you like to visit airport lounges probably not worth visiting the one here!
Useful Links:
- https://www.barcelo.com/en-us/occidental-punta-cana/
- https://sanctuarycapcana.com/
- https://www.manatipark.com/
- https://www.bebecatamaranpuntacana.com/
- https://www.puntaespadagolf.com/
- http://www.apibeach.com/
- https://www.puntacana.com/dining/restaurants
- https://www.bluemallpuntacana.com.do/
- www.palmarealshopping.com/
If you are looking for a holiday full of sun, sea & sand you cannot beat the Caribbean(outside Hurricane season) and we would certainly rate Dominican Republic with other islands we have visited. It is ideal location for your luxury sunshine get away .
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