Travel Guide: Dominican Republic
¡Qué bacano!
In May, I took a trip to Dominican Republic. This was not my first time traveling to Dominican Republic but Dominican Republic is one of those islands that is often frequented by travelers because it is one of the most affordable islands in the Caribbean. Dominican Republic is known to have bunch of all inclusive resort options that can accommodate a solo traveler, couple travelers, or family travelers. It simply depends on what you want to get out of you traveling experience.
For this trip, I went the easy route and booked all my accommodations through www.CheapCaribbean.com. I have used Cheap Caribbean several times in the past but this was my most recent experience with them in the last few years.
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Flight. I booked the flight and hotel together. Typically, you can get a deal on sites like Cheap Caribbean if you book the flight and hotel together. It is rare that there is much of a difference in flight prices if you book the hotel and flight separately. From Newark to Punta Cana the flight is roughly about 3hrs and 45mins. It was important to get a morning flight so that I would still have the opportunity to enjoy most of the day that I arrived. Also, having a direct flight is typically priority for me because I hate layovers. I flew from Newark to Punta Cana via United Airlines and upgraded the seats to Economy Plus.
Accommodations. I stayed at the Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana. Secrets Royal Punta Cana is a luxury adult all inclusive resort. Secrets Royal Punta Cana is about a 25 minute drive from Punta Cana Airport. My reservation included RT transportation to and from the hotel. Initially, when I booked the hotel I booked the Junior Suite Pool View with King Bed. A few weeks before I left I upgraded the hotel room to the Preferred Club Junior Suite with Private Pool. In this room, the private pool access was my favorite thing. Being able to go out to the pool and quietly relax and have a drink in the morning and/or night was refreshing. Preferred Club came with additional upgrades that I think make the trip and stay at the hotel that much more special. I had a butler the entire trip who managed just about anything I wanted to do. He scheduled massages, helped with booking excursion, booked our restaurant reservations, and scheduling our COVID-19 test upon departure back home. Preferred Club also has a separate pool, swim up bar, bar lounge, and beach area that is separate for those guest who have Preferred Club status. In addition, the hotel rooms for Preferred Club guest is also a separate area from where other guest stay at as well.
If you prefer to be away from children or really have an adult experience I highly recommend looking into adult hotel options even if you do not go with Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana. It is refreshing to be amongst adults and not have to really worry about censoring yourself or being around loud children.
The beach in Dominican Republic, to me personally, is just okay. I say that from previously have traveled to DR and back this time again. In comparison to other beaches I have seen around the world DR is simply just okay. This particular time at Secrets Royal Beach there is uptick in seaweed in the water off the coast of Dominican Republic which isn’t a problem to only DR many island in the Caribbean are experiencing higher levels of seaweed. While the seaweed definitely was not ideal that is just nature poking its ugly head out.
Photos from the Resort Website
Getting Around. Typically, you know I love to explore and get around to do sightseeing or what have you. This trip was more about relaxation. I did not leave the hotel other than for the excursion we booked which I will talk about later in this post. If I did want to leave the hotel I would have been able to private car service anywhere.
Restaurants. As I mentioned, Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana is an all exclusive resort. As you probably are familiar with all inclusive all your food and drinks are included for the duration of the trip. The food and drink are already a build in cost when you book and pay for your trip. At Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana there were several dining options which I listed below. My personal favorite restaurant would probably be the Hibachi which everyone on the restaurant talked about.
Barefoot Grill - Outdoor Beachside Grill
Bluewater Grill - Grilled Specialities
Bordeaux - French Cuisine
El Patio - Mexican Cuisine
Himitsu - Asian Fusion/Hibachi
La Riviera - International Buffet
Olio - Preferred Club Access Only (Breakfast & Lunch)
All these restaurants, except La Riviera and Olio, require a reservation. If you have Preferred Club access or not be sure to book your restaurant reservations ASAP. If you have bulter have him do it for you so you do not have to worry. All inclusive food can be hit or miss especially depending on the level of resort you are staying at. I thought the food at Secrets Royal Beach was good. It is not anything to write home about but I definitely do not think it is terrible or anything like that. My advice would be to manage expectations.
Excursions. At the resort, you are able to book pretty much any excursion that you want they have many options from zip lining, to four wheelers, a all day trip to Santo Domingo, dun-buggies and so much more. I recommend this be one of the first things you do when you get to the hotel so you can plan out how you want your days to look in terms of excursions, excitement and relaxation. I opted for the zip lining and dun-buggies. This was a half a day trip that began around 7am and we returned back to the resort around 3/4pm.
COVID-19. Traveling to Dominican Republic during the peak of the pandemic was pretty seamless. Dominican Republic is one of the only few countries that does not require much in order to travel there from the United States. You do not need a COVID test in order to enter the country. In order to return to the United States you must provide the airline with a negative COVID test. One of the reasons why I booked Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana was because they provided free on-site COVID testing 2 or 3 days before your scheduled flight back home. While at the resort, I did not feel unsafe or at risk. I personally did not wear a mask around the resort unless I felt it to be necessary or required by the hotel. I did take my own precautionary measures with hand wipes, sanitizers and keeping my distance from other people. I felt like the hotel took precautionary measures and did a good job with making guest feel comfortable amidst a pandemic.
Overall . . . Dominican Republic . . .
is a great place if you are looking for a quick trip that will be relaxing and fun but not as expensive as other islands, DR is for you. Whether it is a solo trip, couple trip, family trip, or all girls/guys there are plenty resorts in Punta Cana that will accommodate what you need. Dominican Republic is also one of the islands in the Caribbean that is less strict around COVID-19 rules.
