Tuesday, August 6, 2024

All Inclusive in the Dominican Republic

 July 15-20, 2024


Kristin and I found a great deal on Facebook through Monster Travel a few months back. The pitch was sit through a 2 hour time share presentation in exchange for a 5 night 6 day stay at an all inclusive resort for $350. We said HELL YEAH and started counting down the days. 

Sports Illustrated Resort Cap Cana sent a driver to pick us up from the airport. Unlike the US there was no place to wait inside the airport so into the 90 degree heat we went. Upon arrival at our destination they let us grab lunch because the buffet would soon be closing. We got drinks after because we had a 30 minute check in orientation to sit through. 

After making it to our room we unpacked and made a lap around the resort to get our bearings. Fun fact: although I'm usually directionally challenged I was the navigator throughout this trip. We always made it to dinner, the pool or the lobby with plenty of time to spare 😊

That night we had a Mexican buffet for dinner and listened to some karaoke in the lobby before heading to bed. 

The morning of day 2 was filled with 🎵  work work work work work 🎵  for both Kristin and I. She had event planning to take care of and I was trying to watch videos for my instructional design class. After, we met the girl who was doing our time share presentation for lunch. After eating with her we toured the property and then went to her office to look at plans on her computer. While Kristin and I had NO INTENTION of buying a timeshare we did enjoy the drinks the bartender was making us during the presentation. We enjoyed them so much that we actually ended up sitting at the timeshare bar post presentation to have another. The bartender had eyes for Kristin 😍 and sent us back to our room with a few tall boys for our fridge. 

We changed into our suits and headed to the pool to enjoy an hour of relaxing in the water before dinner. 

That night dinner was Italian- the eggplant parmesan was both of our favorites!! We headed to the lobby to catch the entertainment- it was a couples game show. We opted to sit at the bar and watch the soccer game that was on. 

Day 3 meant dune buggy riding both on and off road. Kristin and I took turns driving and concluded that the gas was slow to go but the brake was FAST to stop. It led to a jerky ride for us. We made 2 stops- one to learn about how mamajuana (a local liquor steeped in wine and honey) is made. While there we also learned about coffee, cacao, cinnamon and vanilla production. The best part was taste testing everything and then getting to go for a swim in the man made cave. The second stop was at a local beach where Kristin and I held an iguana and waded in the ocean waves. Once we returned to the dune buggy site we were covered in mud so we showered off and made the long trek back to our resort. While it was only advertised as a 4 hour excursion, we had been gone for 7+ hours. We weren't mad, just tuckered out. We decided to treat ourselves to a non included tapas restaurant that evening and it did not disappoint. We had a bottle of wine and quite a few small plates while we watched the sun set over the water. 











Day 4 included swimming with dolphins, stingrays and sharks. This was SUCH a cool experience and I'm so glad I got to do it. The morning started with a boat ride to the middle of the ocean where a square dock was built. The trainers gave us directions in 4 different languages (so impressive!) and then we hopped in the water. We got to lay on a boogey board while a dolphin came up behind us and pushed us through the water by our toes. We also got to hold its fin and let it pull us through the water on its back. The dolphins were smooth to the touch and incredibly gentle. It was so fun to get to swim with them. After we headed to a different section of the dock where we got snorkel gear and hopped in the water with sharks, fish and stingrays. Kristin and I even got to hold one. This was a great experience! It made it even better that it was only supposed to be 2 hours but we were gone for over 4. When we got back to the hotel I was starving so I sat at the pool bar and had a snack while Kristin did some work. It rained in the afternoon so we hunkered down and watched. After, we had an Italian dinner and of course ordered the eggplant again because it was so tasty. 











Day 5 was our first day at the beach because we had been so busy! We took full advantage and stayed for hours. While it rained for a bit Kristin and I just sat at the open air restaurant. The ocean water was delightful and I spent a lot of time wading through the waves. We decided to venture off the resort for our last night. One of the bartenders hooked us up with a ride downtown Cap Cana where we wandered around in the open air bar scene. We sat outside and had drinks, ate tacos and listened to music that was WAY too loud. 

Our last day in the Dominican was an eventful one. There was a software upgrade that disrupted flights all over the world. Kristin and I were both at the airport unsure if our flights would take off as scheduled but never fear, pizza hut was here. 😆


Fortunately, mine did. Unfortunately, Kristin's did not. She spent all day at the airport only to be bused to a hotel where she was assigned a random roommate and told she'd be picked up between 6 and 10am the next day. She got on the early morning bus but her flight continued to get delayed so she bought a 7pm flight with another airline and then was able to add her name to the standby list for all of their flights. She managed to get out around 3pm. Thank goodness because the next day she was heading to Germany to see Taylor Swift. #neveradullmoment

This vacation taught Kristin and I that we're not really all inclusive travelers. We prefer the spontaneity and excitement of moving from place to place, trying the foods unique to that area, being immersed in the local culture and planning our own adventurous outings. However, for $350 we're definitely glad we did it. 

Friday, January 12, 2024

My Friends Are Living in France so I'm FOR SURE Visiting

Aug 9-18, 2023

I was embarking on my Parisian adventure late in the summer. I had told myself I wasn't going to travel this summer because I was saving for a place, however, my friends Ari and Zach had moved to Paris for 3 months because of Zach's job. When they invited me to stay with them I just couldn't pass it up. 


^^Me on my flight. Paris here I come!






Ari and I did a lot on my first day, including visiting Galeries Lafayette, (a shopping mall with a beautiful rooftop view), lunching at an elegant cafe called Cafe de la Paix (croque monseurs and champagne of course!), strolling by the tour eifel and taking a champagne tasting sunset river cruise along The Seine. 





^^Day 2 was full of time with Augie. He was a trooper and accompanied us to the Champs E'lysee (after we had tried to make it to the top of the Eifel Tower but it was wicked busy!), played with us in the park and even ate lunch with us at a cafe. 





^We look mortified because the entire wall behind us is a collage of human faces made entirely of human hair.



^^Day 3 was full of castle tours. We traveled to The Loire Valley where we toured the Chateau de Chambord, or The Beauty and the Beast Castle. It POURED rain on us so Ari and I embraced it and ventured out onto the balconies where we reenacted the fight scene between the Beast and Gaston. 





^^Stop two on our castle tour included lots of sunshine and a wine tasting in a cellar. We enjoyed the red, white and rose wines just fine!





^^Dinner that night was at a SWANKY spot that was Oh So Paris. The food and drinks were both delicious and the bartender was delectable too ;)







^^Day 4 included another failed attempt to the top of the Eifel Tower (it was closed for maintenance), a visit to the local farmer's market and a walk along the Seine with coffee, a trip to the museum to see Van Gogh's Starry Night, a park play with Augie, and a nice dinner out with Ari and Zach at Lipp where I tried foie gras for the first time. We topped the night off with the richest hot chocolates I've ever tasted in my entire life. 







^^Day 5 was our third and final failed attempt to get to the top of the Tour Eifel. We rode the ferris wheel instead which gave us a pretty great view of the city. I also bought some sweet treats at L'aduree, a famous macaron joint that did not disappoint. We did a free walking tour of Montmartre and learned about places like Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer and the lucky boobs of Dalida.
It was such a fun trip and I'm so incredibly thankful I got to see the sights of Paris with my college besties and their little Aug man. Although he's not pictured a lot, he did a lot with us. Some of our best times included 6am dance parties at the flat, walking three floors of Musee d'Orsay with him in my arms, taking laundry in and out of the washer, picking up cigarette butts at the park and getting priority entry at Champs E'Lysee because of our stroller :)

After saying goodbye to Paris I headed to Deauville, a beach town on the West Coast of France. I took a 2.5 hour train ride and after arriving I had three choices- take a taxi, take a bus or walk 3 miles to my beachside hotel. I attempted to take the bus but the woman behind the counter at the station assured me the bus wasn't going where I needed to go. I then waited for a taxi. After 20 minutes at the stand I figured the likelihood of one coming was slim so off I went walking with my pack. I stopped about halfway for a bite and a glass of bubbly along the beach. When I finally arrived in Deauville I was ready to ditch my pack. I spent lots of time walking in Deauville- from beach to beach, from town to town and even from cafe to cafe. I loved the slow pace of my days and enjoyed reading many books. Below are some photos of time well spent there.








Au Revoir Until Next Time, France.