Thanksgiving in the Dominican Republic

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Thanksgiving in the Dominican Republic

While Covid is not over, traveling both in and outside of the States is possible and safe if you follow the appropriate instructions for each carrier and destination.

TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2021 ranked the Dominican Republic the #1 Destination in the Caribbean.

I last visited the DR nine years ago and swore never to go back after an unpleasant experience involving taking a kid to the hospital which can be a scary experience in a Third World Country where you do not speak the language.

But the gray, chilly Missouri weather prompted me to take a second look. Punta Cana is the most visited tourist region in that area, and the allure of crystal blue waters with white sand beaches convinced me to give it another try.

The Pandemic has not stopped me from traveling. This is my fifth trip since Covid hit, and my third trip out of the country.

Knowing all the right forms to complete, when and how to test for Covid, and how to protect yourself is essential.

Being in the travel industry, I feel confident traveling from day one. I know what to expect because I have a community of agents sharing knowledge with their first-hand experience.

 

EXPERIENCING PUNTA CANA

For this trip, I chose Punta Cana. With a gorgeous coastline of over thirty miles, there is plenty of room to relax, play and bask under the Caribbean sun without crowds.

The Dominican Republic is relatively easy to get to from St. Louis with a direct flight to Punta Can through Frontier. You will need to fill out the required government forms, and while they can be bit “finicky,” it is not insurmountable!

No Covid test is required before boarding, but the airport does conduct random Covid tests on incoming passengers. Currently, you must have a negative Covid test to return home, but the resorts take can of that for you which makes the process easy.

 

DREAMS MACAO BEACH RESORT

We chose the Dreams Macao Beach, one of the latest installments in the Dream Resort line. This resort is well-designed with a mix of pools, restaurants, and activities.

We opted for a Preferred Club Swim Out Room. While I thought it was “gimmicky,” I figured we would try it.

A huge plus of this room is that it comes with butler service. If you need anything, you message your butler on WhatsApp and they bring your request to your room. This certainly, beats calling the front desk and crossing your fingers that your heart’s desire appears in a reasonable amount of time.

I did enjoy sitting in the pool loungers at night and dangling my feet in the water with a refreshing cocktail while looking at the stars and listening to the ocean waves. Needless to say, this room category won me over and would book the same room again.

 

CHOOSING ACTIVITIES

This resort has something for families and those without children. For the kids, there are pools, water slides, lazy river, and kid/teen clubs as well as an arcade. For the adults, there is an adult-one restaurant and pool.

The beach is lovely, but if you are looking for nice, calm water, I would look elsewhere. However, if you are interested in learning how to surf, this resort is for you. A surf camp is on the beach just off the resort. You can sign up for surf lessons where you will get a personal instructor to help you learn the ropes. My kids were standing up within minutes and riding the waves to shore. If you do well and want to go back, they have board rentals.

We did have a first for our family – we went on the worst excursion we have ever experienced. From start to finish, it was a total disaster. I have planned and booked excursions all around the world for my family and this one was the first one I would warm people to avoid, no matter what.

I know when I selected this excursion for my family, it had great reviews, but I had noticed in the past month, the reviews were all horrible. I am not sure what happened, but I will be watchful for myself and my clients going forward. Hint: Avoid any excursion that has the words Scuba and Doo in it.

On the other hand, we had an amazing time on the Monkey Land Adventure. It was a first-hand experience with squirrel monkeys. They are not native to this island, but they were so cute, and it was a fun experience.

Overall, we had a great vacation, and I would certainly recommend Punta Cana and the Dream Macao Resort to my clients.

#CRUISEPLANNERSDANIELLEPETTY #TRAVELADVISORS #PUNTACANA #MACAOBEACH #AMRCOLLECTION