Punta Cana

The first week of July I went to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! In short, it was a really nice, relaxing break from work; the weather was beautiful: breezy and not too humid or hot; and I took an excursion and saw more of the country.

Resort beach

I was at first quite disappointed with the quality of the resort: my room smelled like mildew, my mini-fridge never worked, every time I showered the entire bathroom got soaked because there was no shower door or curtain (I guess they thought the water would just magically drain, given the half-centimeter slope to the shower floor?), and my room was not cold when I arrived and the clock wasn't set. Not huge things, overall, but enough to make me feel like I got a not-frequently-used room and they had to get it ready in a hurry for me. The food at the resort also wasn't great, which was a bigger deal as it was all-inclusive. I found plenty to eat, but nothing really good, and not much authentic cuisine.

Interior country-side

 

However, given all that, the alcohol was also all-inclusive, and I spent a lot of time at the beach and in the water, which was lovely. I watched a few thunder storms over the ocean, and sat on the beach every evening, rain or clear skies, under an umbrella, enjoying the waves and breeze. The men employees at the resort were great, and made me laugh with their (very) forthright flirtation, and I had an especially good night on my last evening, the 4th of July, and stayed up until three a.m. with some new friends.

Palm trees!

 

Now to plan next year's trip!

Natural beach (i.e. not a resort beach)