A Vacation to Remember

On December 29th we woke up early and headed to the airport with our friends (thanks to Heather's mom for the ride!!)

By 9:45 we were up and away - on a direct flight to the Dominican Republic.

We had eaten a mediocre breakfast in the airport, but we were informed on the plane that we would be getting served breakfast again. It was better.

I am going to do a general recap of the trip, and not tell you everything I ate ... because it was a lot of the same (if you have ever been to a resort buffet - you will know what I mean).

Our resort was HUGE, and luckily our room (and all our friends' rooms) were right near the main area/ pool/ beach. It was perfect.

Along the beach were trees that were in danger of falling into the ocean due to erosion.

Breakfast everyday was from the buffet, and usually consisted of eggs, a couple breakfast sausages and a piece of French toast with some fruit and coffee.

Lunch was also usually from the buffet, except for the one day we went into town and had pizza, and another day when we went on an excursion and had an amazing traditional meal:



An average night of dinner from the buffet consisted of some meat, potatoes or rice, veggies, and pineapple for dessert. Occasionally I had pasta. I usually only nibbled, as the food from the buffet was just okay.



On New Years Eve they brought the good stuff out, and we enjoyed sparkling wine, and an excellent selection of cheeses. My favourite was the goat cheese.



We got to go for dinner to 3 A La Carte restaurants. Our first was a Fish restaurant. I had Lobster soup, and the surf and turf.





Everyone else's food looked good too:





We spent some time in the small fishing town of San Juan:







We did a bit of shopping ... but didn't find much.



The Mexican Al A Carte was the best one, as there was a buffet of appetizers:



My meal was a "deconstructed" enchilada. It was odd.



We drank margarita's of course:



Ordered off a strange menu (see the bottom):



And wore silly hats:



We spent time on the beach:



A friend joined us. I was scurrrrrred.



We spent time by the pool:



And sipped coffees in the lobby area:



We had some gray skies, and some rain - but mostly it was beautiful.



But the best day by far, was when the hubby and I and our friend Heather went on an excursion. We drove in a jeep like vehicle on a tour through 3 towns where we got to see a lot of the Dominican culture. We stopped at people's homes, and were welcomed inside, served coffee and fruit, and got to see how people live in the Dominican.









We went to the most beautiful beaches, and saw children playing in the ocean. They would mock the ocean, and then run from it - a tag like game. Their joy was infectious.









This white sand beach was so beautiful, I couldn't help but dance around in a moment of sheer bliss:



The sand looked like wet cement, and felt hard beneath my feet. It was like soft clay in my hands.

We went to the most breathtaking lagoon, where we swam in fresh water. It was like something out of a movie. Picture perfect.



We also visited a waterfall, that the locals would dive off of, and then climb back up like spider man. Our tour guide called these people monkey fish.



We saw a lot of traditional Dominican homes, and also some pretty fancy ones:



Our final dinner was at the Italian Al A Carte. We had a selection of appetizers, and soup:





My dinner wasn't good, so luckily I filled up on appetizers. I didn't eat my spaghetti.

We were sad to leave, but we had an amazing time with 9 of our closest friends:



I would definitely go back to the Domincan Republic again some day. It was wonderful.

This morning it was ROUGH getting up. I started the morning off right with a Green Monster and some java:





We have no groceries, so lunch was a frozen lasagna from costco. I didn't eat the apple:



Dinner this evening was tomato soup and grilled cheese (we went for groceries after dinner)





Now all we have left to do is unpack - oh dread.



This was probably one of the best vacations I have ever had. I relaxed a lot, and spent time just doing nothing - which I haven't done in ages. I had one of the most wonderful days I could have ever had when we went on our excursion. I spent time with my amazing friends in a place that felt like paradise.

I can't wait to do it again!