Wednesday, January 6, 2010

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!

15 comments:

Amber said...

Omg it looks amazing - especially the food (goat cheese is my FAVOURITE)!

That's so cool that you guys went and saw how the people in the Dominican actually live. I think that's an important part of visiting other countries and soaking up the culture.

I'm so glad you got to go on such a fantastic vacation and get some much deserved R&R in!

Simply Life said...

wow that looks like such a FUN time - I'm jealous you got to be in warm weather!!!

Quinn said...

Looks like a great vacay!

Anonymous said...

You have such beautiful pictures!! It looks like you had such a great time!

Anais said...

What I like the least about getting back is finding a house with no groceries. I was NOT happy this morning when I realized I was out of coffee (it was my first time making it at home since getting back).

Your vacation looks like it was pure bliss! Beach, food, friends... you really can't ask for more :)

Anonymous said...

ahh what a fun vacation! i wanna go to a warm beach! (oregon coast is FREEZING)

Unknown said...

Looked like an awesome time!! I've never been to the dominican!! Glad you had a fantastic time!! :)

Great photos!! :)

Jocelyn said...

AHHH looks and sounds like you had alot of fun! Your trip sounds like pure bliss :) Hope it isn't too rough being back to reality!

Yelena said...

What a beautiful adventure you had! I love the innocence of the kids dancing in the ocean- and the one of you doing the same!

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip and got in some yummy cheese too!

Barbara said...

Looks like a wonderful trip! Isn't it super all your friends could go too! You really saw so mcuh and it sounds like you had great food. Would love to go there.
It's always such a downer to get home! And unpack. And have no groceries. And have to go back to work.

Nicci said...

Welcome back, looks like you had a great vacay!!

Toni @ Imperfect Pregnancy said...

Sounds like a wonderful vacation! Glad you had such a good time!

Low said...

Glad you had fun! Our hotel food was quite similar. Not too great.

Anonymous said...

Love love the picture of you dancing in the sand! Glad you had such a wonderful, relaxing trip!

lauri (redheadrecipes.com) said...

We LOVE the DR!! We actually bought into a 'vacation club' at lifestyles in puerto plata a few years ago and we try to go every year or so w/ a group of friends! Everything is sooo cheap there!! And beautiful!

Like you, the mexican restaurant was my favorite and italian was my least (I figured its probably not the local specialty to cook italian!!)

If you are ever interested in going back, let me know and I can will give u some info on the resort where we stay (we usually stay in a villa w/ its own private pool).

Glad you had such a good time!