Punta Cana

For the first vacation of the year, we went to Punta Cana, DR. We had a bunch of airline miles with US Airways that we wanted to use and this seemed like an easy vacation. Indeed, it was. We went from January 21-26. Flight at 5:15 AM. No one looks pretty at that hour. As is our usual, there was a snowstorm for our January vacation. This time, we left Albany on time, but Philly was backed up so we didn't get a gate for a LONG time. And, of course, our arrival terminal was the farthest possible from the departure. Thus, for the second time in my life, I ran at top speed through the Philly airport. I have no idea what actually exists at that airport other than very long hallways. But, we made the flight - as they were closing the doors. Then sat on the plane for over an hour before it took off thanks to the weather. Arrived in Punta Cana an hour late, but at least we were there on the correct day, so we were fine with it!

Immigration in Punta Cana is rather chaotic. There are two main lines and a lot of people that don't really believe in lines. We were surprised that our luggage made it, though exceptionally happy that it did.

We stayed at the Catalonia Royal Bavaro, which is not terribly far from the airport. The Catalonia is a very large resort and the Royal "side" is the adults only part. It's an all-inclusive, so that comes with the good and the bad. The food is never going to be great, but the food here was mostly fine, so our expectations were met. Crappy beer, but it's the Caribbean, so it is what it is. I stuck to rum drinks and wine mostly. This place seemed to be better than the place in Aruba at making mixed drinks with the proper ingredients, so that was good. The hotel was mostly nice and our room was fine, with one major exception - probably the most uncomfortable hotel bed we've ever had. The restaurants were, as stated, mostly good. The tapas restaurant on the adults side was the best, in our opinion (we ended up going twice).

Unfortunately, the entertainment was kind of lacking. The place could really do with more live music (not huge bands or anything, just a dude with a guitar in the corner or something). The evening "shows" were, as expected, not great. Definitely a step down from a cruise ship (which is saying something). Wouldn't have minded so much if they didn't start so late. Beach was very nice though. Super windy, but very pretty. Spent a lot of time there reading.

We only did one outside the resort activity - went to Dolphin Explorer and swam with dolphins (Ariel and Luna), which was awesome. The place was very large and located in the ocean rather than inland with a pool, so that made the animal lover in me feel a little better, though I still had (have) some guilt about it. We also did the fur seal swim - we were the only ones who did that out of the whole morning group of 50+ people. Ended up being a very expensive experience (have to buy photos from them since you can't bring your camera and they're not cheap, but I still wanted all of them). Worth it though. Trainers there seemed very protective and qualified, so that was nice.

Other than that, we most sat on the beach or the balcony reading books and drinking tropical drinks, with the occasional walk or snorkel. Not a bad way to spend 6 days. Read several books to get 2012 started:
1. The Nerdist Way (Chris Hardwick)
2. The War on Destiny (Jim Sciancalepore)
3. Concierge Confidential (Michael Malice)
4. You Want What? Concierge Tales (Mariann Mohos)
5. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (Mindy Kaling)