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Safe Travel – Punta Cana Dominican Republic
I had my doubts about going to the Dominican Republic but just got back from an all-inclusive stay at the Dreams Resort Palm Beach in Punta Cana. I didn’t go by myself: my cousin went with me so we were two women alone. We just had a good ol’ time!
We arrived later than planned since there was a 3-hour delay on our fight from Houston. But after a whirlwind trip through the airport ( some guy just grabbed our bags and said he would take us where we needed to go (and he did)) we caught up to our driver to take us to the resort. You have to be careful, though, and make sure that you are going with the driver from your resort and not some strange outfit that promises to get you there. Your travel agent (always, always use an agent) should have arranged for your transfer to the resort. We were instructed that our driver would be in a blue flowered shirt. Sure enough – after a winding around and around we arrived at Dreams Palm Beach.
We were greeted in a beautiful open air lobby
Dreams Palm Beach Lobby
and promptly taken to our spacious room. We had requested two beds: when we saw there was only a king size bed, they fixed it right away. Rather than move us to another room, the staff just brought in another bed. I am so glad they didn’t move us because the view from our third floor balcony was beautiful! Tons of swaying palm trees and marvelous pools.
Balcony View Dreams Palm Beach
We had difficulty adjusting to the time. I haven’t figured out why but we thought it was much later than it was so we hurried to dinner at the Seaside Grill and ate a fantastic rib-eye for dinner. This is an all-inclusive resort so dinner and drinks were included and very nice. Of course, we had to take a little walk along the beach even though it was dark. After all, the beach is the reason we came to Dreams Palm Beach in the first place. We just had to hear the ocean and see the water in the moonlight.
Our first full day was rainy, wouldn’t you know it? We didn’t let that detour us from exploring and sitting beside the pool under an umbrella. There are plenty of chairs, umbrellas and thatched sun shelters on the beach. Be aware that even if the sun is not shining you can still burn badly. Use your sunscreen! In between rain showers we took a walk on the beach. Right now, in the Caribbean, they are having a problem with seaweed washing up on the beach. There was quite a lot of it the first couple of days but the staff was diligently trying to keep up with removal of the seaweed. By the third day, the seaweed was gone and you were able to get into the water if you wanted. We didn’t have a problem with seaweed the rest of the trip. But the white sand beach and beautiful blue water were fantastic
Dreams Palm Beach View
On the third day we took a day-long excursion into Santo Domingo to see some of the old city at the place Columbus discovered the new world. We had an incredible guide, Munchie, who was fluent in three languages – English, French, and Spanish. We had to be ready to leave at 7 am and didn’t return until around 6 pm. It’s about a two hour drive to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana but the time was not wasted as our guide explained a lot of the history. We even passed over the jungle river used in the filming of Apocalypse Now. We saw the old city, Columbus Light House, the castle of Columbus’ grandson, Panteón Nacional, First Cathedral of the New World, and clock square
Alcazar De Colon
Panteón Nacional
Panteón Nacional Eternal Flame
First Cathedral of the New World
I would highly recommend this excursion as shopping and lunch are included.
The remainder of our 7-day stay was just relaxing – moving from poolside to beach and back again. The resort has plenty of activities if lying around in the sun is not your thing. There are aerobics, dance lessons, free scuba lessons, tennis lessons, spa sessions (which we never quite found the time for), watching the many weddings, shows and parties at night. We went to a show called Studio 54 which featured disco music and dancing. I am in awe of people who can dance like that! You can walk out of the resort a few blocks and have some great local shopping.
Shopping in Dominican Republic
We did one more excursion: deep sea fishing. What an experience that was! I did everything I know to prevent sea sickness but it didn’t work on that small boat on 7-8 foot seas. Everyone on the excursion but my cousin and a Russian guy got sick. But a couple of nice mahi-mahi were caught and I would go again.
Deep Sea Fishing in Punta Cana
There are 5 specialty restaurants at the resort: Sea Side Grill, Portofino (Italian), Bordeaux (French cuisine), El Patio (Mexican) and Himitsu (Asian). We were excited to be able to try new food but to be honest, we were pretty disappointed. We tried the Italian (calamari were rubber and spaghetti had way to many olives) and Asian. They were not good at all so we didn’t venture to two of the others. We had the best food at Sea Side Grill and the World Cafe which is an international buffet-style restaurant. The resort has 5 bars scattered around: drinks were generous and well made. There were plenty of wait staff poolside and on the beach.
So – overall our trip was fantastic and I would recommend Dreams Palm Beach. We will more than likely return for another tremendous vacation. Next time it will be for longer than 7 days! Our travel agent was wonderful and set us up on a great trip. And last but not least: the cost is very reasonable.
Roaming Alone – Safe Travel for Solo Women
This is the first in a series of blogs for women traveling alone.
I used to travel with my sister. It was fun to spend time with her and share experiences and new things together.
Cruising
But, since she has the taken ill, I find myself with no one to travel with. I have a husband but he doesn’t like to travel and I am unwilling to stay home. I want to go places, see things, and experience the big world. I have the time now that my children are grown and gone but not the money to do anything I want. I would like to be able to travel and do whatever I want. With a little planning and a little saving it can be done. These chapters will cover some places you might like to go alone, or with a friend you can round up, and are budget friendly for a fixed income.
The first concern, for me, is always the money. Maybe you live on a fixed income, maybe you have other expenses that have to be covered first. But where there is a will, there is a way. Make a plan and work towards saving and paying for it. Like all things in life, when you have to put forth an extra effort it makes the results even that more rewarding. Here are some tips to make traveling less expensive:
1) If it’s a trip out of the country or multiple flights/destinations get a travel agent. I know this is old fashioned with online booking of hotels, airlines, and cruises but a travel agent is invaluable if something unforeseen should happen on your trip. Here are 10 reasons why you should use an agent: Why You Need a Travel Agent. I know from personal experience that my travel agent can manage any problems that come up. Hotel doesn’t have your reservation or cost is different from what you were promised? Flight changes? Dangers? Cool things to do? Not to mention there is someone out there that knows your itinerary and where you are staying and what you plan to do. This is important if you are by yourself or two women alone.
2) Be flexible.
(1) Use a smaller hotel.
Isn’t This the Cutest Hotel?
They can be just as nice as the big expensive ones and even more fun since they are more personable and customer service is lots of times better because they want you back. Sometimes they come with a little kitchen where you can also save some money on your food bill. Maybe you don’t want to go out to eat. You can just stay in and have a stress-free evening.
(2) Go in the off-season. During the summer months, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and even South America (where it will be winter) are still pleasant―and less crowded.
(3) Pre-pay for what you can. This allows you to cover some costs gradually which is good for the budget. You can stretch the costs of your trip over time and save yourself from using your charge card. I have been able to take several trips without charging a thing because I paid for excursions, drink packages, etc ahead of time.
(4) Book a fixed cost trip. All-inclusive programs that lump meals and activities with the room price keep costs down. Consider one of these: Beaches, Rui ( I have a trip booked to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic in month or so, I will write a review when I get back), Starfish Resorts.
(5) Go on a cruise.
Oasis Docked in St. Thomas
My favorite is Royal Caribbean. I am checking into Norwegian because they offer some dream cruises I would love to take although I don’t know how I will ever afford them.
3) Think about driving. Gas prices are way down. There are many attractions within a couple of days of where you live. There are even some in my own county that are very cool. I can make a fun day trip seeing the attractions, eating at a good restaurant, and visiting with locals. Or I can take a couple of days to see some sights in my own state. I will be writing about some of the things you can do in Kansas, believe or not. Every state has something fun and interesting to see or do.
4) Take a guided tour if you are not comfortable driving. This way you get to meet new people and learn new things without the hassle of driving yourself (or maybe you can’t drive so this is a good alternative). You prepay many expenses, and the guide can give you a sense of other costs to help you budget. Find unexpected tours (like cycling in Bali) at intrepidtravel
5) Start with a theme like history, architecture, art, or food. A travel agent can come in very handy here or AAA has some good programs.
Another concern is safety. There are some ways to keep safe when you are traveling alone:
1) Give someone a copy of your itinerary. At least someone back home should have a general idea of where you’ll be and when. Give them your travel agent’s information. That way you can be contacted if something goes wrong or you need to be contacted.
2) Take pictures of all of your documents and store them in the cloud. They can be accessed from any computer. Passport, IDs, ticket numbers, reservations, etc. That way if you lose them AND your computer or phone, you won’t be totally screwed. Also, keep a hard copy of your itinerary with you at all times. It can help in the event of an emergency.
3) Consider travel insurance. Places like World Nomads provide travel insurance to individuals, couples, or families to cover all manner of unexpected costs. For a reasonable fee they will not only cover medical and dental emergencies, but also reimburse you for lost baggage, trip cancellations, or delays, rental car damage, and more.
4) Pack Light. Packing light can actually be a safety tip: Nothing says “rob me” like someone wheeling four large bags along the side of a street. You’ll also be more mobile with a smaller bag in case you need to move quickly.
5) More tips can be found at NomadicMatt.
Please sign up for my newsletter. In future blogs I will be covering some destinations, reviews, plans, and other fun things to do for women our age traveling alone.
