Amanee and Linda take the Dominican Republic

Hola mis amores!

I hope everyone is having a great summer! I can’t believe how fast it’s flying by. I’ve been EXTREMELY busy. I started grad school in May and took two classes over the course of six weeks... And of course I’m still working full time, so, I had a lot on my plate— But I passed with two A’s and now I have some down time until classes resume and my travel for work starts back up in August.

For those of you who don’t know her, my mom, Linda, is my very best friend. This year, I wanted to do something special for her birthday on July 12^th. It wasn’t a milestone or anything but I LOVE birthdays and I think every year deserves a celebration.  

She loves to travel, just like me, but before this, we had never taken a trip together— Just the two of us— in my 25 ½ years of life. And, on top of that, neither of us had been on a vacation to just relax in YEARS. I know I travel a lot, but I always have something planned! This trip, I made no itinerary and booked no excursions.The plan was to just RELAX.  

For Linda’s birthday this year, I surprised her with a trip to the Dominican Republic. I’ve gotten a ton of questions already about how I managed to pull this off… Well, first things first. My mom is retired, so I didn’t have to work around her schedule and I simply told her we were going on a trip to someplace hot… I didn’t say where (We could’ve been staying right here in Florida for all she knew), but I wanted to let her know so that she could pack accordingly.

Now, I bet you’re also wondering… “Why did you decide to go to the Dominican Republic with all of this bad press and people dying?” Well, my friends, I majored in journalism and I do EXTENSIVE research on EVERYTHING.

I made sure that nothing fishy was going on at the resort I planned to stay at and on top of that, the Department of State hasn’t issued any type of heightened travel advisories. Things happen. Unfortunately, people die abroad more than you may think. State Department statistics show that both Jamaica and the Bahamas have higher rates of unnatural American deaths than the Dominican Republic.

I literally had people tell me “not to breathe” and “don’t die” on my vacation… Dramatic. Personally, I think all of this is over exaggerated. You’ll end up doing absolutely nothing if you’re afraid to live a little. So, that’s my two cents.

Now for a little bit of geography, the Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with the nation of Haiti. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation by area (after Cuba), and third by population with approximately 10 million people. The Dominican Republic has the ninth-largest economy in Latin America and is the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. Tourism is one of the fueling factors in the Dominican Republic’s economic growth. It is the most visited destination in the Caribbean and has an average temperature of 78.8 degrees F.

Now, let’s get into this trip! Keep reading for all of the fun details of #LindasLitBirthdayTrip!

Linda and I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and drove to Orlando. Our flight was at 6 a.m., so we needed to have ample time to park my car, take the shuttle to the airport, and get through security.

I didn’t tell Linda where we were going until we were standing right out outside of the airport. Here’s her reaction. She’s the cutest person ever. :)

Once we got to the gate, we found out that our flight was delayed because the co-pilot (Or the second lieutenant, as I kept calling him. LOL) called in sick. We took off around 7:00 and I went straight to sleep. 

When I woke up, Linda said that she ordered a cup of coffee that taste like cardboard. HA! I had never flown Frontier Airlines before, but apparently they don’t even offer complimentary snacks and beverages. Rude. We sat behind the cutest family with two small children and they were so well behaved and SILENT the entire flight.

When we arrived in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, we went through customs, gathered our luggage, and took a shuttle to our resort— The beautiful Paradisus Palma Real. The 30-minute ride there wasn’t very scenic, but once we turned onto the long road with all of the lush resorts, everything changed.

The grounds of the all-inclusive Paradisus Palma Real were stunning. As soon as you walk in, you can see the ocean from the open air lobby. 

Our room wasn’t quite ready yet, as it was only around 10 a.m., so we went down to the buffet to have breakfast. Linda said their coffee taste like cinnamon… She’s very particular about her coffee, can you tell? Ha!

The Dominican Republic is a Spanish-speaking country and my mother (who does NOT speak Spanish, might I add), had the nerve to say, “If I would’ve known we were coming here, I would’ve brushed up on my Spanish!” LOL. I, on the other hand, took a bazillion years of Spanish in school and I used to be conversational… So I can understand it. Speaking it is a little more difficult.

The really funny thing is that people kept immediately speaking to us in Spanish… So I would start the conversation in Spanish and then when I asked if they spoke English, they looked at me like I had three heads… Because they thought we were Dominican! LOL. So many people were so surprised that we weren’t. My mom's name, Linda, actually means cute or pretty in Spanish! (And every single person who worked there asked her if she knew what her name meant. Ha!) It was crazy because Yenny, our waitress, looks like she could be Linda’s sister. She was such a sweetheart. :)

After breakfast, we changed our clothes in the arrival lounge and walked around and explored the grounds. There were three pools, five tennis courts, a casino, a spa, eight bars, and six restaurants. They offered daily dance classes, scuba lessons, sailing, windsurfing, and nightly entertainment. All kinds of stuff!

By 3:00 p.m., our room was ready, so we picked up the keys and went to check it out. I tried to go outside to see the balcony, but when I went to open the sliding glass door, I noticed that it was off track and just leaning up against the frame. When the bellhop brought our bags, Linda had him look at it and he agreed that something wasn’t right. He was extremely helpful as he called the front desk and swiftly secured another room for us. We didn’t have to lift a finger.

The rooms were a little dated… Nothing too fancy compared to the new updated Marriott’s that I’m used to staying in. But this wasn’t too big of a deal because we were hardly in the room— Just to sleep and get dressed.

Once we settled in, we took a nap and planned to wake up around 6 p.m. to get ready for dinner… That didn’t happen. We were exhausted and slept until 8. Good thing dinner at the buffet was open until 10:30 p.m. 

After dinner, we sat in the courtyard and talked and listened to the DJ play ridiculously old music. I didn’t hear anything from this decade… But on the bright side, it was very diverse. He played hip hop, pop, R&B, reggaetón… All kinds of stuff!

The next day, we woke up too late for breakfast so we went straight to the beach and spent the entire day there. We had a great spot—Right on the front row, under an umbrella, so we had a perfect view of the ocean.

The beach was nice… I wouldn’t say it was one of the top five I’ve ever seen (I’ve also been to some REALLY breathtaking beaches), but it was nice. Lots of chairs and umbrellas, people boating and parasailing, and even a waiter who comes around and takes drink orders. 

I’d have to say the most annoying part were the numerous people hassling guests to purchase things. Hats, bags, souvenirs, braiding hair, and even people offering to take your picture with a monkey and parrot… I was like a broken record! “No, gracias!!!”

I went on a hunt for a cup of coffee for Linda and ordered two hamburgers from the beach grill. It was extremely convenient. I didn’t have to clean my feet off or put clothes on to get something quick to eat. 

After baking in the sun for the entire day, we went back to the room and got dressed for dinner at the buffet. After dinner, we took advantage of one of the complimentary perks of the resort and saw a Dominican dance show. After the performance, there were vendors outside selling jewelry, alcohol, coffee, and statues in the courtyard.

On Wednesday, we woke up too late for breakfast (Yes, again. We were on vacation time lol) so we took our time getting dressed... aka putting our bathing suits and cover-ups on, and went downstairs to have lunch. 

After lunch, we snatched up a cabana by the pool. It was perfect because I wanted to lay in the sun and get a tan, but Linda was perfectly content sitting in the shade reading her book— So we got the best of both worlds.

I must add that when I booked this resort, I thought that it was adults-only. BOY WAS I WRONG! To my surprise, there’s a certain wing of the resort that’s adults-only. So Linda and I had to tolerate annoying little kids. Note to self: Next vacation, be absolutely sure that it’s actually adults-only. LOL!

After a nice relaxing day, we got dressed, had dinner, and went to see the Michael Jackson Experience. It was complete with a Michael Jackson impersonator accompanied by other dancers.

It was really entertaining! The other people in the audience didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as Linda and I did… She even gave them a standing ovation! Here’s a picture of us with Dominican Michael Jackson (He looked much more like Michael from far way lol)

On Thursday, we had a huge breakfast… It was probably one of the best meals we had the entire time we were there. While we were eating, one of the men who worked in the spa randomly came up to our table and had a brief conversation with us... Little did we know, we were about to be serenaded. He said that he had a passion for singing and that a guest even invited him to sing at their wedding! Now I don't know if he was joking or not but... I caught a snippet on camera!

After breakfast, we began our day at the beach, were we both read our books and enjoyed the breeze.

Around lunch time, we changed locations and got a cabana by the pool and had burgers for lunch. We even got in the water and sat by the swim-up bar for a few minutes.

That evening, we had reservation at one of the a-la-carte restaurants on the property. We wanted to have a fancy dinner at least once while we were there. 

The steakhouse was beautifully decorated. A nice change from the buffet that we had been eating at the entire week.

The food was TERRIBLE. I don’t understand how you can call yourself a steakhouse and have terrible steak. Linda could hardly cut through hers! Womp. After dinner, we went and sat by the bar and had sandwiches, a cup of coffee, and a glass of champagne. So much for fancy LOL.

The entertainment that evening was the “BOUNCE” show. The performers used trashcans, brooms, and other ordinary objects to make music. After that, we stayed up until midnight to bring in Linda’s birthday. :)

On our final day in Punta Cana, we spent the morning at the beach. We met David, who was selling his hand-carved wooden statues. I got Linda a swan for her birthday.

In the afternoon, our friend Nixon (an employee at the resort who always made sure we had everything we needed) saved a cabana for us at the pool because he knew it was Linda’s birthday. So nice! We lounged under it all day.

After a day in the sun, we got dressed for dinner and went down to the buffet. Yenny, our wonderful server, put flowers and champagne on the table for us. Everyone was so kind and thoughtful.

The last show of the week was The Lion King. Linda and I LOVE The Lion King. It was my favorite movie growing up. 

The performance was excellent. Their costumes and makeup were so well-done. I couldn’t believe the same dancers had the energy to perform night after night!

Pumbaa's wig cracked me up!

Simba!

Scar!

Zazu!

After the show, we danced the night away with our friends Nixon and Jose. Linda said she wanted to dance and we did just that! We danced merengue, bachata, and salsa. Timon was even the DJ. HILARIOUS!

Doesn't he look like the spitting image of Chadwick Boseman? (Black Panther)

Around midnight, we went back to the room to pack. Our flight was at 9 the next morning so we had a long day ahead of us. We took the shuttle to the airport in the morning and quickly went through security.

Once we were at the terminal, we sat in the food court and watched Serena Williams’ match at Wimbledon. Linda loves tennis and she missed an entire week of play so I’m sure she was happy to see that!

Our flight back to Orlando was DREADFUL. Remember the two silent kids who we sat behind on the flight to Punta Cana? Well, they were on the same flight back and just as silent and well behaved as before. But... there was a family in the back of the plane with this SCREAMING child.

You know how most kids will cry for a little while and then fall asleep? NOT HIM! He carried on for two hours. I wanted to jump out the window. Then I was even more irritated when I saw that he wasn’t even a baby or a toddler… He was like SIX. Unacceptable. Lol. Good thing that was the only inconvenience the entire trip!

So that concludes our girl’s trip to the Dominican Republic! We had a great time together. Linda said this was one of the best birthdays she’s ever had and I’m so glad that I was able to do something special with her.

A Note from Linda:

Hola everyone! For those of you who have ever returned from a much-needed vacation, still needing a vacation, may I suggest the Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for your next trip? Taking the time to relax and enjoy the beauty of this resort was absolutely wonderful— No schedules, no phone calls, no cable, no politics, and no drama. I felt very comfortable to be with so many friendly people who felt comfortable being with me. Especially when here in the U.S. in 2019, we still can’t get that right.

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes! Thank you to all of the staff at Paradisus for making our stay so special, especially Yenny, Nixon, and Jose! Thank you, Amanee! I have rested, been rejuvenated, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute that we spent on our trip. Love you so much, Mom/Linda. 

Now, back to me! You all know I always give you my honest opinions about the places I visit. Here are my thoughts...

First of all, the alcoholic beverages were awful. I gave them a try a couple of times, but I never finished a single drink. I’m glad I thought to buy a bottle of Jack Daniels at the airport. I ended up getting virgin Pina Coladas and spiking them with my own alcohol. Lol. The champagne wasn’t bad though!

Here’s a list of pros and cons to consider:

Cons:

The food at the buffet was never hot… It was either room temperature or cold. And all of the beef had a ton of gristle in it. I kept joking that we were eating reindeer meat. Lol. I love to eat so that was disappointing.

The rooms were outdated. Not a deal breaker for me, but like I said, I’m a little spoiled.

There weren’t a lot of areas in the shade at the pool. Only a handful of cabanas and umbrellas. If you wanted a spot in the shade, you must’ve had to reserve it before the sun came up, because one day I went downstairs to get a cabana when the clubhouse (where you got towels) opened at 8 and everything was already reserved. We got really lucky every day when we found one.

The people at the front desk really didn’t give us a thorough overview of the property when we checked in. We didn’t know where anything was, what pool we could use, what time the buffet was open, etc. There was an app that had all of this information, but they didn’t inform us about it when we checked in. There was a little confusion at first.

So… Enough about the things that I didn’t like so much. Now for the good stuff!

Pros:

Paradisus Palma Real Punta Cana is absolutely STUNNING. The grounds are well-kept, clean, and comfortable. It’s beautifully decorated as well.

All of the employees were EXTREMELY nice and helpful. They remembered us by name, greeted us whenever they saw us, and really catered to whatever we needed. From the bellhop, to the chefs at the buffet, to our waitress, Yenny, to Grabiel in the winery, to Nixon at the pool.

Our housekeepers did an excellent job keeping our room nice and tidy. They always had fresh towels and an ample amount of soap. The evening turn-down service was a nice touch too!

We didn’t have to/need to/want to leave the property to do anything. Everything we needed was right there!

Everything on the resort property was in close proximity—The bars, the restaurants, the beach and even our room were all a short distance from each other.

Even though the burgers were all gristly, the beach grill was extremely convenient. Whenever we wanted a snack, I could just jump up and go get it. I didn’t have to wash the sand off of my feet, put my cover-up on, and look presentable to go sit down in a restaurant.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana. Linda and I genuinely had a great time and it was the perfect relaxing vacation for both of us.

I do want to make sure that I mention how the bad press about the Dominican Republic effected the specific resort we were staying at. We were told that numerous people were laid off from their jobs, two groups of 800 people cancelled their trips, and as a result of all the cancellations, they closed an entire wing of the resort. 

All of this is having a huge effect on the economy in the Dominican Republic. Bookings between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic for July and August dipped 84.4% compared to the same time last year. Numerous airlines waived change fees for travelers who did not wish to proceed with their Dominican Republic trips following the series of U.S. tourist deaths. But, luckily, flight bookings are rebounding and hopefully things will be back to normal. I sure pray that they bounce back soon!

So, that’s all, folks!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed #LindasLitBirthdayTrip as much as we did! Leave us a comment (Linda reads them too)! Have you ever been to DR? Thinking about going?

Until next time!

-A.