PUNTA CANA VACATION RECAP

For the past 5 years or so my family has made it a tradition to spend our winters vacationing at various tropical destinations. There is truly nothing like escaping to a tropical island in the dead of winter, and it’s really taken the stress out of the holidays for us. After much deliberation this past year we decided to go to Punta Cana – somewhere we’ve never been! See all my tips & tricks below to make the BEST out of your vacation!

PUNTA CANA VACATION RECAP

 

Transportation 

Getting to your resort:

• Check if your resort has a shuttle to & from the airport – if they do you’re set, just be sure to have cash to tip your driver!
• If your resort doesn’t have a shuttle bring cash for your taxi to and from the airport. The drivers do not accept card! As a reference my family of 5 was charged $40 + tip for a ride to the resort from the airport.
• Bavaria Beach is just a 15 minute ride from the airport – so it’s fast and easy!

Getting to the airport:

Since the airport is so close to the Barceló resort where we stayed, we really didn’t need to leave for our flight super early. Let your resort know what time your flight is scheduled for departure and they should book you a taxi accordingly. When you do get to the airport, there will be guys who will take your bags out of the car as soon as it stops and will not give them back to you until you tip them. Either insist on handling your bags yourself as soon as you exit the car or just suck it up and give them a few dollars as a tip unless you want to get into a fight (this happened to my sis).

Where We Stayed 

We stayed at the Barceló Bavaro Adults Only which is a part of Barceló Bavaro Grand Resort. The resort was honestly probably the largest one we’ve ever stayed at! It’s essentially 4 resorts in one – apart from the Adults Only you can also choose from Barceló Bávaro Palace, Premium Level at Barceló Bávaro Palace, and the Family Club at Barceló Bávaro Palace. We opted for the Adults Only side so we could get some true peace & quiet, and I’m glad we did! We did venture to the other resorts as they are all connected & included, and it was more of a “Spring Break” scene – lots of loud music and dancing, and a lot more people. Sure, if the mood strikes it can be fun, but it was nice to have the option between tranquility & chaos.

What To Do 

First of all – Seize.The.Day!

I know when it comes to vacation we all have a tendency to sleep in wayyy later than normal. This time around I decided to dedicate a few days to getting up early (6:45am) to watch the sunrise. There is something about watching a sunrise that puts such a positive note on the rest of your day. After that I really didn’t want to sleep so I got an early breakfast, laid out for a bit, took a walk on the beach, and then went sailing all before 12pm. There is so much you can pack into a day if you make an effort to- I truly believe in embracing every moment while you’re on vacation instead of sleeping ’til noon.

So with that, I’ll break down everything you can do at Barceló with both indoor & outdoor activities!

Indoor:

• Escape Room
• Casino
• Bowling
• Nightclub
• Spa Day

Outdoor:

You can find all of these activities within the resort or on Bávaro Beach! Barceló includes everything except those marked with a *

• Sailing
• Kayaking
• Wind surfing
• Parasailing
• Volleyball
• Paddle boats
• A photo shoot with a monkey (Beware they will charge you $15/photo)
• Dolphin show*
• Pirate Ship cruise*

Random Tips

Brush up on your Spanish before you go! Most of the employees/locals did not speak much English. This was surprising to me as in Mexico almost everyone speaks English quite fluently.

Tip your maids a little everyday and they will seriously take care of you. If you have any problems with your room, or need anything extra they will go above and beyond to help you. During our time there we had a maid who barely spoke any English, but was so sweet & helpful with anything we needed. My mom literally communicated to her using Google Translate to ask how we can see the local peacocks up close. She went out of her way to get her boss’ permission for us to go to their private area to take photos and feed the peacocks, and it was so incredible!

 

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