Well it’s been a month already since we’ve returned from the Dominican Republic! But oh how fresh the memories are! That’s the thing with vacations– those memories– they stick with you!
Isn’t this picture….. dreamy? That water though was gorgeous!
This was the first “all inclusive” (similar to our honeymoon) that Fred and I have done in 7 years so it was long over due and much anticipated! The fun all started bright and early on Tuesday, August 27. We departed Peoria airport on a Delta flight bound for Atlanta- we then connected on to Punta Cana. There was lots of concern and excitement when we left about the “potential” for Hurricane Dorian to pass by. Dominican Republic was under a tropical storm watch when we left home. Not thinking it would amount to much- and armed with trip insurance- we departed!!
Upon landing we hurried into our terminal to go through immigration and from there customs. We collected our bags and proceeded to our awaiting transfer. For those that haven’t traveled outside of the country- yes it is exciting to have a 1 PM arrival time (you THINK even with a 20 minute transfer that by 2:30 you can be resting on the beach…right?). Well…. REALITY! You wait in line (with all the other arriving passengers) for immigration’s and customs for about an hour or so, get transferred smoothly, get ushered in to the resort for your check in process and get to your room, then you go to scope what there is to eat because by now it is 4:00. Haha– yes we were starving when we got there and were NOT relaxing on the beach like we thought we might be.
We stayed at the Secrets Cap Cana Resort. This resort is 2.5 years old and I’ve been wanting to visit since it openened. I have had numerous couples stay here and LOVED it. In general Secrets brand (in Jamaica, Dominican, soon opening in St. Maarten, and in Mexico) is an adults only brand that I recommend when quoting romance, honeymoons and anniversaries- etc. It was high time I went and explored it myself.
Now – let me introduce to you…. Antonio. If you book a Preferred Club room, it is a VIP section of the resort and you will get your own restaurant at the pool and your own beach section as well as a butler. Antonio was our butler. He was Amazing! He coordinated our romantic dinner on the beach, our spa sessions (even got us an amazing discount), and took care of whatever we needed or asked. He was available via whatsapp texting on our phones. No matter where we were on the resort we could find him! He even came to chat with us on the beach!
Antonio! The BEST Butler in the Preferred Club!
So just check out the staff at this resort! We enjoyed them all so much! They were so friendly! The first is a picture of Omar- he walked the beach scheduling spa appointments. We found out he was a christian when he heard our music and stopped to talk to us about it!
That first night, after dinner, we ate at the French Restaurant called Bordeaux, we returned to our room to find a well written letter on our bed from the Secrets Management. We were informed that with the expectation that Hurricane Dorian would be passing between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic on Wednesday night/Early Thursday morning we would be getting relocated from our Ocean view room to a building located slight back from the ocean. We were disappointed and having just go there didn’t really want to move, but they knew best and we trusted their expertise! The good news? Through the night Hurricane Dorian switched paths and at 2 PM on Wednesday we found out we no longer would need to relocate. And you know what else? We had 6 BEAUTIFUL days of gorgeous sunny weather without one single rainy day like was anticipated. I was thankful to have the opportunity to see “on a small scale” what travelers experience or can expect when they are traveling during an anticipated hurricane.
Hurricane Dorian’s new predicted path
This was a really restful vacation for us – so we didn’t do anything extra off the resort. We did enjoy some kayaking at the resort as well as swimming, reading books, and spa treatments (couples massages are the best if you have not tried one)!
On our second day I was asked if I had tried the Mama Juana. I had to say “excuse me” and have them repeat it multiple times before I knew what they were saying and then the lady tells me, the “baby maker”. Fred and I both laughed. No we hadn’t planned on trying this interesting drink but she insisted- you haven’t been to the Dominican if you haven’t tried it! So I tried a tiny shot glass sip — (we didn’t care for it) but it must be popular as they sold it in much larger quantities in their gift shop and at the airport! Fred and I had the opportunity to have a beach side romantic dinner. It was a lovely meal we got to customize and they served to us on the beach. We enjoyed quiet time at night- we watched movies, played games, read books, and just totally relaxed and enjoyed our time together.
I will be doing one more post all about the resort itself- so stay tuned here to see more pictures of this beautiful property!
All My Passions 