Tag Archives: caribbean

Hard Rock Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) REVIEW

12 May

Matt and I celebrated his golden birthday (27 on the 27th) at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  We had an amazing time and wanted to share our experience with you all.  So, the following is our review of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana (& related trip features):

AIR TRAN:  We flew with Air Tran.  There were no films and two of the flights they seated us separately (thankfully the first one we were able to move, but the second one we had to sit with someone between us who refused to switch with us – didn’t make sense, especially when we offered for him to sit next to his wife, but oh well).

AIRPORT:  The line to buy the tourist card was a bit chaotic with people cutting in line, but it all works out once you realize that you can cut the line as well.  After that, it was smooth sailing, even with getting a cab.

CURRENCY:  If you buy Dominican pesos at the currency exchange, make sure to use them all.  I exchanged US$100, saved the pesos for an emergency, never used the pesos, and then exchanged them back for dollars upon return to the airport.  I only got back US$67!!   I lost $33!!  Don’t do what I did.  The cab we used accepted dollars.  The hotel accepted dollars and had a currency exchange.  Next time I will be all in or all out (in other words, only use pesos and use them all, or no pesos at all).

PUNTA CANA:  Beautiful beach.  Matt and I want to retire there.  Such a calm, beautiful place.

PRICE:  The hotel was A LOT.  However, I really wanted to stay there so I didn’t fuss about it.  And, some thing that did help us out was the $750 resort credit that we were given.  We used it on a special bottle of wine, a nice painting that is now hanging in our bedroom, a massage for Matt, a pedicure for me, and for two excursions (we only ended up taking advantage of one of them).  Do realize though that prices at the hotel for non-all-inclusive items are ridiculous!   For example, the same sunscreen I bought at CVS for US$11 was US$50 at the hotel!!  .

HOTEL GROUNDS:  Absolutely amazing!  Well maintained.

ROOMS:  Amazing!  We had a huge jacuzzi in the middle of the room.  The shower was its own room.  The only compliant I have is about noise.  They didn’t create thick enough doors/walls.  We could hear everything, including the next door’s TV.  For someone that is a light sleeper, bring ear plugs!

NIGHTLIFE:  The performances at the theater are disappointing.  Oro, the nightclub, was super nice but it was disappointing that the night club was not included. We paid US$40/pp.  We did get to see a Reggaeton concert that was really great.  Besides going out to the club, there are a lot of bars.

ACTIVITIES AT RESORT:  There were a lot of activities during the day, including beach volleyball, beach soccer, dance classes, live music, mini golf, and much more.  Lots to do during the day.  Night time there is not so many options.  The performances in the theater were terrible.  But, we were so tired after a day on the beach that we didn’t need much besides dinner.

GYM:  HUGE!  There were a lot of machines and workout classes.  However, I did not understand the need for all the TVs when there was no way to hear the TVs.

SPA:  Matt loved the spa. We used resort credit for his 50 minute massage.

SALON:  I used resort credit on a pedicure.  It was amazing.  They gave me hot tea, put a warm pillow around my neck, and gave me a foot massage.

CASINO:  If you like casinos, there are quite a lot of options.  However, we did not have any winning hands on this trip.

ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE RESORT:  The resort credit can be used on five different excursions.  We ended up booking the horse back riding on the beach and the snorkeling excursion.  We ended up skipping the snorkeling excursion because we just did not want to get up early (hey, it was free!), but we did do the horse back riding one, which was totally worth it.  The guides were super helpful with the horses and made us feel confident.

POOLS:  The lazy river was ok.  The adults only pool was really nice especially with the hammocks and beds.  We didn’t really go to any of the other pools because we were in love with the beach.

BEACH:  Absolutely breathtaking.  One of the best beaches I have ever been too.

Let’s talk about the RESTAURANTS:

BEACH/POOL BAR:  The food and drinks ordered at the pool were awesome for lunch and snacks.  The food and drinks ordered to the beach were ok, but the frozen drinks turned liquid quickly.

DELIs: We actually did not eat at any of the delis.

ICE CREAM:  Not so great.

CIAO (Italian):  The pasta we had was made by using a huge parmesan cheese wheel.  Super good!

IPANEMA (Brazilian):  We hated this place.  We didn’t really like anything there.

ISLA (Caribbean):  Great breakfast!  We only ate breakfast there.

LOS GALLOS (Mexican):  Great hosts.  Great entertainment (tequila man, singers).  This was one of our favorite restaurants.

PIZZETO (pizza):  If you think that no one can mess up pizza, think again.  This was terrible!  The food was so crappy that we left half way through the meal and went to the Italian restaurant.

THE MARKET (buffet):  We only ate breakfast there.  Great breakfast!

TORO (American):  We only ate lunch there but it was great.  Lots of options.  And, the chimichanga was amazing!  Favorite food I ate.

ZEN (Japanese):  Best meal!  Chicken, beef, shrimp (for Matt), rice, spring rolls, and more.  Yummy…

IN-ROOM DINING:  We only ordered chocolate cake and it was terrible!  Yucky!

Will we return to Punta Cana?  Yes.  For sure.  Will we stay at the Hard Rock again?  If there is a good deal.

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Jamaica DOs by Claudette

9 Apr

Here are some DOs for Jamaica travelers:

  •  Take only a red plate cab.  They are licensed to drive on the road.
  • If you want to go shopping, change your US dollars for Jamaican money. Hotels will change the money for you, but you can get more for your US dollar at a place called a Cambio. You can ask to see if the hotel has a shuttle to take you to a Cambio where you would get more for your dollar (e.g., 1 US dollar in Jamaica is worth from 82.00 to 83.00 or 84.00  Jamaican dollars depending on where you go).  You can also change your cash at the airport in Jamaica when you arrive.
  • DO go to Margueritaville Sports Bar & Grill and enjoy a lovely glass of margarita
  • DO go to Half Moon Shopping Center or other duty free shops where you get can get some of the best coffee in the world, “Blue Mountain Coffee,” perfumes, souvenirs and boutique clothing.
  • DO try our jelly coconut water
  • DO try our jerk chicken or jerk pork (very tasty; finger licking good)
  • DO try our curry goat with white rice
  • DO go see Rose Hall Great House (It’s a museum that has existed since the 18th century)
  • If you rent a car, DO remember to drive on the left.
  • DO learn a little patois (a dialect that everyone speaks).
  • If you rent a car, make sure your insurance company will cover you driving in Jamaica.
  • People will come up to you to try to sell you crafts or other stuff.   If you are not interested, just say no thank you.

Jamaica is really a beautiful place.  And, as a final note, DO stay at an all inclusive resort.

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Aruba Review by Yelena

4 Feb n59500341_35007990_4655

Looking back to four years ago, I don’t quite remember how my husband Cale and I ended up choosing Aruba as our honeymoon destination.  However, Aruba turned out to be the perfect place!

We went at the end of July, and stayed at the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive on Eagle Beach in Oranjestad.  There is a sister resort next door called the Divi Aruba. You can use bars and restaurants at both facilities, however a bonus of the Tamarijn is that each room is a view of the ocean.  The food and drinks at our hotel were fabulous, no complaints!  Some culinary highlights were the Caribbean café over at the Divi, and a restaurant at our resort where we could cook our own food over a table flame.  Another unique thing our resort offered was a full day’s rental of snorkel gear and bicycles.  I highly recommend this hotel.  We can’t wait to go back!

Here are some DOs and DON’Ts of travelling Aruba:

There is no need to rent a car –DO take public transportation!  We spent the week taking public transportation all around the island (which is only 21 miles long x 6 miles wide). The bus stops at all the beaches along the coast and the transfer station is downtown.  The bus fare equaled about $1 US.  DON’T take a bicycle outside of your resort. We attempted to bike outside of our hotel, and the city has very little sidewalks and no bike lanes.

DO take advantage of snorkel gear (either from your hotel or from a surf shop), and hop on a bus to take it to any of Aruba’s beaches. We spent an entire day at Arashi beach by the infamous lighthouse.  We also considered making a stop at the world-renowned Malmok Beach, just a few miles away, but ended up taking a long nap in the shade. On the other side of the island is Baby Beach known for its shallow water and colorful array of fish.

DON’T venture too far away from the coast into the desert. It begins to feel considerably more humid the further you get away from the water. We tried to go for a walk toward the lighthouse and ventured back toward the beach pretty quickly.

DO explore downtown. The buildings are unique and look very Dutch with bright colors and fancy roofs. There are many shops and street vendors all in one area. DON’T try to haggle in Aruba. Unlike many islands in the Caribbean, haggling is seen as an insult. DO grab an adult beverage at Senor Frog’s or Iguana Joe’s.

DO visit the Renaissance Aruba hotel downtown and/or consider staying there.  It’s in a beautiful location, with great dining options, an infinity pool, and its own private beach full of playful iguanas. We had lunch at Aquarius once day at this hotel and the salad bar was phenomenal.

Above all, remember to relax and enjoy the natural beauty Aruba has to offer!

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