Jobina and I are trying to figure out where we are going to go for our big 10th Anniversary trip (sometime after I graduate in April). We've got about 12,000 air miles which we want to at least take care of most of our airfare. We also don't want to spend too much on top of that, so we're trying to find really good deals. We've been thinking of somewhere hot and so far Hawaii and the Dominican Republic look good.
The problem with Hawaii is that the island we really want to go to is the Big Island and air miles won't fly us directly there. They will only get us to Maui or Oahu and then we'd have to pay to fly 40 miles (which costs more money) to get the Big Island. Maui might be OK too. If we go to Hawaii we would rent a condo (or maybe even a yurt!) and then make lots of our own meals/eat out.
The problem with the Dominican Republic is that there are just way too many resorts to choose from. Is 4 stars really that different from 5? How do we know if we are getting a good deal? Which resorts are good and which ones aren't? I wish I knew more about choosing a good place. Of course we are open to going somewhere else as well. Maybe you have some ideas or advice for us? We are open to anything, as long as it isn't too expensive.
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5 months ago
12 comments:
If you're trying to get information on what resorts might be better than others, I'd recommend trying to find some Travel message boards on the Internet. Not comments on a particular resort's website, but a forum where real people discuss their experiences.
A quick Google search found this forum http://debsdrtravels.proboards47.com/index.cgi that you might want to check out.
Everyone goes somewhere warm; why not an arctic adventure in Alaska?
I can feel the eye-daggers from Jobina already at that suggestion...
:)
Jay
I've been to Hawaii but I was at the Big Island. Honestly I said I wouldn't need to go back. It felt very "Americanized" but I guess it depends what you want. Everyone loves Maui and that's where I'd go if I went back. I think you get more of a cultural experience there. Or so I'm told.
I've been to Dominican Republic but it was a long time ago and I know things have changed since. In my opinion 4 star resorts have always been just fine. But I would check it out online as Jay suggested.
Good luck and happy vacation planning!
I have a single friend who heads to the Dominican every December - I can ask him where he stays. He obviously likes it because he keeps going back! This year he took his parents with him and they loved it too.
Here's what Ian replied about the Dominican:
"Depends on the person, time of year, what they want to do for the place. I stay at Hacienda Tropical, and Oasis Marien. Yes, lot’s of culture..very diverse, tones of history.
Debbies Dominican travel adventure, or travel advisor (see Puerto Plata).
Punta Cana has nice beaches, and great weather, Puerto Plata has way more to do and is a way better adventure in my opinion."
My pastor and his wife went to the Sandals resort in St Lucias this Christmas and had a fantastic time. My pastor is borderline ADD (at least that's what he says) so there must have been lots to do because he can't sit still for any length of time. It certainly helps to talk to a travel agent. You don't necessarily have to book through them, but it helps to know what places best suit your needs and roughly what prices might be. Then you can go online at home and see how much the same trip would be if you booked it yourself. AMA has great travel agents that are very helpful. Maybe talk to someone there!
hey jay i think they (and everyone else in this province) have had enough cold to last till next winter and mark why not check out travelocity.ca, they might help you out in some way.
Wow, thanks for the comments people!
Jay: Alaska is out, but we don't have to hit the beaches. We were thinking about Scotland, but don't think we have enough airmiles.
Lee: Thank your friend for his advice. Also, can you ask him if May is a good time to visit there?
Stacey: I'm leaning more towards Maui as they have this mountain bike ride where you get to ride down a volcano - a 26 mile descent! It just seems lodging is more expensive. Also, what part of the island is the best to stay in?
Michelle: Which sandals resort did he stay in? Thanks!
If you like something non-tourist, but kinda neat, a friend of mine raves about a place called Yelapa. My friend and his wife have been there 2 years in a row. Check it out here.
http://www.yelapa.info/
Cheers!
Dan G.
I'm not sure which Sandals resort they stayed in. I'm pretty sure they had access to all 3. I will ask him on Sunday and get back to you.
Hey Dan, I checked out the Yelapo info and it looked cool. Unfortunately when Jobina would see that most of the lodgings have mosquito nets, I think that would nix them for her. Keep up the ideas people!
Hey Mark - just got another email from Ian - he makes me want to head to the Dominican myself! Here's what he says:
"1st off I’m very biased b/c I love the DR and would like to live there.
You should not travel to the DR (in my opinion) during Easter. It is called Samana Santa….and they go crazy and pack the resorts. If you are adventuresome it would be a blast, but if you’re white and don’t speak Spanish you’d get way less service and from what I’ve read not really enjoy yourself. You should not go during hurricaine season as well (Aug-Dec). Otherwise there is no bad time b/c the weather varies little and it mostly perfect (dec and may are rainy months on the north coast but I’ve been there and no problem). You could go during both these time and still have a great time but if you’re playing odds those are the times to avoid. I personally wouldn’t go during spring break either b/c the resorts there are very tranquil and I wouldn’t want that spoiled by a bunch of drunken spoiled Torontonians.
DR is priced great. best value of anywhere close in my opinion….beautiful resorts, but tones of adventure off the resort (safe despite what people say…disregard it is safe)…probably perfect for what you are describing. Far less commercialized, still a bit third world, different language…far more adventure than Hawaii and waaaay cheaper (our currency is 30 to 1 there). The people are extremely nice! That’s the best part.
There are 3 main areas: the north coast (Puerto Plata), the east coast (Punta Cana), and the Caribbean side (La Romana, Bayahibe, Boca Chica). The north coast is my favorite b/c there is so much to do off the resort. There is a beautiful surfer town called Cabarette close by, a Jewish settlement called Sosua that is very cute. The town of Puerto Plata and Playa Dorado have tones to see and do and you can go into town with a cabbie and wonder around. There are great excursions both, planned and self ones you can take. Most are around 50-100 dollars. The beaches have been “re-done” and now very beautiful. The weather is great there. The water is the Atlantic so you don’t get lots of the greenish water. There are lots of ex-pats there so you don’t stand out too much wondering around. There is a beautiful city near by called Santiago and the ability to travel inland to the mountains (the true beauty of the DR most people never see). The is lot’s of history on the north coast b/c that’s where Columbus landed originally. Mostly Cdn, Germans, Brits go here so I really like meeting new people. Very multi-cultural. There are parts that are very poor, and dirty and some people come back going on about that b/c its all they saw of the resort. If you look past that there is tones of really good stuff to see and the best parts of the country are inland, off the beat and path where the tourist don’t go.
Punta Cana is new, beautiful only around 15 years old. The resorts are very nice and the beaches are the best in the country. I have been but don’t go here b/c this was a planned thing by the gov’t and as soon as you leave the resort you are in a poor area with no cities, so when you leave the resort you stand out like a sore thumb and there’s very little except cattle country and stuff built for tourists…yuk…I prefer to mix with locals, or ex-pats.
The Caribbean side is awesome….a bit hotter, great beaches. It is very popular with Americans which is downer for me. It is lot’s to do but doesn’t have the ex-pat areas to wonder in. Tones of history to see in Santo Domingo the 1st major city in the western world which is close by. The beaches and excursions on this side are amazing. Usually it is a bit more expensive and a bit more high end than the other side.
If you a nature freak than there’s an 3 day excursion up Pico Durate that would be amazing, and there’s 4th area called Samana/Las Terranes that is less developed (3 hour drive from PP) where there’s whale watching and stuff.
My recommendation would be to go to Puerto Plata. The 2 best resorts are: Marien Oasis, and Ibostar Costa Dorada. Make sure you go on some excursions, and make sure you spend a day, or 2 on your own excursions by finding a good cabbie and booking him for the whole day (take another couple maybe $50 each for the whole day), and make sure you go to Cabarette beach for an afternoon and an evening.
The best part of the country is the people. I have had cabbies’ take me home for fresh orange juice and to meet their family. I have traveled all over the country, inland etc and no one has ever given me a hard time. Fantastic place where you can be in the lap of luxury on the resort, and then leave for a real adventure in a place where I’ve had a real spiritual change about appreciating what we have and how to be happier. Dominican’s are always happy and they have a lot harder life than us.
Hope this helps. Be careful to read the dates on travel guides since the DR is a young country in many ways and changes fast. Tripadvisor.ca and Debbie’s Dominican travel adventure were good sources for me."
there you go - I know that was a novel!
Lee: Wow, thank Ian for me, that is amazing info. We checked out some reviews for the resorts he mentioned and they look pretty good. DR is definitely a better deal then Maui, but we are still feeling torn... it may come down to how much money we have in April! If we have more money, we'll probably go to Maui - if less then the Dominican Republic. These are tough decisions!
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