My wife and I just returned on Friday and already miss it.
We stayed at the Melia Caribe from 12/9-12/15. The resort was fantastic and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was ok, but we didn't go there to eat! Don't get me wrong, there was a large variety, but the food looked better than it tasted. The room was beautiful, the grounds were unbelievable, and the beach was perfect!
We made a lot of friends (all from Canada for some reason) that we plan on staying in touch with.
The weather was perfect. Everyday was 80-85?F and mostly sunny.
It would rain in the early, early morning, but would stop by 8:00AM or so. Too early for us to even know.
We did a 1/2-day snorkeling trip, went parasailing, and hired a friend of a resort employee to take us to a school that was off the beaten path. I was blown away at the poverty. The "School" was like a 12' x 12' room with about 60 kids in there. The desks were jammed together and some of the kids were sitting on the floor. We brought school supplies, toys, t-shirts, ball caps, and candy. The teacher actually had us pass the candy out to the kids. I told our guide to have her pass out the other things. We didn't want to upset the daily routine. It was short and sweet. The kids were in awe of my wifes long blond hair and kept feeling it. We asked if we could have a quick group photo. The teacher agreed, but only the fairest skinned kids could be in the picture. I didn't realize what happened until after we left and our guide informed us that the reason for that was that they didn't want people that we showed the pictures to assume that it was like Africa or something...? I thought that was crazy, but whatever. I'm not one to question their request. All in all a great day. It was nice to get off the resort for a day.
We walked the beach daily and bought some rum and gifts for friends back home. The vendors are intense, but that didn't stop us. They all start with: "My friend, I have a question for you". "Come see my shop".... Not a question really... Funny though. Seemed like all of the shops had the same things.
It started to rain as we drove to the airport to go home, so I didn't feel bad for leaving. My wife and I were quiet on take off. I think we both left a little of us back there.
We fell in love with the DR and it's people. We can't wait to go back.
We stayed at the Melia Caribe from 12/9-12/15. The resort was fantastic and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was ok, but we didn't go there to eat! Don't get me wrong, there was a large variety, but the food looked better than it tasted. The room was beautiful, the grounds were unbelievable, and the beach was perfect!
We made a lot of friends (all from Canada for some reason) that we plan on staying in touch with.
The weather was perfect. Everyday was 80-85?F and mostly sunny.
It would rain in the early, early morning, but would stop by 8:00AM or so. Too early for us to even know.
We did a 1/2-day snorkeling trip, went parasailing, and hired a friend of a resort employee to take us to a school that was off the beaten path. I was blown away at the poverty. The "School" was like a 12' x 12' room with about 60 kids in there. The desks were jammed together and some of the kids were sitting on the floor. We brought school supplies, toys, t-shirts, ball caps, and candy. The teacher actually had us pass the candy out to the kids. I told our guide to have her pass out the other things. We didn't want to upset the daily routine. It was short and sweet. The kids were in awe of my wifes long blond hair and kept feeling it. We asked if we could have a quick group photo. The teacher agreed, but only the fairest skinned kids could be in the picture. I didn't realize what happened until after we left and our guide informed us that the reason for that was that they didn't want people that we showed the pictures to assume that it was like Africa or something...? I thought that was crazy, but whatever. I'm not one to question their request. All in all a great day. It was nice to get off the resort for a day.
We walked the beach daily and bought some rum and gifts for friends back home. The vendors are intense, but that didn't stop us. They all start with: "My friend, I have a question for you". "Come see my shop".... Not a question really... Funny though. Seemed like all of the shops had the same things.
It started to rain as we drove to the airport to go home, so I didn't feel bad for leaving. My wife and I were quiet on take off. I think we both left a little of us back there.
We fell in love with the DR and it's people. We can't wait to go back.
