I'm going to start by saying that having been a regular member of DR1 since January, I'm afraid it's taken some of the fun out of going to an AI in DR...I could not, for the life of me, flirt with anyone I met like I used to do!!! With all the talk about "chopos" and "sankies"...boy, I thought I was going to have the worst time of my life!!!
My first "complaint" was with my travel agent, I HATE THESE PEOPLE...never going to use them again!!! The charter plane left an hour 1/2 late...Sat. 8/24 at 3:30 p.m. By the time we got to our room it was 8:00 p.m..One whole day lost!!!
The hotel is incredibly beautiful...like I said before...lots of marble, beautiful gardens, birds of all kinds, etc.
The first Dominican I met in the hotel, checking in, "Ysidro", was a total nut...never met anyone so unfriendly before!
We finally took a shower and changed to go to dinner (Mexican restaurant, good food and friendly service by Stevinson) and then the show...that was another dissapointment...3 guys on the animation team...not one of them remotely handsome...where are my beautiful Dominicans? :disappoin
On to the "Fun Pub"...boy, oh boy...who booked this vacation for me? First of all...NOBODY IN THE CLUB...counted 10 people at most...all young Europeans...Techno music...(thanks to Alex, the 1/2 Puerto Rican, 1/2 Domincan D.J....really cute, but conceited as no one I've ever met...as a matter of fact, never found out which half was Dominican!!!LOL)
NO Merengue or Bachata at all...left the club after 15 minutes and went to sleep, even though it was only 1:30 a.m....Hoping for a better day on Sunday...
Ok...let's give this another try...went to the spa, excercised for 45 minutes, changed and went to breakfast, which was pretty good...there are a total of 11 restaurants...3 for breakfast alone!
While my son went "discovering"...(he's never been in DR before!) I went to book the two excursions we wanted to take...Isla Saona/Altos de Chav?n and the 4x4's at the beach, plus made reservations for three of the "a la carte" restaurants...Capri (seafood) Steak House and Japanese...
$386 for three people for the trips...my brother was with us...
Spent almost two hours with the tour operator...the one that on Wednesday proposed to me!!! I could not get the guy to let me go to the pool, even though I pleaded with him...it was partly my fault, I admit...I had a few questions about the area that the guy was answering for me...and apparently not giving me the runaround like I thought he would...
I finally get away from the guy...reach the beautiful pool, oil up and wait for my son to return...He's got a grin from ear to ear...The kid is enjoying himself...GOOD!!!
Spent the rest of the day either at the beach or back at the pool, until dinner time...
We decide to go to the International Restaurant for dinner...excellent...even pretty good sushi! My son Sebastian wanted to see the show at the Caribe side of the hotel, while I decided for the one at the Tropical side...by the time we both got to our destinations...the show was over...this hotel is huge!!!
So I head to the club to give it another try...again...very few people there...but they're finally playing merengue...as soon as I walk in...this hand reaches out and pulls me onto the dance floor...Ok...so things are starting to turn around, finally!!!
While I'm dancing with "Winston", the friendly animation team member, I see my son walk into the club...oh, no...he's not going to like merengue...he soooo American!
Guess I was wrong...he became instant friends with my dancing partner, and with the cute D.J... Only thing is that they both thought he was my HUSBAND!!! I guess he looked to them much older...and I must have looked MUCH younger...boy, I'm beginning to enjoy myself!!!
Alex, (the D.J.) starts to flirt with me...(I swear I didn't do anything to promote this!)...so I ask him if he can dance...and he says YES!!!... We held on really tight for Christian Castro's "Azul"...I LOVE THAT SONG!!!:cheeky:
He promises the next night we'll dance more...he's not working on Monday! (Of course, he never even shows up!)
So, now we know the people on the animation team at the Tropical side...so we spend the whole day Monday there...In the afternoon we meet one of the girls...Sabina...form Italy...she teaches my son to dance Merengue...which again, to my surprise...he learns really fast...enjoys it and surprises the heck out of the Dominicans...my white boy can move!!! I guess he takes after his mother after all!!!
Ok...so more of the same that night, except we get pulled onto the stage for the magic show...but we love it!
On Tuesday we're supposed to go to the 4x4 trip...but they changed the time to the afternoon...and I didn't like that...so I cancell the trip...out $80!!! (They only return 50%!)
That night we ate at the Capri...seafood...delicious...and the coffee and dessert where the best I've had in a long time!
On Wednesday we get up at 5:30 a.m...went to breakfast and then on to Altos de Chav?n...the trip by bus was pretty good thanks to our friendly tour guide, Sandro...
I had never seen the amphitheatre...it's out of this world...I would love to see a concert there, under the stars...even more if I could introduce the performer...my new dream!!!:classic:
From there, to Bayahibe...for our catamaran trip to Saona...this is an adventure in itself...
Guess this is a good place to take a break...INTERMISSION...be back in a while...don't go away...it gets better by the minute!!!
My first "complaint" was with my travel agent, I HATE THESE PEOPLE...never going to use them again!!! The charter plane left an hour 1/2 late...Sat. 8/24 at 3:30 p.m. By the time we got to our room it was 8:00 p.m..One whole day lost!!!
The hotel is incredibly beautiful...like I said before...lots of marble, beautiful gardens, birds of all kinds, etc.
The first Dominican I met in the hotel, checking in, "Ysidro", was a total nut...never met anyone so unfriendly before!
We finally took a shower and changed to go to dinner (Mexican restaurant, good food and friendly service by Stevinson) and then the show...that was another dissapointment...3 guys on the animation team...not one of them remotely handsome...where are my beautiful Dominicans? :disappoin
On to the "Fun Pub"...boy, oh boy...who booked this vacation for me? First of all...NOBODY IN THE CLUB...counted 10 people at most...all young Europeans...Techno music...(thanks to Alex, the 1/2 Puerto Rican, 1/2 Domincan D.J....really cute, but conceited as no one I've ever met...as a matter of fact, never found out which half was Dominican!!!LOL)
NO Merengue or Bachata at all...left the club after 15 minutes and went to sleep, even though it was only 1:30 a.m....Hoping for a better day on Sunday...
Ok...let's give this another try...went to the spa, excercised for 45 minutes, changed and went to breakfast, which was pretty good...there are a total of 11 restaurants...3 for breakfast alone!
While my son went "discovering"...(he's never been in DR before!) I went to book the two excursions we wanted to take...Isla Saona/Altos de Chav?n and the 4x4's at the beach, plus made reservations for three of the "a la carte" restaurants...Capri (seafood) Steak House and Japanese...
$386 for three people for the trips...my brother was with us...
Spent almost two hours with the tour operator...the one that on Wednesday proposed to me!!! I could not get the guy to let me go to the pool, even though I pleaded with him...it was partly my fault, I admit...I had a few questions about the area that the guy was answering for me...and apparently not giving me the runaround like I thought he would...
I finally get away from the guy...reach the beautiful pool, oil up and wait for my son to return...He's got a grin from ear to ear...The kid is enjoying himself...GOOD!!!
Spent the rest of the day either at the beach or back at the pool, until dinner time...
We decide to go to the International Restaurant for dinner...excellent...even pretty good sushi! My son Sebastian wanted to see the show at the Caribe side of the hotel, while I decided for the one at the Tropical side...by the time we both got to our destinations...the show was over...this hotel is huge!!!
So I head to the club to give it another try...again...very few people there...but they're finally playing merengue...as soon as I walk in...this hand reaches out and pulls me onto the dance floor...Ok...so things are starting to turn around, finally!!!
While I'm dancing with "Winston", the friendly animation team member, I see my son walk into the club...oh, no...he's not going to like merengue...he soooo American!
Guess I was wrong...he became instant friends with my dancing partner, and with the cute D.J... Only thing is that they both thought he was my HUSBAND!!! I guess he looked to them much older...and I must have looked MUCH younger...boy, I'm beginning to enjoy myself!!!
Alex, (the D.J.) starts to flirt with me...(I swear I didn't do anything to promote this!)...so I ask him if he can dance...and he says YES!!!... We held on really tight for Christian Castro's "Azul"...I LOVE THAT SONG!!!:cheeky:
He promises the next night we'll dance more...he's not working on Monday! (Of course, he never even shows up!)
So, now we know the people on the animation team at the Tropical side...so we spend the whole day Monday there...In the afternoon we meet one of the girls...Sabina...form Italy...she teaches my son to dance Merengue...which again, to my surprise...he learns really fast...enjoys it and surprises the heck out of the Dominicans...my white boy can move!!! I guess he takes after his mother after all!!!
Ok...so more of the same that night, except we get pulled onto the stage for the magic show...but we love it!
On Tuesday we're supposed to go to the 4x4 trip...but they changed the time to the afternoon...and I didn't like that...so I cancell the trip...out $80!!! (They only return 50%!)
That night we ate at the Capri...seafood...delicious...and the coffee and dessert where the best I've had in a long time!
On Wednesday we get up at 5:30 a.m...went to breakfast and then on to Altos de Chav?n...the trip by bus was pretty good thanks to our friendly tour guide, Sandro...
I had never seen the amphitheatre...it's out of this world...I would love to see a concert there, under the stars...even more if I could introduce the performer...my new dream!!!:classic:
From there, to Bayahibe...for our catamaran trip to Saona...this is an adventure in itself...
Guess this is a good place to take a break...INTERMISSION...be back in a while...don't go away...it gets better by the minute!!!