What happened she lined her pockets with ziplocks and filled up with a few lbs of camarones?
We got our money's worth out of it! You nailed it. We were at the buffet and she comes back with way more than she could eat. She gets about half way through it and then pulls out a half gallon Tupperware container out of her daypack. She starts loading it up and I tell her it's generally frowned on to do this and might even get us kicked out, so she goes and asks one of the waitstaff about it. Much too my surprize, they not only tell it's fine but then hold open her purse to help her load the now pack container into. Since it's all cooked food and the end of the meal, it will all be tossed out anyway. I don't think Management would approve, but I doubt this was a first time thing for them...
Dinner comes and yes, she has the camarones and another Tupperware container.
She takes it all back to the room and packs it into the mini fridge and then we're off to show. A Michael Jackson Tribute show with the star in Kabuki white face make-up doing actually pretty impressive moonwalking, stunts and other fanfare.. It's a bit rough and weird to take in at first, but by the end they had won me over with the effort. Now it's ten and I'm thinking we're off to bed, but no, now it's off to the club for more drinks and dancing until about 1:30 and finally off to bed.
Next morning, it's another buffet and she's ready. I'm happy to have bacon, toast and and an omlete for the first time this trip, but she's come prepared again with another Tupperware container. What does she get? Real gourmet food, Fruit Loops. Her eyes are all sparkly with how she hit the jackpot for her kids when she gets back.. She finds some various other sweets to pack away and we splash away most of the morning in the giant pool. Lunch is rather awful burnt pizza, even by Dominican standards, and by 2PM we're out of the room heading for home.
Mind you, when you come by bus and moto, there is no taxi service between the front desk and the main gate. We lucked out on the way in flagging down some incoming tourists, but on the way out we had to hoof it for almost a mile with our luggage and about 5 extra pounds of food in tow, mostly sweets of various kinds.
The plan was to spend two nights at some dump AI for $50/night, but I'm so glad it fell through. I met a Canadian couple while we were stuck at the first gate and they had nothing good to say about it.. Barcelo was a deal for what we got it for and squeezed out of it, but I would not have been happy at the full price, esp when I found out it's an upcharge for WIFI. $3 for 15 minutes in the cybercafe.. I waited until we got on the guagua to Higuey where it was free.. I had a couple other minor gripes, but she loved it(and was *appreciative*), so it was money well spent, my birthday too(52) and a very good time overall..