Wednesday 15 March 2023

Wed., Mar. 15, 2023

 Hello my fellow bloggers. Today is sunny with plenty of snow on the ground. I have been out of the game for a while because we took advantage of an excellent price for a sunny get away. It was a "husband has to get away because he deals with seasonal affective disorder every year and he hit a wall" and "wife agrees to it because she thinks she deserves it after the somewhat hellish last several months she has endured and emerged victorious from" situation. We went to a place in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic that has just very recently changed ownership. Because of that, they offered an excellent price and we did a ten day trip (the longest we've ever done). 

We flew out of Toronto (a situation which we would have avoided if we could) using Swoop airlines. Swoop is one of those bare bones, we offer you nothing so you can have a slightly better price, airlines. We had to pay extra so we could sit together on the plane, and we paid extra to bring one checked piece of luggage. We got to have one carry-on each for no extra cost. Do you remember the days when you would receive food (not great food, but food nonetheless) on your flight and a free beverage? Do you remember having little screens on which to watch a movie or some episodes of a fun television show to help you pass the time? Well, those days are long gone. Oh sure, you can get something to eat if you use your credit card, and a surprising amount of people did. Good lord, I am frugal. (Yes, I get the irony in what I'm writing about).

Anyway, the resort is an older one, so established beautiful tropical grounds are enjoyed everywhere. There is one long meandering pool (like a river - we called it our river walk that we would do a few times a day) that runs the length of the resort. The service was beyond excellent and the food was actually very good. Here are a few pictures. I won't bore you with too many.


So, this delighted me to no end. Yes, this is a flamingo walking amongst the lounge chairs beside the pool. 


This is the whole family (I presumed it was a family). Almost daily, the three would leave their little habitat area that they share with some koi and a few cool statues and do a wander up and down the pool area. Nobody bothers them and they are always just out of arm's reach. They were free to come and go as they pleased. I joked with husband that they must have a contract whereby they are must show themselves to some guests five out of seven days.


Here is just a little piece of the pool. Have a look at all the people in the lounge chairs. (?!?) This was the incredible thing about this trip. Because it was a re-opening of the resort, it was only at about 20% capacity. If you love to get away, but you don't especially love to be around people, this was the place for you! (It also meant I could take photos and post them without invading someone's privacy).


The rooms were dated and small by anyone's standards, but they were spotlessly clean and we had decent water pressure and hot water whenever needed and a king sized bed (which we don't even have at home), so we were happy. This is what we saw from our second storey balcony. We could see the water. It was windy and wavy down at the beach and we did not spend much time there, but I had a couple of nice walks along the beach and it was lovely.


At night, when we would walk to whatever restaurant we were eating at, the lights and the pool were so beautiful. This resort just had such a positive ambiance to it. All inclusive resorts may not be everyone's cup of tea, but we had only good things to say about this one and because there were so few people, we got to know people and had nice conversations while on our "river walks" or at the lobby bar in the evening. 

And so I am back home, getting back (slowly) into the swing of things. It is March Break in Ontario, so no occasional teaching for me at the moment. Husband has vertigo and I tweaked my back putting my luggage into the overhead compartment on the plane, so we are each dealing with our own thing (punishment for the hedonistic time away?). I am hoping that Spring arrives sooner rather than later, but as always, we deal with the weather we are given. Have a good rest of your week, all.

31 comments:

  1. Lovely photos! I liked the flamingos best.

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    1. Thanks. They were such a fun addition to the whole thing. I saw them every day and even said goodnight to them on our way back to our room each evening!

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  2. How wonderful that you were able to get away from Canadian winter and enjoy 10 days of sun, sand and surf in a tropical paradise! Your all-inclusive sounds great, especially those flamingoes. I've only stayed at an all-inclusive once (in Mexico) but I loved it too. Relaxation and pampering -- what's not to like?

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    1. The flamingos were one of my favourite parts of the whole vacation!

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  3. Nice! I'm glad you were able to get away and enjoy the heat and the sun.
    My first all-inclusive was in Punta Cana, though I don't recall the name of the resort. It was 15 years ago or so, and our resort wasn't as lovely as yours. The flamingos were a fun addition.

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    1. The names change sometimes over the years. I know you’re a cruise person. I’ve never been on a cruise.

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  4. Would you be inclined to share the name of the resort in case some of us might like to enjoy that same experience?

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  5. Vertigo and back pain is NEVER punishment for the hedonistic time away. Lying in the sun and lots of swimming for a couple of weeks each year is an essential part of a good health plan, especially in *cough* older age. And it refreshes marriages!

    I would start planning next year's holiday straight away :)

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  6. What a wonderful resort and only 20% full. Flamingoes and palm trees. Sounds perfect.

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  7. Your 10 day escape to a tropical paradise sounds to perfection. The beach, pool, gardens and flamingos make an great atmosphere. Having the place largely to yourselves is ideal. Searching for a chair at a beach or pool can sour a vacation and you had no issues here. As for the airlines, sadly, they will never be the same.

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  8. Lindo lugar. Me alegro que hayas descansado. Te mando un beso. Enamorada de las letras

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  9. Except for the air travel, the trip sounds wonderful. Flamingos wandering by would be enough for me. In fact, the one bird in the first picture appeared to be an artificial bird to me.

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    1. Very much real. They were so fascinating- to be able to be so close to them.

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  10. Well it looks wonderful.. I hope you are both on the mend and spring finally arrives
    Cathy

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  11. Gorgeous photos, love the flamingos.

    God bless.

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  12. Flamingos! I can barely believe my eyes! So glad you had a lovely holiday, goodness knows you deserve it.

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  13. Glad you were able to find a deal to get away to the sunshine. How fun are those flamingos. Beautiful setting of the hotel. Hopefully the vertigo won't last - it's awful to deal with & that your twinge doesn't develop into anything more. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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  14. Beautiful photos. It all sounds lovely and like many others and yourself have said the flamingos would be my favourite part.

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  15. Oh I would have loved seeing those flamingos up close like that. I think that the entire trip sounds wonderful. I so wish my husband would travel.

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  16. Oh that's beautiful! You could share many more photos and I wouldn't have minded a bit -- it sounds like a bit of heaven on earth, especially in late winter when we're all pretty tired of cold, snow and dark. I love the flamingos, especially. It sounds wonderful. Hope you recuperate from the luggage compartment soon!

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  17. Daughter came back this morning from Punta Cana. She was supposed to land at 1:30am but actually didn't get out of there until 6am due to plane delays and having to wait 2 hours for their luggage They had a super time though.......

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  18. They flew into Toronto, they airport from *ell!!!!

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  19. Looks so beautiful! The flamingos are adorable. What a fun sight. Good for you for getting away. I'd jump on a plane right now and take off if I could. Hopefully soon! We have travel in our plans just not a set date yet.

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  20. I have never seen a Flamingo in the wild, on it's own. SWOON!
    I'm so happy you two had a lovely getaway to the sun and sand. You deserve all the best and I hope this time away revived you both. XO

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  21. Here is my issue with all-inclusive resorts - you never get to see the country. An all inclusive resort on any Caribbean island is pretty much the same as any other. Having said that they are certainly inexpensive and if experiencing the local culture, to say nothing of the local wildlife, is not your thing then it;s hard to beat.

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