My girlfriend and I recently met a group comprised of some of my best friends at a destination wedding located at the Dreams Punta Cana Resort in the Dominican Republic.
I ran into Jack, the father of the bride and overall one hell of a guy, at the airport and was amazed we shared the same flight in Punta Cana.
My friends Christine (a.k.a Steen), and Ameer (a.k.a. Am, Amstar, and the builder of this fine website, who pushed me to start this whole thing to begin with), arrived the day before us as well as Jeannine, the beautiful bride to be and Michael her fiancé.
Typically, resort travel has not been my cup of tea.
Yet, this all inclusive resort was beautiful, and the ceremony was equally so, with an overall experience that was more than memorable.
The Dreams Resort facility offered something for everyone, from a sports center, beach side activities, a massive pool, a spa, a casino, live shows, a night club, dancing on the veranda, and more restaurants than we could try.
Their staff went above and beyond to take care of our party, several of whom took the time to know us on a first name basis, actively seeking us out to ensure our stay was optimal.
To name a few, Scooby Doo and Vanessa were hilarious hosts and dancers at the veranda, who would often find us to let us know of any events later in the evening.
While our bartenders Carlos, Pedro, and Angel did an amazing job providing quick service and keeping the bar fun while you waited.
Walking into this experience, I was fortunate to receive some advice on how to optimize my stay, which greatly helped to maximize our experience and picked up a few helpful tricks along the way.
Bring a Yeti
This trick was easily the most helpful and was given to me by the Tobins, some of my bar guests who always have great advice since they are avid travelers as well.
The bars serve most beverages in plastic 8 ounce cups, and Tom and Cathy were right about how getting refills can become a bit tedious.
Having a Yeti helped us to be more efficient with grabbing drinks and helped to reduce the amount of trash we produced during our stay.
Bigger drinks, colder drinks, less waiting, and all the while people jealously look at you like a rockstar.
Brilliant!
Tip your bartender
Many countries don’t have the custom of tipping service industry employees, and in these countries it can be deemed insulting.
However, an all inclusive resort is not the time to be stingy.
Yes, you have already paid, but think about it.
Coming out of pocket can make a big difference in the lives of some of the employees.
For example, 1 USD is about 50 Dominican Pesos.
So, scout the bars on your first day and find which bartenders you like the best.
Tip $20 on the start of the next day and it’s amazing how quickly you make friends and get your drinks.
After that tip a $5 every few drinks and you will rarely wait and will get the V.I.P. treatment for the rest of your stay.
Take care of those who take care of you and you will never go wanting.
Choose fine dining options
Dreams Punta Cana had many food options but I found the best to be Bordeaux, their French restaurant, and the Seaside Grill, a steakhouse on the water.
With everything already paid for, I recommend eating at the fine dining options.
While the portion sizes were a bit small, it is understandable, considering the potential for food waste when hungry eyes read the menu.
Plus, if you want more, just order more.
All in all, you’ve already paid. Treat yourself.
Plus, the only complaint I would have with Dreams was that the late night room service menu that was the only thing I found lacking in options and quality during my stay.
So eat well, while you can.
Stay hydrated
After a few days of drinking in the hot sun, it’s best to remember the essence of life. Water.
It’s readily available in the resort.
It’s a life saver.
It’s game changer.
Need I say more?
