The Dominican Republic: Honeymoon in Heaven
My wife and I chose to spend our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. Long, white sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters, exotic food, and cocktails at sunset... we couldn't think of a more idyllic place for a young couple to celebrate the start of their new life together!
The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation after Cuba and is located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago. Christopher Columbus landed on the island on December 5, 1492, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. Back in the here and now, these adventurous Europeans stayed at the Memories Splash Punta Cana, which offers a perfect haven to everyone from honeymooners, like us, to families with young kids.
There is a second hotel – The Royalton Punta Cana - located nearby and closer to the stunning white sands of Bavaro Beach so we took a stroll there most days. We were surprised and delighted to see proud peacocks strutting their stuff along the way.
A few days later we found out where these beauties sleep. Peacocks don't normally sleep on the ground. Instead, they fly up into the trees and roost in their branches after sunset. Another interesting fact about these birds is that in order to attract females, the male shakes his feathers and acts as if there is food on the ground. I wish it had been that easy to attract my wife...
Finally, we reached the shoreline. The Caribbean sea is warm, exceptionally salty and you get the irresistible urge to immediately jump into its crystal clear waters.
If you enjoy peace and quiet, I would highly recommend staying on the beach until sunset. While everyone else is back at their hotels getting ready for dinner, you'll have the beach to yourself. What could be more romantic than watching the sun set over the calm waters with your arms around that special someone?
There are a lot of restaurants and bars available to visitors, with a wide variety of international cuisine – Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, and so much more.
The swimming pool looked so inviting at night, but then so did everything else in this vast hotel complex. It is clear that a lot of attention is paid to beautiful night lighting. Although it was not allowed, we jumped into the pool at the end of the day for a fashion photo shoot. After all, world-famous designer Oscar de la Renta was born here and we were sure he would have approved!
If you want to get active, the best way to spend your time is at the resort's very own Splash Water Park. It’s huge and includes splash pads, spray grounds, tubes, a wave pool and seven thrilling monster water slides, all set in a lush tropical background.
One day, we decided to join an excursion to discover what life is like on the island outside the resort. The people in Dominicana enjoy their climate so much that there is a mañana approach to the more practical side of life. For example, this is central police station.
We also had a chance to go to the local market to check out the atmosphere there. The people are very calm and laid-back. Five Dominican minutes are not even close to our concept of five minutes!
Exotic places are everywhere you look. Drive into the forest and feast your eyes on this beautiful, crystal clear lagoon, dive in and cool off.
Although it's hard to imagine the Caribbean without thinking of coconut palm trees, they are actually not native to the area. In fact, back in the day, the locals had never even heard of coconuts! The Spanish, however, had long used them as a source of food and water and it was actually Columbus and his crew that introduced the tree to the area. Driving around Dominicana, you will notice a lot of sugar cane fields. Interestingly, the people in Dominicana don't work in these fields, saving this job for their neighbours in Haiti. The Dominican Republic is also the largest exporter of cocoa in the world but chocolate is not produced here in large quantities.
The locals have a rather lax approach to road safety. Although there are only two people on this motorbike, they can easily fit up to six people on one bike.It might seem strange but most Dominicans do not know how to swim. If, for example, a Dominican family rents a holiday villa and there is a swimming pool, they won't go into it. It's just a symbol of wealth to them.
Finally, we arrived at the Atlantic Ocean - we really adored these delightful views.
However, much as we were enjoying exploring the island and discovering interesting tidbits about the place and its people, all too soon, it was time to get the bus back to Punta-Cana Airport to catch our flight to Paris.
We highly recommend visiting the Dominican Republic at least once in your life. There is something truly special about this island and we loved every minute of our stay. Goodbye Dominicana, we hope to see you again soon!
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Written by Alexandr And Ksenija Zavalny
We are a married couple from Latvia who love to travel together. There is one thing that is really special about travelling, and that's how the passing of time changes during your trip. You can visit so many places and meet so many different people in just half a day – this time would fly by unnoticed during a working day at the office. Our conclusion is simple – everyone needs to travel more to really experience every second of their lives!
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