I Took a Trip Out to Punta Cana
Hey Slayersss! Long time no speak lol. I had to take a long break, but I’m back. 2020 was a year wasn’t it? Rona hit us and kept us in the house, but 2021 was my year of vacation. I got back out there and started traveling from January literally until December. Even though things were a bit more nerve-racking with our girl Rona on the loose and all of the US travel guidelines, I was determined not to be held back from living life. Who knows how long this pandemic will last, but time won’t be stopping so my travel won’t either. Anyway, I might be writing some blog posts out of order, but you will get information about all my travels. Today, I will be starting with the Dominican Republic (DR)!
Now y’all know that this is not my first time in DR (read about my first time in Punta Cana), but it is always a good time. I went with a group of six and we stayed at the Royalton Chic Punta Cana as Diamond Club guests. It is a beautiful resort, but one of the smaller resorts that I have stayed and gave off a boutique vibe. We booked our trip using a travel agent and including my nonstop flight from JFK via Delta Airlines the total was $1369 which was one of my more affordable Caribbean trips this year.
There were a few things needed before travel to the DR. You do not need a COVID test to travel there, but you are subject to random COVID-19 test upon arrival. If you present a vaccination card and/or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival you will be exempted from the random test. You also need to fill out on online electronic entry form which will provide you with a QR code that you will need to show at your departure airport and will be scanned in DR (This same form will need to be completed upon your exit of DR as well). Masks are also mandatory in public, but as of October 2021 the curfew was ended. Our resort is a part of the Blue Diamond Resorts brand and they had a program to provide additional medical coverage which was extended until December 31, 2021. We had to fill this form out online as well and it provided free health coverage for up to 4 guests during our stay, but the form had to be completed BEFORE we checked-in at our resort. Now I’m not crazy and definitely filled out that optional medical coverage because we are living in crazy times and I wanted to protect myself just in case.
As I mentioned above, we were a group of six with three of us traveling from NYC and the other three people traveling from VA, so we arrived at separate times on Saturday afternoon. When my group arrived we went through customs (the line was long as usual), got our luggage and then finally made it out of the airport. Once outside we checked in with our transportation and were off to the resort. The Chic Royalton Punta Cana was about a 40 minute ride from the airport, but once we arrived I was ready to get our vacay started! The drive through the resort to the lobby was quick and on our way to get checked in they welcomed us with drinks (I don’t even know what the cocktails were, but they were good) and got our rooms situated. While going through our check in process they got us some more drinks from the bar, you know I went with my go to Miami Vice and we requested that our friends have a room next to us. Our rooms weren’t ready yet, so our butler Ronald took us on a tour of the resort and then to one of the restaurants that served lunch while we waited. Before he left us to lunch we were able to exchange Whats App info with him so we could communicate with him throughout the trip.
After lunch our rooms were ready and shortly after our friends finally made it! Their room ended up being next door to us which was exactly what we wanted. When they got settled they let us know that somewhere between their connecting flights the birthday girl’s luggage was lost. Out of all bags in the world it just happened to be hers which sucked, but before leaving the airport she coordinated the drop off of her luggage the next day at 2 PM to the resort. We didn’t want to worry about that and wanted to focus on her having fun, so we went go get some dinner and drinks and explore the rest of the resort.
After stopping by the bar we headed to dinner at the buffet restaurant, Elements. This was a smaller buffet than other resorts I’ve visited. I ended up getting pasta and salad for dinner and they also had rice and beans which were amazing! After everyone ate my friend went and got the hookah while we found rooftop seating next to the DJ. Since it was the first day getting there we kept that night’s activities light and fun before calling it a night.
The next morning we headed to breakfast at the buffet before making our way to the bar for some day drinking (don’t judge lol). After having a couple of drinks and shots we headed over to the medical center to try and set up our COVID Testing appointment. It was sooo hot outside, so it made the short walk tiring. At the medical center they told us that we had to fill out an online Google form to set up our appointment, which reminded me of the process that I had in Jamaica. I filled out my form and got my appointment approved for later that week. We stopped by the bar one more time before heading upstairs to change into our swimsuits for the pool.
I put on my brown bikini that I’ve been waiting to wear and we headed downstairs to go get some lunch. We ended up at a beachside restaurant only available to Diamond Club members. The menu included burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, salad, chips and guac, etc. After my first bite, I knew that this would be the only place on the resort where I would have lunch. The burger was to die for and even the Caesar salad tasted better than the other restaurants on the resort. If you have access to this restaurant, I recommend eating there. Some of the girls headed over to the private beach for the Diamond Club members while my friend and I sat for a bit before heading over to the pool to find a seat for everybody. By the time we got situated, the girls were on their way over to us and the DJ and entertainment team were getting set up. We got into the pool (which turned out to be a bit deep, so I stayed closer to the stairs) and turned up to the music. Thank God there was a pool bar, so we didn’t have to get out for drinks. We ended up staying in the pool until closing at 7 PM.
We had dinner on the beach scheduled for that evening and the birthday girl’s luggage still wasn’t there. After calling around and a bit of turning up the bag finally arrived! We all went to our rooms to get ready, where the birthday girl was given a treat and champagne for her worries. We ended up being late for our dinner, but it worked out.
The theme for the dinner required us to dress in blue while the birthday girl wore pink. Walking towards the beach dinner set up, it looked beautiful! We had a welcome drink and salad, soup, lamb chops and grouper with potatoes and veggies and ended our meal with dessert. The meal was really good! After eating we headed to the room to get ready for a night out!
The resort was able to call us a cab to go over to Beach Point, the club that everyone was telling us about. The cab charged us $100 in total to take us and bring us back to the resort which was a great price, however by the time we got there the place was closing down. We ended up heading to the club next door with everyone else. It was only $10 a person to get in and then we got hookah. The club was jumping, although we didn’t end up staying long since we weren’t drinking there. As we walked out we got in contact with our driver who was waiting for us and he took us back. I do want to say that it felt like we were in the boonies driving back to the resort, some of the roads can be really dark and deserted so keep that in mind when traveling outside of your resort. Once we made it back we said goodnight and headed back to our rooms.
Outfit Deets
Swimsuit: Bixi Bikini Top x Bixi Bikini Bottom x Brown Sarong
Dress: Blue Slip Dress (Exact dress sold out) Express Cowl Neck Ruched Side Tie Mini Slip Dress; Boohoo Satin Strappy Cowl Neck Midi Dress; Windsor Lillyanne Formal Satin Asymmetrical Midi Dress
Shoes: Zara Vinyl Sandals with Methacrylate Heel Similar pair Macy’s Wild Pair Sandra Two-Piece Clear Vinyl Dress Sandals
The next day we headed down to breakfast, y’all know I don’t play about my breakfast 😭. I had an omelette, bacon, some bread that I toasted in the panini machine and a hash brown. Soo good! We headed back to the room to relax a bit before getting ready for the day, after getting a drink of course. Some people had some work to get done so we just chilled out for a bit before heading to our excursion for the day.
We ended up going on a boozy boat excursion. It was the same company we used the first time we visited DR.. We only paid a little over $40 USD for the excursion which takes you scuba diving first before heading to a natural pool in the ocean. The water was a bit rough that day, so the tour guides made sure to let people know that if you really can’t swim, you shouldn’t scuba that day. I never do that part of the boat excursion, so I stayed on with two friends and had some drinks (provided by the tour company) and did some dancing. Once the scuba part was over, we headed to the natural pool where we met up with a bunch of other boats and got into the water. Now last time I had no trouble standing in the natural pool, but this time it felt like the water got a bit deeper lol. I held on to my friends while wearing my floaty and we had fun in the water. While in the ocean the tour guides brought over a floating bar to make us drinks. We stayed in the water for a bit before getting back on the boat and being taken back to our pickup spot.
After a long ride back to the resort, we headed to the buffet for lunch (I had more pasta) and we headed to our rooms to relax before our dinner reservation. Of course the excursion wiped us out and we missed dinner lol, so I ordered room service, which was disappointing, and then went to bed for the night.
Outfit Deets
Swimsuit: Triangle Thong Bikini Swimsuit x SHEIN Sheer Wrap Knot Cover Up Skirt Without Bikini
The next day was our spa day!! We were able to take advantage of a special they had (2 massages for the price of 1), but first we headed over to take our COVID tests. We had to bring some papers with us along with our passports and were called in one by one for our tests. Once we got done with that, we headed over to the spa to get our session started. We checked in after filling out a registration form which asked about medical history and then we were able to choose one of six scents to be used during our session. I ended up choosing eucalyptus before we were shown to the back.
They gave us a shot of chlorophyll and then showed us to the locker room to change into our robes and store our items before heading to the zen room. Once there they provided us with a warm towel and we were able to lay out for a bit before being called for our massages. I ended up being paired with a friend in a room and our 80 min massage got started. When I tell you that masseuse got every kink out! I hadn’t had a massage in so long and it was much worth it. Once we were done they took us to the pool room where we had cookies and water while relaxing before getting changed and getting on with the rest of our day.
That night we went to dinner at Hunter Steakhouse. We waited really long for them to even take our order. I had the Caesar salad, filet steak and mashed potatoes. I’m not going to lie, I definitely expected bigger portions, but the food was good none the less. Based on the meal and the service this restaurant did not meet my expectations. After going to the disco on the resort we headed to bed.
Outfit Deets
Two Piece Co-Ord: Sand More Linen Set x Simplicity Women’s UPF 50+ Wide Brim Roll-up Straw Sun Hat Sun Visor x Flat Top Tinted Lens Sunglasses
It was our final morning in DR, sadly😔. Of course we started with breakfast, before heading to the bar for some passion fruit margaritas 😋. Once we got a couple of drinks, we headed back to the room to get ready for a pool day. The DJ was already out and there were a bunch of people by the pool chillin’. The vibes were fun, we were throwing back drinks and singing at the top of our lungs. After having our fave beach side lunch and laying poolside until closing, we headed to the room to get ready for our dinner reservations.
We had dinner at the Italian restaurant, Vespa. We should’ve seen that it wasn’t going to be the best experience when we walked in and another group of people were walking out and they told us not to expect much 😩. The bread they served was hard, then after placing our orders the food came out. I was the last to be served because they forgot my order, so by the time I got my food everybody else was finished eating. I ordered a seafood pizza and it didn’t even look cooked all the way. I ended up not even eating it. Since we had a really early flight we turned in early after packing.
Outfit Deets
Pink Dress: SHEIN Marled Print Bodycon Dress x House of Harlow 1960 x Revolve Vivanne Slide in White
Beige Dress: SHEIN Cutout Solid Split Hem Dress x Faux Pearl Decor Slide Sandals; Similar Shoes: Faux Pearl Decor Slide Sandals Version 2
The next day, the NYC group left before the VA group. We ordered room service since there was no way we could make it to the buffet and it took almost 2 hours for that to come. It didn’t arrive until 10 mins before we left the room. Also, the luggage pickup did not show up until we were walking out the room. The pickup person mentioned that he had to pickup other luggage on our floor as well so we just decided to carry our own since that would require us to wait who knows how much time. We went to the Diamond Club checkout area before heading to the lobby for our airport transportation.
Getting checked in and through security at the airport was fairly quick and we headed to Taco Bell after perusing some of the gift shops. At Taco Bell they give you a bottle of water with your meal which is so thoughtful. While waiting for our flight, the VA group actually made it to the airport and ended up waiting with us. We found out that we didn’t have a full flight, yay! Our flight was so empty that we were able to sit with an empty seat in our row and other people were able to get their own rows. It seemed like they added more movies to the selection on the way back and I ended up watching the newest Fast & Furious as well as the Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.
Overall I love going to DR because my group always has fun. This resort choice wasn’t one of my faves, but it wasn’t horrible. I do wish that there were more food options and better service from housekeeping, but the rest of the staff made up for the experience.
Please keep in mind that updated terms to return to the US include getting tested no more than 24 hours before your return flight. I recommend staying up to date with any travel updates via the CDC website.
With the new CDC rules for travel and returning back to the US are you looking forward to traveling internationally or do you plan on just staying home until things calm down? If you have any other questions about my trip, please feel free to leave a comment below. Til next time!
