We had a really early travel day to catch our 650a flight. Left the house at 430a to park and check into our flight at the desk since we were not able to check in online for some reason.
Arrived in Charlotte and discovered that R's suitcase handle stopped telescoping, so it was a bit cumbersome to maneuver. R had a blast riding it down the halls of airports bringing smiles to folks faces. Grabbed some bagels and then flew the rest of the way to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - a new country!
Got the passports stamped and then found the hotel transport desk and made our way to Royalton Bavaro. I picked this trip on the Travelzoo website and got what I think was a sweet deal for the two of us for flights + an all inclusive hotel. Will be honest, was a bit nervous about going with so many negative reviews, but I realized some people are just going to be picky and annoying about things, so I just lowered my expectations and had a lovely time.
Check in process was lengthy. As that silly saying goes, pack your patience. They did not have a great system going so it took a long time to wait and then be helped at the counter. We wore these neat bracelet tags that opened the door so we did not have to keep track of a keycard. Basic alcohol is also included, but this was a non-alcoholic trip. We only sipped virgin daiquiris and pina coladas.
Our room was not ready at check in, so in the meantime we had dinner at the buffet. After dinner we were able to settle in and get ready for bed after such a long day.
Our first full day was Sunday and we got up and enjoyed a big breakfast. I love omelets! We then slathered on sunscreen and headed to the pools. Blew up our little tubes we packed and then jumped in the lazy river. This is where we spent most of our time, well mainly at the slides where R went down over and over. It was a joy to watch him have so much fun. Sadly it was at one of the slides were we stashed our floaties nearby and someone took mine. I was able to get another later that someone had placed in the grass for claiming. R got a bit pink, especially on the cheeks where he rubbed his eyes after splashing down. We reapplied sunblock several times too! Realized I should have made him wear his sun shirt, but I think he understood why I asked him to wear it after he got a bit pink. He wore it the other days.
We had a quick stop at the beach, unfortunately the sargassum seaweed was really heavy this time of year so did not spend much time at the beach because it feels weird tickling your feet.
Some of his other favorite things were getting a donut at the little cafe/sweets spot and air hockey. We also spent some time at the playground.
On Monday we arranged an excursion with Runner Adventures on Viator for ziplining and Monkeyland. Before arrival, they set the pickup time for us to be in the lobby and ready to hop in the vehicle. We had to visit several hotels in the area and then meet up at a gas station to reshuffle passengers based on the tour booked. We ended up in "Candy Man's" bus. He provided commentary along the way and was our guide the whole day - he was great.
Arrived at the zipline course and got suited up then had a little school session to learn the hand signals. We had a pretty large group to fly through the trees. I was so proud of R! He did a great job on his first course. He's so light and did not have to brake at all. He was not able to do all 12 lines - he had to pause after the 8th one. I met up with him after I finished. One of the lines was 2000 feet long!
Once we removed the gear and waited a bit, we headed to their lunch spot for a delicious Dominican meal. R ate a ton of mango and I had that plus perfect avocados. We enjoyed chatting with a family from London and a couple from NYC on our tours. The NYC couple are actors and the wife does fight scene coordination for plays like Harry Potter!
Next up was feeding the monkeys. After we had a little education, like have absolutely NOTHING in your pockets, we wiped off our sunblock and walked to the monkey sanctuary. One cheeky monkey ripped off a lady's band aid and scurried off into a tree to try to eat it. Took one of the guides was finally able to coax a trade.
It was such a cool experience to feel these little spider(?) monkeys jumping all over you and feeding out of a bowl in your hands. We did several rounds of feedings and R's smile was just amazing. He loved it!
We then had to go back through the vestibule like area to make sure the monkeys did not escape. Then we were lead to a place where the guides showed us how coffee and chocolate (cacao) is traditionally processed.
Was proud of R for such a long day with lots of walking and riding a bus. Once we returned to the hotel, we went back to the slides for a bit until the lazy river was turned off (around 5p). He then got to build his first true beach sand castle.
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It was then time for dinner and bedtime since we were so exhausted.
Tuesday after breakfast we stopped by the playground. R ripped some skin off his foot so was not keen on getting in the water much that day. He did slide, but tried his hardest to keep foot above water. We did stop at the beach and chill for a bit, but I mainly stood in a tiny patch of sand and listened/watched the waves roll in.
Wednesday was a travel day. Slept in and then had a leisurely breakfast before packing up the room. While waiting for our ride, we had one last virgin frozen drink and enjoyed the lobby. Made it to the airport in about 30 mins and then went through security and customs. Grabbed a bite to eat before boarding and then headed to Miami. We had a longish layover and a little delay for the Austin leg.
Finally landed and took the bus to pick up the car and drive home. Immediately showered and went to bed. This was a great mini-trip with my favorite little guy! I would definitely go back to the DR. Maybe consider avoiding hurricane season because a storm was heading that way a few days later (thankfully it turned).
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