Dominican Republic SMASH or PASS

Last week the Hubby and I took an excursion to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We’re 6 months off the heels of our Honeymoon (no we didn’t get detained this time), but we felt it was time to blow off some steam internationally.

Dominican Republic is only about a 4 hour flight from NYC and we had some time on our hands, so we decided to jet set! We stopped in Panama City, Panama for a day but didn’t make it to see the Panama Canal. We had a great day exploring Casca Viejo though!

DR is a gorgeous island, from a tourist perspective. Now the mainland was a different story. We decided to venture off our Resort (as true explorers do) and experience life the way the locals do. The Dominican Republic is considered a 2nd world country. It should be noted that it’s next door neighbor, Haiti, is classified as a 3rd world country. My expectation was not high, but I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the areas. DR’s cost of living is 30% lower than the US and the rent is 69% lower than the US (in case you’re looking for early retirement options). To be fair, we did not go into the notable “good” areas of the island.

The weather was perfect! Days were in the high 80s and nights were in the low 70s. The beach had white sand, no rocks and the water was clear. Although I could not see mountains from my view, there are many scenic areas visible from other parts of the island.

 

Would I ever go back?

Nah, B! Ok, so that’s not entirely true! I’d consider going back to the country BUT not our particular resort. It was nice, but the (tap) water made me so sick. Not violently ill, but just an overall lethargic feeling. I had abdominal cramping and I had trouble keeping any food down (or up) if you catch my drift. There were about 7 others that also got the same bug. My abs of steel hubby was not affected though. I later learned that aside from avoiding drinking the tap water (major DUH!) one should also use bottled water to brush their teeth. Don’t eat fruit that can’t be peeled, avoid raw foods etc. Those darn Dominican water protozoa are tricky little devils and they invaded my system and wreaked havoc on my intestines! Downside, I was ill for a great part of our excursions. The positive is that I lost 6 lbs and I was snatched!!

Without further adieu, here are a few shots from our trip! If you follow me on Instagram then you’ve probably seen the wild videos I’ve shared of our trip!!!