Relaxing in Punta Cana

Back in the winter, Irina and I were ice skating at Millennium Park in the Chicago cold. We were talking about how we had taken various trips- whether it be to visit a friend, go on a school interview, travel a particular city, but neither of us had taken a vacation in awhile. I see a significant difference between a trip and a vacation; a trip focuses on traveling somewhere with a purpose, i.e. visiting a friend or seeing all a place has to offer, and a vacation's main purpose is relaxation. 

A few weeks later, Irina reached out to a travel agent and sooner than later, we were going to an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic just outside of Punta Cana for six days in the middle of November. I had some days off for work, she had a break in between grad school quarters; it was great.

Irina and I at the hotel

We arrived at our hotel to learn that it was five hotels on one property, with a huge area and nearly six pools. Our building was by the lobby, and just a few blocks back was the main pool and the ocean front. 

For five full days, we woke up, went to the buffet and sat at the beach all day. Our beach time started with riding the waves and treading water, then moved onto a zumba, salsa and merengue class in the quick sand and then ended with some reading in the sun. After a super exhausting morning, we took a nap in the air conditioned room, ate dinner and went to bed. It was fabulous. 

Dancing on the beach!

A quick game we played was "Guess the time," as we often had no idea what day of the week or time it was (we didn't need to!). Our room didn't even have a clock, and we typically overshot the time. We so had fun guessing where people were from and what language they spoke, as the majority of guests were not from the U.S. We met and came across others from Canada, Portugal, Spain, England, Australia, Russia, France, Germany and more- speaking any of these native languages on any given day. It makes sense due to its location that it would attract such a variety of people, but was cool to be in such a global hotel and speak Spanish again. 

Our hotel pool

I hadn't been to an all-inclusive since 8th grade, so it was a different perspective to experience it ten years later. The food was not the best we've ever eaten, but got the job done. Having an unlimited open bar had an inverse effect, as knowing that everything was available at any time allows you to try everything but not require you to finish it. Lastly, I learned that on vacation, I don't like to socialize. Overall, it was an awesome, refreshing trip and I now understand the meaning of vacation and recharge! 

Beach time