Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Hola amigos!

It feels like a hot minute since we were soaking up the sunshine in Puerto Plata but it’s only been about a month! Being back in freezing cold Canada it honestly feels much longer than a month since we were there. We had the most amazing time and I cannot wait to share with you all of the amazing pictures we took. Andrew bought me a new GoPro Hero 7 and the picture quality is so good! You can tell how great of a time we had just from the smiles on our faces. 🙂

In my last blog post I was hiking in snowy Banff so this is a nice change of scenery for us! My boyfriend Andrew flew to Edmonton to drive home with me when my contract in Bonnyville was complete and it was SO nice to finally see him after being apart for over two months. The day after we got home we left for Puerto Plata so it was a bit rushed but once we were sitting on the beach it was SO worth it. My parents met us in Toronto for our layover and the four of us took off on the same flight to the sand and sun. We stayed at the Sunscape Puerto Plata Spa & Resort and upgraded to the Sun Club which was worth the upgrade. The resort was only a 20 minute drive from the airport, it was right on the beach, and we each had a huge suite with two bathrooms, two patios and a mini fridge full of booze. Being part of the Sun Club, we had two private pools in addition to the other two pools, and a private lounge with premium alcohol. There were four restaurants (Italian, Asian, Caribbean, & Argentenian) and a buffet plus some pool side grills and a pizza shop. The resort was a bit run down and was not five stars by any means but for a week getaway to somewhere hot and for Andrew’s first trip anywhere hot, it suited just fine and we really enjoyed our time there.

There was a cute little cafe where we enjoyed some Dominican coffee!

My hair never stayed tame- as soon as I went outside- POOF!

To sum up our week, we ate a lot and drank a lot and tanned a lot! It was really nice spending time with my parents because I don’t get to see them often with them living in a different province! The beach was absolutely gorgeous, white sand and minimal waves. Our waitress kept our drinks full and we enjoyed the luxurious lifestyle for a week. Locals approached often to sell stuff on the beach and we had fun talking to them and negotiating for items we wanted, my dad in particular. We would spend our mornings by the ocean and then in the afternoon when the wind started to pick up we would move over to the pool for the rest of the sunshine. Once the sun went down we headed back to our rooms, had a siesta and shower then headed to a restaurant for dinner then watched the nightly entertainment.

We did two different excursions in Puerto Plata and both were insanely great. The first one was a day trip to the 27 Waterfalls (although, we only did 12 because it was dry season and many of the waterfalls were not flowing when we were there). We were picked up from our resort in a big jeep and drove a bumpy uphill road through some villages. At one point we stopped for a gorgeous view overlooking the city of Puerto Plata. We stopped at a little village and saw how they made things out of soapstone and we watched a lady make coffee. They also talked about cock fighting and how popular it was here but I couldn’t watch the demonstration of it due to my fear of birds. On the way back we stopped at a cigar factory and saw how they make the yummy cigars.

The waterfalls were the one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! I overcame my fears of cliff jumping and I was so glad to do it with the people I love most! It was absolutely beautiful being in the jungle surrounded by the vibrant blue waterfalls. We hiked uphill for about half an hour and then did a combination of 12 jumps and slides down the waterfalls the entire way down. The guides were so helpful and were always there to guide you on how to jump or slide and would hold you steady until you were ready to jump. No one was injured and we all wore lifejackets and helmets which was of course really safe. The highest jump was 30 feet and I still can’t believe I did it!! My legs were shaking so hard before and after the jump. We got awesome GoPro footage which I will make into a video soon so everyone can see how cool it was! For now, you’ll have to look at the pictures instead!

dscn8988 — Exhausted after the hike uphill!

So cool! One day out of the vacation we walked down the beach for about an hour to the market and had fun haggling with the locals for some souvenirs. Along the way back we stopped to cool off in the ocean and got lost in the strong waves which was so much fun. A bit dangerous due to the undertow, but we all had fun and were exhausted and covered in sand when we got back to shore. At one point I decided to just let the waves take me and what a mistake- I think I did a flip in the water and landed on my head! And after I realized I got the whole thing on video by accident.

The second excursion we did was driving dune buggies through the jungle. It was SO messy but SO much fun. We were completely covered in mud and we loved it. Thankfully my parents had done this excursion before so we were prepared with old clothes and buffs and sunglasses to cover our faces- and bottles of water to wash off our glasses so we could see where we were going! At one point we stopped by the ocean and the four of us just dove right in to rinse off. We looked back at the beach and no one was near as dirty as we were and everyone was watching us like we were monsters LOL! I guess this is what happens when you slow down and then speed up really fast right through all of the huge puddles. We brought candy with us and passed it out to all the kids we drove past in the villages who attacked us like vultures! The second stop was at a local pool where some kid hosed us down with a garden hose and then we all jumped into the pool much to our amazement. I feel sorry for whoever had to clean the pool after we were there. I can’t wait to edit the GoPro footage and show you how crazy it was!

The last cool thing we did was go up the cable car in Puerto Plata. Me and Andrew hired a taxi to drive us there and back. We rode up to the top of Mount Isabel and saw the Christ the Redeemer statue and enjoyed the views of Puerto Plata and the ocean down below. I highly recommend doing this if you are ever in Puerto Plata! They call it the Teleferico. There’s a huge national park on top of the mountain but we just went up and down quickly as our driver was waiting. At the top, we were 2,555 feet (779 m) above sea level, the highest point of the city. It’s an 8 minute ride up and down but feels much longer! On the way down we stopped randomly, just suspended on the cable, and later realized that the other car stopped to let a guy out on the support tower with no harness or anything! Safety is not a priority in this country it seems!

All in all, we had an amazing time away from reality this week. We ate and drank and tanned and swam. Me and Andrew spent tons of time in the ocean which was so much fun. I loved playing with the GoPro and seeing how happy Andrew was being on a hot trip for the first time!

The last morning we were there, my mom and I woke up early to go watch the sunrise on the beach. It was so beautiful and the perfect way to end our week in paradise!