A Day at the Beach

We were staying the colonial zone in Santo Domingo, which is full of history, restuarants and nightlife. Unfortunately it is not near a beach. As urban city dwellers looking for a getaway we wanted to have at least one day of relaxing in the sun during our weekend away. However, we were not interested in spending our entire vacation locked on an all-inclusive resort without seeing more of the city. Dilemma! Luckily, a resort in Boca Chica, the beach side bay area of Santo Domingo, offers a daypass option for travelers that want a day to experience the resort amenities. For $50 US on weekdays and $70 US on weekends you can have a day at the resort andthe beach. This all-inclusive option provides unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, access to the buffet and restaurants located near the beach including pizza, hamburgers, fish, and salads, and beach chairs and cabanas right along the water line. You also can take advantage of resort amenities such as the spa, aerobics classes, and pool.

 The day was perfect! We found a relaxing seat under the breezy cabanas and caught up on girl gossip and stories. We sipped on pina coladas, caipirinhas, rum punch, bahama mama’s and water throughout the day between laughing, swimming and sunning. We enjoyed the lunch buffet especially the grilled fish, rice and salad. We sat laughing too long and missed dessert but it was okay because we truly were full at that point. Food is available all day but the buffet has select hours. When it is closed you can get slices of pizza and items from the grill.

You may be saying that you would rather save your money and instead visit the public beaches in Boca Chica. There you can also have a beach chair and receive everything from a pedicure to made to order drinks. We didn’t feel like dealing with vendors selling us things every minute or having to have cash on us for drinks and food, so the resort option worked better for us but you can still get to the beach without going through the resort.

A roundtrip cab ride from the colonial zone can be anywhere from $50-80 per person. If you would like the cab driver to wait for you expect to pay a little more. A suggestion when traveling in Santo Domingo is to befriend a cab driver and get his number. Many places you will need transportation and if you use the same person they will often provide you with a discount and wait or return for you to bring you back to your hotel. We found this to be true when not only going to the beach, but going out for dinner, dancing or even to the airport. This was a safe way to travel as single women late at night because we knew the driver and he would wait for us at our destination until we were ready to leave. This cut down on dealing with shady characters or trying to negotiate in Spanish.

When traveling to Santo Domingo and staying in the Colonial Zone, I recommend that you take one day to relax at the beach. It helps you become rejuvenated for life back home and is a way to have a great memory of your getaway.

Oasis Hamaca Resort
www.oasishamaca.com

Arriba Aruba

 Hotel: Renaissance Marina (a Marriott property)

Aruba is a great place to travel to in the Carribbean because it has beautiful weather, lovely places to visit, clear blue water, and a great mixture of cultures, so you can experience many different things in just a few days. The island is about 20 miles away from Venezuela so there are many people who have moved to Aruba from South America so that latin flare is definitely felt all around. The language, called Papiamento, is a mixture of Dutch, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and African. Most of the hotels are located in the capital, Oranjastaad, which is where we stayed.
 
Our hotel was nice because it was in the middle of the city within walking distance to most of the nightclubs, restuarants, and shopping. The Renaissance mall is actually in our hotel and that is where all of the high end stores are located, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Ferragamo, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, etc…
 
The hotel lobby was asthetically pleasing, as was the bar. The pool is rather small, probably because most people go to the private island that the Renaissance owns. Boats come into the hotel lobby every 15-20 minutes to pick guests up and take them over to the private island, which is really nice. It is about a 15 minute ride to the island, and the ride is enjoyable for the most part unless the water is choppy and you get splashed, which happened to a few people…
 
The private island is only for Renaissance Marina and Ocean Suite guests which is nice. The island has a beach that is for adults only and another for families. The family friendly beach is called “Iguana Beach” because there are amazing iguanas of all sizes living on the island. They are very docile creatures and are used to seeing and interacting with the people who come to the island every day. The other side of the island which has the adult only beach, called “Flamingo Beach”, has a beautiful flock of flamingoes that just hang out on the beach…
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Puerto Rico

Check out our video for inspiration on a Puerto Rican getaway!

Relaxing Girls Escape in Puerto Rico

For a birthday celebration we traveled to San Juan for a few days of relaxation and fun in the Caribbean. We stayed at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan and scheduled a day at the Olas spa on the property.

The hotel is situated between Old San Juan and Isla Verde/Condado making it a perfect place for individuals wanting to see many tourist areas on the island. The Caribe Hilton is one of the older resorts in San Juan but our rooms did not reflect the age of the property. The room had been recently renovated and had flat screen televisions and updated modern furniture. The bathroom was the real treat as it is very large by most hotel standards and has a rainfall shower and double vanity. The view was excellent as we could see the ocean and most of the property from our room in the tower section of the resort. 

We arrived very late (almost 2 am) but because of flight drama (see the post on Spirit Airlines for more about that) we were starving! Luckily the resort provides room service 24 hours a day. We ordered a pizza to share for $16. It was excellent with our choice of toppings and just the perfect size for a late night meal.

Besides the room service the property has several restaurants with a variety of cuisine’s and a Starbuck’s for people who must feed their coffee addiction even on vacation. The Starbuck’s is reasonably priced with cheaper prices then I have seen in many American big cities. 

The first morning we woke early for our day at the spa which consisted of an hour massage, hour facial, pedicure, manicure and a spa lunch. The package is called the Spa Goddesses and we definitely felt heavenly after our treatments. Our services were provided by Tina, Martha and Harry who made sure that we were comfortable and took great care of us. We started the day with a dip in the whirlpool Jacuzzi which is set at a mild temperature to accommodate the warm climate of San Juan. You can sit out there for hours and not feel to warm because of the temperature of the water. We then went for our massages in a room that overlooked the ocean. With the relaxing music and atmosphere in the massage room it is easy to quickly release all the tensions you brought with you on the trip. By the time I started the facial, I was so relaxed that I fell asleep. We then went to have a session of manicures and pedicures where we chatted with Martha and Tina about men, vacations, friendships, and weddings. It was the perfect girls chat fest! The polish choices were a little limited though we each found a polish that we loved. The lunch provided consisted of fruit juice, a turkey wrap and Caesar salad. It was perfect healthy meal for our spa day. At the spa, besides your treatments you also have access to the health club, whirlpool, sauna and steam room. The room for waiting between treatments is a quiet and serene retreat with chilled fruits, cool water, and light music playing. I recommend the spa as an OUTSTANDING addition to a Caribbean getaway for friends or individuals traveling to San Juan even if you end up not staying at the Caribe Hilton. 

The hotel restaurant Palmeras is just okay. I did not find the perfect mojito there (see my post on mojitos for where you can find the perfect mojito in San Juan) and the salad bar is limited in its choices for the price. The special that night was the Caribbean Lobster dinner which was excellent and can be served three ways, steamed, grilled, and thermidor. It is served with corn and roasted potatoes. My friends enjoyed the other special of a cilantro and lemon seasoned rotisserie chicken breast also served with corn and potatoes and the Baby Back ribs. The atmosphere is typical hotel restaurant though you do get a view of the pool from the restaurant. 

I HIGHLY recommend the Caribe Hilton for folks looking for a great hotel in San Juan. I especially recommend it for a tropical girls spa retreat and couple’s escape. 

Caribe Hilton
Los Rosales Street San Geronimo Grounds
San Juan Puerto Rico 

http://hiltoncaribbean.com/sanjuan/