Honeymoon in the Dominican

The day trip to Saona Island off the south-east coast is not to be missed. Start with a visit to Altos de Chavron, a small artsy cobblestone village with beautiful architecture and fantastic greenery. Then go on a speedboat ride (with complimentary "Cubre Libre", Dominican Rum topped with cola) to a sandbar in the Caribbean Sea. You can swim in the cerulean clue warm waters and look at starfish (or sea-stars as my nephew calls them!). Then back to the speedboat for the final leg to Saona. Picture white-gold sand, see-through blue waters, green palm trees ripe with coconuts and the smell of a barbeque. Then a fantastic lunch of chicken, salad, rice, bread and pasta with fresh fruit a plenty. You have plenty of time to swim and relax, or buy a freshly cut coconut chopped open with a machete...you can drink the milk and then eat the delicious flesh. Then it's a slow Catamaran trip back to the mainland, with more Cubre Libre and Meregue dancing. Is a memory we will always treasure and can never ever beat!

Quick Tips:

Bring plenty of small denomination dollar notes for tipping.

In tourist shops, never show your interest to a vendor unless you really want to buy something.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS haggle with souvenir vendors, even if you only get a couple of pesos off. The discount is pre-built into the original price and they expect it!

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are the best way to get around on your first visit. They are very reasonable and charge for distance not amount of people. Most will take up to six passengers for the same cost as two and don't charge for how much luggage you have.

If you're planning to tour the country side alot, I would recomend you hire a car, but my advice is not to take it to any of the main cities.

Best Things Nearby:
The beach, the town of Puerto Plata, Playa Grande beach and Laguna Gri-Gri (the mangroves)

Best Things About the Resort:
The staff are very helpful and friendly. The taxi service is very reasonably priced and will take you anywhere.

Resort Experience:
It's clean and comfortable with a fantastic pool area and activities program. The tikki hut bar with Manuel the bartender is where we spent most of our nights there. It is very cheap and has two for one on cocktails in happy hour

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

This is a a fantastic way to see a different side to the Dominican and spend a day touring the jungle. You travel in an open, but very comfortable jeep and the breeze when you're on the move is wonderfully refreshing. The tour travels to a small typical Dominican village called Guerra, where Ralf the Guide takes you to the market for some Dominican snacks and souvenirs, then to show you a butcher's and local restaurant. You then travel to a typical Dominican families home, which Ralf gives you a full tour of while explaining how the country folk live.

After that you travel deep into the jungle, depart from the jeep, and trek to see this spectacular waterfall and lake area, where you have plenty of time for swimming and taking photos. Then onto a Dominican Ranch for a typical lunch of rice and chicken stew with salad and pasta. A cigar rolling demonstration and competition takes place here, with a bottle of Barcelo Rum for the winner. Then it's back to your resort.

All along the way the local children wave at you and smile or run along with the jeep. It's a great way to see and hear how the poor country folk live. But they are the happiest people I have ever met. They live in two room houses with an outdoor kitchen and live off the land. The old battered black and white television is only used to watch the news at night. Also Ralf will spend the day telling you all about the country, its industries, and how the people live. He himself has lived in Juan Dolio for six years. Second only to the trip to Isla Saona, this was our favorite part of the trip.