I really tried to be open-minded. As an event planner in NYC, this was my only trip to get away from it all. Attention to detail is my lifestyle, but I was ready to overlook some of the things that I had read. I should have listened. I really should have.

We arrived in Santa Domingo at 11am on December 26th. The hotel told me it was an hour and half drive to Punta Cana. After a 6-hour trip on dirt roads with potholes, no A/C, and a non-English-speaking driver (which they provided), we finally arrived.

The water was beautiful and the pool was very nice. My room was clean and simple and the drinks were great. I knew the food would not be great, but what I didn't realize was that i\I would not be eating until I boarded the plane. I couldn't even butter my toast because the butter spoiled due to the fact it was not refrigerated. I was still smiling and happy to sunbathe at the beach.

Then it happened---no electricity throughout the hotel. They said it would be 4 hours, so we sat and drank the afternoon away. Four hours turned into 2 days with no electricity or running water--ON MY VACATION! We left the hotel a day early.

I am very open-minded. I really tried to make the best of it. Four stars is not even close to it. I have camped under better conditions. Send me a message and I will find you another alternative to vacation at. I am really that serious. Don't do this to yourself.

Past this plaza, there's lots of green, but soon enough you'll get to the city of "Higuey," which is somewhat the nearest city there is to the resort (about 45 minutes by car). This city has more old-style motorcycles going around "non-stop" (even during the night) than you'll ever imagine, which is why Dominicans call it "the city of motors". The streets are really narrow and very damaged (everywhere in the D.R.), so if you're renting a car, rent a jeep... or, as they would call it, a "Jeepeta".

Everywhere you turn, you're bound to find a BAR where you can socialize with all the locals and drink some "Mama Juana", which is the most popular beverage in D.R. DO NOT LEAVE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WITHOUT AT LEAST TASTING THIS BEVERAGE. Besides using it to get drunk... if you actually read a bottle of unprepared Mama Juana, you'll find out that it has some sort of medical purpose also.

Also, if you like to get the best out of your money, you might want to go shopping within this city, rather than at the plaza in front of the hotel or inside the hotel. Things here are naturally cheaper, and you can negotiate for a better price.

Also, there is a club called DISNEY, so if you want to go, cover is really cheap and drinks go by bottles. This is a very big LOCALS place, and it is set up with tons of tables around the place and a stage somewhat in the middle. The bar is located all the way at the end, but they have servers. The music is merengue, bachata, salsa, and reggaeton. So if you want to get a feel of the Dominican Republic and not only the resort, I recommend you go there.

Best Things About the Resort:
PACKAGES: There are different bracelets that you can pay for (these bracelets are put in your hand for the time you’ll be there); there’s the yellow one, which includes food and stuff like that but NO DRINKS (for kids), and there’s the blue one, which includes everything except for the VIP Bar/Restaurant, entrance to the club, and drinks at the club. There’s the VIP one, which includes everything, plus the VIP Bar/Restaurant, but not the entrance to the club and drinks at the club. And finally, there is the Higher VIP, and I’m not sure what it includes. I’m guessing everything.

Well, I guess everything has its ups and downs. In our case, our experience of the hotel wasn’t very pleasant, but I’m not saying that this will happen to you in any way, and I hope it never does.

So let me start with our arrival.

NO ELECTRICITY: We arrived late afternoon on a Wednesday, and the entire resort, including the shopping plaza, was WITHOUT LIGHTS. The receptionist told us that the lights would be back in no time, so there was no need to worry. So we went to our room in building 10 (right next to the main entrance and the main buffet). A couple of hours later, we met some people who said the lights went off during the MORNING THE DAY BEFORE and that they’re not going to come back on until the next day (that is almost 3 DAYS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY in a five-star resort). By the end of the night, the electricity was back on in all of the resort except for in our building (what luck), so after arguing for 1 hour, they decided to change us into building 13, which is right in front of the beach but FARTHER away from the main scene. So my advice is: don’t get any building on the left side of the resort unless it is 10. Because if you do, you’re going to be doing some serious WALKING, being that the resort is humongous (good and bad thing).

Anyway, I talked to most of the hotel staff about the electricity problem, and generally the response I got was, "We’re in the Dominican Republic—things like that tend to happen every so often."

HOLIDAY ITINERARIES: I guess the best time to go is during a holiday, and this is because they have a certain schedule of shows and events that go on all day long. Since I went on Christmas, my itinerary was full! They had all kinds of things going on every hour—things like "crazy beach games", volleyball tournaments, salsa lessons at the beach, Mr. and Mrs. Flamenco 2004 (any guest of the resort can join this pageant), "crazy pool games," and they also had a very good kids’ show every night, and right after that came the NIGHT SHOW for the older ones. Every show was different, with fun games for the audience and great dancing routines.

END OF THE YEAR SHOW: Well, we were sort of expecting more from this show, but I guess you had to make what you wanted of it. In my opinion, they could have done better. The show wasn’t even done in time to say "3,2,1…" It was a disaster, and on top of that, it started to rain, so people were just saying "Happy New Year" and stuff, but no one was really into the celebration mood—but hey, I danced after the show with different people on the stage, and I guess after that, people just went off on their own, some to the nightclub and some to the beach…

BARS: They have two small bars by the beach, one in every buffet, one in the middle of a pool, and one by the lobby which is the main bar people go to. The drinks they offer here are very low-class, so don’t hope for any quality whatsoever (hey, they’ve gotta make a profit somehow). Piña coladas are pretty good, though. Also, if you have the VIP bracelet, there is a private bar/restaurant you’ll be able to get into. In here, they have whatever drink you want (except Hypnotiq and Hennessy), and it is included in your package.

MANGU DISCO BAR: Well, for those of you who like to party, this is the right resort in Punta Cana. Mangu is said to be the best discothèque among all the resorts. And by this, I mean that they actually have shuttles that take you from whichever hotel you’re in and bring you to this club. The discothèque is open every day from 11pm to 4am, or whenever people leave. The music is varied from the usual Dominican merengue and bachata to some Cuban salsa, American rock, Spanish techno, French zouk, R&B, hip-hop, trance, Reggaeton, Reggae--everything. Drinks at this club, you’ll need to pay for (it is not included in the package), but they are better-quality drinks.

ROOMS: The rooms are very spacious and have a small fridge with water, beer, and soda inside. They also have a coffee maker and a blow dryer in the bathroom. If you’re lucky enough to get a room in front of the beach, you’ll be enjoying a small porch with two chairs—very nice—so you can relax and people-watch.

EXCURSIONS: Okay, there are many things you can do while at the resort, but I only went on the horseback riding one. We left at 3pm and went around for like one hour to pick up some other people at different hotels. After that unpleasant ride in the back of a wagon, we got to a "deserted beach," only this beach had nothing so beautiful as they made it seem. Also, the horses looked like they needed more food in their systems, and they were too tired (I guess from all the other groups earlier on). It was a nice experience, but that was only because I pressured the front guide to go faster with me, so we did, and the rest of the group was left behind, which was no problem because there are two guides: one in the front and one in the back. So remember: if you go on this excursion, go faster if you feel like it. You paid for it, anyway (but always keep the horse in consideration—he might give up on you).

BEACH SPORTS: You have the choice of renting different water motor vehicles—all but one: the jet-ski, which has been officially banned in the Dominican Republic as a result of all the accidents.

FOOD: The food in the buffet wasn’t that great, and you’ll get tired of it after the third night, so you might want to go and make some RESERVATIONS for the other restaurants, which include Brazilian, Mexican, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisine. Remember, these reservations need to be made 1 or 2 days in advance if during the holidays and always before 5 or 7pm.

BEACH: The beach is beautiful, and there’s plenty of space and beach chairs for everyone. BEACH TOWELS are not inside your room already when you come in—these you need to pick up somewhere by the front of the hotel and remember to bring back at the end of your vacation; otherwise, you will be charged around $20 per towel.

POOL: The pool area is also great—one of the pools even has a bar in the middle where you can relax in the water while you socialize and get drunk.

THINKS TO LOOK OUT FOR: My father got food poisoning from eating oysters at the main buffet and was throwing up all night long along with diarrhea (we also met another woman with the same problem). Anyway, we went to complain, and they said there was NOTHING they could do—obviously, we got really upset because the food was from the hotel and not anywhere else. After much arguing and complaining, they sent us to the infirmary and said the hotel would cover any expenses. After they put some vaccines in my dad, they said the TOTAL COST was $200. We were surprised and told them what the hotel had said. They simply responded by saying that the infirmary was totally different from the hotel and therefore it is not included within the package. That’s kind of silly—when you pay for an all-inclusive package, it is supposed to mean ALL-INCLUSIVE, but it wasn’t. Anyway, my mother paid and then complained to the hotel once again; they didn’t show their faces and simply kept out of sight until we had checked out. THEY LIE TO YOU TO GET OUT OF THE MESS, so don’t get sick, or be careful.

Resort Experience:
Overall, we had a great time and met tons of people from all over the world. I know I gained like 5 pounds, so you might want to get on a diet before the trip. Also, remember to give out tips every now and then--you’ll be surprised how far it will take you. Be sure to take lots of film, because the scenery is great, and you’ll want to remember every single aspect of it.

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

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

The breakfast buffet was excellent. It had fresh fruit (including mangos), Mexican omeletes, pastries and rolls, cereals, etc. . .you couldn't go away hungry.

We ate lunch at the buffet place on the beach. Once again it had salads, fruits, and Mexican and North American dishes as well. Our kids hung out at the sports bar for their fill of hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, pizza, ice cream, etc.

We also ate our evening dinners at the specialty restaurants. They were great meals. And just before midnight, if our teenagers got hungry, they were once again eating at the pizza bar.

The entertainment staff were great getting people to participate in the exercise, Spanish, and dance classes. I did learn some Spanish for my next trip there while my husband participated in the archery competition and had fun winning. Our kids hung out at the pools/beach/basketball court/sportsbar and the room to watch TV.

There was a spa that my husband and I spent an afternoon at just being pampered at a reasonable price in clean surroundings.

There is also a disco on the premises, which we did not go to as there was way too much cigarette smoke for us to handle. Checkout was fast and efficient.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

I called Bussola because I was fed up trying to book a room at Villa Eva, made maddeningly pompous by a rave review from Travel and Leisure magazine. Getting a room anywhere on Capri in high season is a feat; reserve as far ahead in advance as you can. Alex, a Canadian I met at Scalinatella, had recommended Bussola to me. "Rita is wonderful," he said, with a questionable glint in his eye.

When we got there, the hostel office was dressed in hundreds of glowing letters from visitors, all addressed to Rita. I could see that Alex was part of a Bussola movement: Rita’s guests really adore her.

A pretty young woman with big, light blue eyes, dark blonde hair, and a bun in the oven marched in: it was Rita. She plopped down at her desk, threw open her registration book, and booked us all in one clean sweep. Then she extracted a map from her drawer. Her manner suggested that this was the important part; it was.

Spreading out the map, she said, "This is what you should do on Capri." I raised an eyebrow. I don’t like being told what to do, especially when traveling. But Rita’s suggested itinerary gave us a glorious day, complete with best scenery, best view of the sunset, and best disco-dancing.

Bussola rooms are filled with natural light and connected on the outside by pavement walkways through the garden. My dorm consisted of bunk beds with room for up to 10 travelers. Some rooms house 4. All rooms are co-ed. Forget the rooster; at 6AM an enthusiastic choir of birds call out the morning.

Bussola di Hermes is not easy to find. The bus from Capri to Anacapri dropped us off at Piazza Vittrio, where a local woman referred to TRAVERSA LA VIGNA as "way out there in the country" and said it would take us 30 minutes to get there. It took us more like 10 minutes, but the route is confusing. In the tangle of tiny alleyways, forks, and dead ends, be prepared to ask for directions 20 times. We did.

Email: Bussola Di Hermes