Lets be honest… who doesn’t love a good all inclusive resort?! I know Jyo & I do, especially if they are on tropical islands! Dominican Republic was truly beautiful; surrounded by warm teal colored water and swaying palm trees dancing with the bay breeze. Traveling with Barcelo Group was the perfect choice for a fun welcoming experience. Greeted with happy smiles and laughter, and delicious passionfruit juice!!

Barcelo Bravo Grand Resort

I don’t think I have ever been to a resort that was this massive before. Barcelo Bravo Grand Resort was probably as large as Disneyland. I mean, it does have GRAND in its name for a reason. There are 2 hotels, tennis courts, a golf club as large as a mini mall in America, a convention center, an adults only hotel, and a family hotel all on site. It was really fun staying at the family resort, seeing all the kid play grounds, the bowling ally, casino, American sports bar, fashion center, grand theater and multiple pools. The night we arrived we saw a cotton candy sunset wedding, and I was so sad I wasn’t their hired photographer! I’m such a foodie and was so indecisive for every single meal. For those of you who love to eat throughout the day like I do, you can help yourself to practically anything at the buffet. In the evening, Jyo and I would go to one of their many restaurants; Japanese, Mexican, French, Italian, etc. This resort is ideal for a nice, long, relaxing family vacation.

Scape Park

Scape Park in Cap Cana, made my hyper personality run wild! Basically, I got to be a really big kid in an eco park for a day. When you enter the park you are greeted with exotic animals and can experience activities like zipplinging into pools, cave expeditions, waterfalls, boat rides in the Caribbean ocean, and my favorite, diving in cenotes. Scape Park is fortunate to have multiple cenotes, Hoyo Azul and their recent discovery, Taino. The highlight of our day was floating in this new cenote!

Occidental Punta Cana Resort

Our next resort, which was still part of the Barcelo Group, was Occidental Punta Cana Resort. This property was much smaller, but still just as hospitable and more of a party. While we were there we could hear little shows going on around pools throughout the resort. It felt like this resort was more dedicated towards adults, but there were tons of families enjoying themselves. This resort didn’t offer as many kid pools and playgrounds as the Grand, but there were just as many restaurants.

My favorite dinner was our little picnic the resort hosted for us on the beach!! How picture perfect is this setting?!

Saona Island

Thanks to Vacaciones Barcelo, Jyo and I had such a wonderful cultural experience on our last day. We went on a speed boat Saona Island. On our way there, we stopped by a natural swimming pool in Bayahibe beach. The water was as clear as a swimming pool and shallow enough for you to walk for miles! While out on this little part of the journey, we came across starfish!! finally we arrived to the beautiful Saona Island, had lunch, went for a nice swim then took a Catamaran back to the main island. I loved the Catamaran because it turned into a party boat, where everyone was drinking and dancing!! I would highly recommend this excursion to anyone!

I loved my first trip to Dominican Republic and can’t wait to come back someday!! The next time I visit I’ll be sure to explore Santo Domingo. If you are looking to do a family trip somewhere exotic, I recommend Dominican Republic for the beautiful cultural experience and warm hospitality!