Made it home yesterday, and thought I would reflect on the last few days.....
 
The last two days in Puerto Plata were similar to the first two, except Tara and I smartened up and bought some Absolut vodka at the gift shop . We poured it into an empty water bottle as glass was not allowed by the pool, ordered glasses of pineapple juice at the poolside bars, and we were golden. Both Saturday and Sunday late mornings were much more fun and interesting
by the pool. We discovered that you can't sit in the sun too long, as it will literally burn your skin to a crisp. A few hours is really all you need, so we usually took siestas in the afternoon.

We had Mexican food for dinner on Saturday night, and while it was better than the Asian and Italian, it still wasn't anything spectacular. On Sunday eve, we went to a Mexican place off the resort, called Los Charros y Los Pinches Chaparros, which was rated #2 in PP restaurants on Trip Advisor. Wow – much better! The owner, Tim, even gave us a ride back to the resort. Very nice people and it was a great way to end our final night here.

We were able to get some sun on Monday morning as our flight didn't leave until 3:15 . The weather, for the most part, was very good. We had some sun every day, and Sunday was
darn near perfect. We also bought some souvenirs on the beach and at the gift shops. 

So, how would I rate our time here? I would definitely say for $12 a day, we got our money's worth. The room was big and clean, and we always had hot water and an air conditioner that worked. The pools were clean and the grounds were very nice. I also thought the staff was pretty friendly. Granted, if we were wearing the gold VIP bracelet, I'm sure it would've been
better, but it was fine for us. We didn't spend a lot of money, as everything was paid for already. 

The drawbacks:
We didn't end up doing any excursions, and I was fine with that. Those cost money and take time, and I was very content to hang by the pool, walk along the beach, have some drinkie poos and just chill out. It was probably the most stress-free vacations I've ever had . I'm used to doing and planning lots of things, so it was good for me to actually be lazy and not do much. I didn't work out or run, but I've also noticed that my body feels more rested and less achy than it has in months.

Would I do this type of trip again? Probably not, only because I like seeing new places, and I'm not sure the "all inclusive" thing is something I want to do all the time. If you are looking to just relax and not do much, than it's the way to go. But if you want to see stuff, you are better planning the trip on your own.  

For now, it will be nice to stay home, work on some projects and leave the suitcases in my closet. As I've said before, it's always fun to go to new places and meet new people, but I always treasure the idea of coming home. :)

Until next time.....
Jamie