Ahhhh the Caribbean..tranquil blue waters, clear blue sky and a warm ocean breeze. These are the visions that come to my mind when hearing about the beautiful islands in this tropical paradise. Wait! What about the Bermuda triangle? Well that’s another topic for another post lol! I have been to the Caribbean a handful of times in my life and have had the pleasure to experience very different escapades, in various destinations. If you have never been on a “journei”to these gorgeous array of islands, you may have to book that vacation thats calling your name!
” Well it’s expensive” , you say.. not necessairily. Depending on the time of year you are planning to travel, you can find some really great deals online on the many travel booking websites, like Expedia, Orbitz, Booking, etc. I personally prefer to travel in the autumn and early winter months, I find the cost less taxing than traveling during the “pristine” vacation months of spring and summer. However, after Christmas, the cost can go up exponentially, especailly if your destination involves white sand beaches and blissfully warm weather. The “snowbirds” all travel down south in search of these exact things during the cold winter months.
In the begining of October, my husband , myself and in-laws traveled to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. From Las Vegas, its about a 5 hour flight to Miami and then about 2 hours and 20 minutes to Punta Cana. I had never been to this part of the Caribbean, so I was very excited to explore somehwhere new. I had read up on the local customs and food they offered in this part of the Dominican Republic. A diet of rice, beans, plantains and pork are a staple for most of the country. Punta Cana lies on the eastside of the island of the Dominican Republic and is known to be a big tourism spot. There are many beautiful things to see and do in Punta Cana, as well as a variety of hotels to pick from. From five star resorts, to all-inclusive, to quaint boutique hotels and privately rented homes, there is something to suit your style of accommodations.
If you are looking to do some excursions, the list is a long one. There are many activities to enjoy such as snorkeling, parasailing, scuba diving, sight seeing and much more. The weather is warm and balmy in October ,with the relative humidity sitting somewhere between 65%- 90%, and with temperatures between 80- 90 degrees F (27-32 Celsius). Are there hurricanes you ask? Well there is always a possiblity of tropical storms in any type of tropical environment, and the Dominican Republic is no exception. We were fortunate and did not encounter any such storms. However, random showers are common and often occur. The humidity takes a couple days to get used to, especially if you are from a city with a dry climate like Vegas. Air conditioning was an absolute must for my husband!
The name “Punta Cana” translates roughly to “tips of the white palms” accordingly to Google. But if you translate it in Spanish ,”punta” meaning “tip” and “cana” meaning “cane”, the transation is slightly different. Just a nifty tidbit of useless information for ya 🙂 I just wanted to touch on an area of the world I got the chance to explore and enjoy. I will be posting a review of the resort we stayed at in the next blog post so stay tuned! Remember, life is too short to put tomorrow off. “Journei Beyond” to your next dream vacation!
