I don’t know about you, but growing up all my friends were constantly jetting off to exciting and exotic places while I stayed home playing The Sims or RollerCoaster Tycoon. Oh, you’re going to the Cayman Islands with your family for spring break? Oh, and you’re heading to the Bahamas to ring in the new year dancing barefoot on the beach on a warm, tropical island? Cool, cool. I’ll be here re-watching my Gilmore Girls on DVD for the eighth time and eating cheese sticks.
My childhood had its fair share of excitement, but none of it involved much travel.
My little sister Meredith turned 21 this year, and I could think of no better excuse to hop on a plane to the Caribbean for the first time (although, I have realized that you never really need an excuse to do what you want). Not only did we need to experience the palm trees and blue waters of the Caribbean, but we deserved it. Then again, I tell myself I deserve a fat, cheesy breakfast sandwich after only two days of eating spinach and carrots, so my personal reward system may be a little generous.
Fun Fact: The Dominican Republic’s main industry, and main source of income into their economy, is from tourism. It is an industry that generates over five million visitors every year, and is the most popular destination in the Caribbean. Though the city of Santo Domingo is thriving with culture and excitement, it is really the coastal areas that draw the most tourism revenue.
But with all this tourism going on and all this catering to tourism going on, choosing the perfect place to stay was somewhat of a chore. The number of choices is off the charts, just in Punta Cana alone, which is one of the cheapest, and hence most popular, spots for vacationers seeking an island escape.
My beloved blog here is geared towards saving money, being frugal, and keeping to a budget, all while still enjoying the hell out of yourself. I don’t write about luxury accommodations or flying first-class. Frugality and making sure I have a comfortable amount of money in savings at all times is part of who I am, and it is possible to travel and see as much of the world as your little heart desires without breaking the bank. So, after a lot of searching, we found what is one of Punta Cana’s cheapest all-inclusive resorts and booked our room.
Enter…Presidential Suites Punta Cana.
At first, we had no idea what to expect with this resort. None. Zilch. We boarded a shuttle at the airport upon arrival along with another couple (another couple? That makes it sound like Meredith and I are a couple, which I guess is practically true considering how much I force her to hang out with me). That couple was dropped off at a massive resort, golf courses sprawling for miles and a big “ADULTS ONLY” sign ominously staring down at us from the front gate. “Okay,” I said. “Our resort won’t be quite this fancy. But I bet it’ll still be decent. Right?” Who are we to even judge? A shack near the beach is all we really wanted, all we really needed.
We pulled up and entered through a large gate at the front of the resort and hopped off the shuttle with our backpacks (let me tell you, no one we met while down there could believe their eyeballs when we said we only brought one backpack each for the entire week. Just as a disclaimer for the remainder of this resort review as neither I nor my sister is particularly high-maintenance and can’t really speak to how a really whiny asshole would feel coming here).
We were 30 minutes early for check-in, so a member of the staff took us on the back of his golf cart around the resort for a brief tour and dropped us off at the buffet for lunch. We began our vacation with a steaming, heaping plate of sancocho, our overly stuffed stomaches setting the mood for the rest of the week.
What we really, really liked
Unlimited eeeverything. Though a little dangerous in the hands of a glutton, our standard wristbands (there were also VIP wristbands, which got you into a special lounge and bar) allowed us all the food we could eat at all hours of the day or night. There are three restaurants: Decadence, the buffet that is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has a variety of different options every day (including some local dishes like sancocho), Basil and Tomatoes, the a la carte Italian restaurant open for dinner requiring reservations, and Kimonos, the a la carte Japanese restaurant open for dinner requiring reservations.
We ate at each restaurant at least once. Our consensus on the buffet was a resounding “meh.” Really a hit or miss. Some of the food was cooked either too much or not enough, and some of it, like the night they were serving tacos, was absolutely delectable. You have to keep your expectations in check, but being only three years out of college and currently incapable of cooking for myself, I was not complaining about food quality.
Basil and Tomatoes was good, with a standard menu and several course options, but Kimonos was by far our favorite. The fact that the staff was actually wearing kimonos was the cutest shit I’ve ever witnessed. These people work hard for you, and the food was tasty too.
I would have liked to see more local Dominican options, as we were in a foreign country and the food of that country is a big part of its culture, but I guess when you’re pedaling to mostly American tourists, you have to offer what you know will be well-received.
The bar on the beach is called Spirits (aptly named), and is open starting in the morning through 11 pm (they stop serving alcohol at that time, but still serve “late snack,” including burgers, nachos, and fries). The bartenders were some of my favorite people that we met, always friendly and happy to help you, and usually providing you with some strong ass beverages, especially if you ask nicely.
The staff. You could not find nicer and more lively people around whom to spend your days. They are always eager to help, anticipating that you’ll probably want another piña colada with your dinner, bringing towels to you while you sit on the beach, and generally just exuding happiness and joy. Personally I loved this aspect of their culture, since everyone walking around DC is stoney faced and pissed off. Turns out some of them were a little too friendly and Meredith and I frequently found ourselves in situations where the men on the staff were kissing our heads and asking us if we had boyfriends, which is an aspect of their culture I don’t love as much.
After a few days, I just realized if you stay aware, do not make too much eye contact and do not, under any circumstances, smile too much or flirt, you won’t accidentally become someone’s novia.
If you’re sitting on the beach or pool and looking particularly thirsty, waitresses will come around and bring you drinks upon request. They’ll also bring you nachos if you ask, and thank god. Because the three gigantic plates of breakfast food at the buffet was just not enough.
Daily entertainment. Every day there was something going on. The resort has a group of entertainment staff who work hard to make sure that you are having a fun time. There was aerobics and zumba every morning on the beach in lieu of an on-site gym. The first night they brought in a dance crew who paid tribute to Michael Jackson, another night they had karaoke in which guests and staff members alike participated, and one afternoon they rolled out a foam machine and had a giant DJ-hosted foam party on the beach (more fun in theory than in actuality, but still fun).
Room upgrade. Upon checking it, we were told that we were going to be upgraded from our original room, which had one bathroom and one king-sized bed, to a mutha-fuxking CONDO with three bedrooms, a full kitchen, a balcony, and two bathrooms.
The rooms were incredibly nice; the suite was clean when we arrived, air-conditioned, and fully stocked with lotions, conditioners, shampoos, and razors (THANK THE LORD. That high-cut one-piece was going to remain deep in the bottom of my backpack if I didn’t have access to razors).
Excursions. You can purchase excursions such as scuba diving, sailing, horseback riding, and helicopter rides, in the front office. Easy peasy. As a budget traveler, though, I would recommend comparing prices before arrival to get the best deal, because the best deal will likely not be on-site.
What we didn’t like quite so much
Crowds. The downside of a small resort is that there are few places you can go for quiet relaxation. The entire resort was pretty crowded most of the day, especially in early- to mid-afternoon, so we started timing our beach time to avoid the hordes of drunk sunbathers. Early- to mid-afternoon is also when the one beach bar is incredibly crowded, so getting a drink takes a bit of shoving and waiting. We didn’t have to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes or so at any time.
The beach is not private, so there were locals trying to sell timeshares, excursions, and hair braiding services. Apparently we look like we were just dying to get our hair braided because we heard women calling out to us (“¡CHICAS!”) every time we turned around. Yes, I have hair, but I like it just the way it is, muchas gracias. It got a little tiring, as pretty much every time you stepped on the beach you were bombarded with offers, but we quickly learned to politely say no thank you and sprint as fast as humanly possible into the water without looking back.
Speaking of vendors patrolling the beach, the resort also allows vendors to come in on the weekends and set up shop right in the middle of the two main buildings. I am ashamed to say that their waylaying tactics got the best of us because we ended up walking away with $20 worth of cigars and mamajuana, the signature Dominican beverage made from wine and rum fermented in tree bark and herbs (our first shot of it was almost tasty, but after the staff insisted on bringing us 10 more throughout the week we were ready to smash every bottle of mamajuana in the resort in an angry drunk rampage and then cry face-down on the floor. No more mamajuana, PLEASE). This was before we learned the very polite no-and-run that seemed to work on the beach time and time again.
The purchasing of sunscreen fiasco. DEAR JESUS. The one negative aspect of carrying nothing but a carry-on? Having to purchase your liquid-based toiletries and sunscreens upon arrival. Usually not a big deal, but it turns out this was a bit of an issue.
There are a few things that you should know before going to the Dominican:
There is a $10 tourist fee you have to pay upon entering.
There is a $20 departure tax you have to pay upon leaving (US airlines typically include this tax in their flight price).
Though most resorts are all-inclusive, you will need cash for tipping purposes and in case you need to buy something on-site.
Most places take USD only. Somehow asking them to take Dominican pesos (THEIR OWN CURRENCY, mind you) is an inconvenience.
Obviously, I didn’t have enough cash, if you didn’t get the drift of that build-up.
The sunscreen in the spa area of the resort was $15, but because their credit card device was down the entire time we were staying there, we could only make the purchase in cash. And there were no ATMs on-site. The front desk offered to have us take a shuttle that was going into town and dropping vacationers off at Punta Cana’s massive shopping center, but we knew if we did that we’d be away from the beach for most of the afternoon, and frankly had no interest in shopping for even one hour, let alone four.
We were luckily able to throw on sweatshirts to cover our wristbands, venture out into the 85 degree humidity in said sweatshirts, sneak onto the adjacent resort to use their ATM, and convince the beautiful boy working at the spa to take our pesos in place of dollars for a bottle of sunscreen. This was not before I kicked myself in the ass repeatedly for being so stupid as to not bring enough cash on my trip abroad. All-inclusive doesn’t mean all-inclusive. Bring cash. Tip your bartender. Buy a bottle of sunscreen. Avoid unnecessary stress.
Pricing
We took advantage of a bundle deal on Expedia for this trip. I realize that you may be scoffing at the use of an online travel agency, especially with all the top-notch websites out there to help you find the best deals, but hear me out here. In total, we paid $830 each for the flight to Punta Cana from Baltimore and back, plus four all-inclusive nights at the resort. The rate for a room at our time of booking was around $130 per night, so the bundle was actually a really good deal. It just was.
All-inclusive includes unlimited food and drinks, comfortable accommodations, and access to the beach, pool, casino, and whatever the entertainment team has planned for the day. You won’t find a swankier resort in Punta Cana for any cheaper.
Is Presidential Suites Punta Cana the most glamorous resort you’ll find along the eastern Dominican Republic coast? No. Is it the prettiest, the most high-end, the one with the most amenities? No. But for a laid-back budget traveler looking to get away to the Caribbean Islands for a few days, or maybe looking to make up for a lack of white sand beaches in her childhood, this place is perfect.
Book your stay here!
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