Spring is in the air (even if you've got a face mask on) and if you're looking for last-minute getaway ideas, or if you just need some vacation inspiration, look no further. Our newest dad-tributor, Victor Ozols, is sharing his experience visting the lovely island of the Dominican Republic. Read on for all the fun!
Late last year I traveled with my family to Punta Cana, a posh resort town on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic that just turned 50 years old. The area is a spectacular for ecotourism, which I’ve already covered here, but I was curious whether it’s a good spot for kids. And yes, the island is totally safe to visit.
My wife and I have two boys, 9 and 13, with the usual hobbies (sports, memes, recalcitrance). Would there be enough to keep their interest? After all, they’re in that developmental purgatory where they’re too old to fully embrace anthropomorphic cartoon characters and too young to join us for the rum tasting. Would the beach (and jungle, tennis courts, pool, restaurants, and hotel) be enough?
It would indeed.
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed as guests of the Puntacana Resort & Club, which is definitely family-friendly, but isn’t the Nickelodeon “It’s slime o’clock somewhere” Resort (which, truth be told, looks fun). There are three hotels within the Puntacana resort, and we stayed at the Westin Puntacana, an oceanfront gem with a jaw-dropping pool, fancy restaurants, and one of those open-air lobbies designed to provide the most dramatic entrance to arriving guests. You walk in this place and you know you’re on vacation.
The kids probably felt the same, but the first thing they commented on was the bank of internet-connected computers in the lobby—a lifeline to civilization, or at least Roblox. During occasional breaks in our schedules we’d allow the boys to head down there, unaccompanied, without worry. Which is the first lesson, I suppose. Punta Cana (the town) and Puntacana (the resort) are extremely safe. This is the place for free-ranging your kids. Let ‘em ramble. They’ll be fine.
WHAT TO DO
- Kids Club: There is a nifty-looking kids’ club at the Westin located in a teal-colored outbuilding and we … did not spend much time there. It looked nice, with TV’s, a foosball table, and a hotel employee tasked with leading activities, but it was mostly younger kids (like 3 to 7 years old) and my own spawn noped the heck out of there when I tried to get them to visit. The youngsters who were there seemed to be having a great time. There’s also a playground just outside with swing set, slide, and big plastic ladybug to climb on.
- Beach Club: All the more time for watersports, which we enjoyed at the resort’s newly renovated beach club, Playa Blanca. We hit the water like Johnny Weissmuller, starting with stand-up paddle boarding. Our 13-year-old took to it right away, paddling like a pro until he lost his footing a took a tumble, then got back up and kept at it. Our 9-year-old, meanwhile, was happy to sit on the front of my wife’s board and stare at the kiteboarders up the beach eating foam over and over again (it was breezy and they were, by all evidence, first timers).
- Kayaks: Even easier to control were the kayaks (both one- and two-person versions), which glided over the gentle waves of the embayment and gave us that wonderful spaghetti-leg feeling you get when you’ve been in a small boat for a while and then walk on land. When we were finished, we posed with the oversized Playa Blanca sign of the style that’s designed for Instagramming. (Note to resort owners: If you don’t have one of these signs, you’re missing out on lots of free marketing.)
- Snorkeling: That was just a prelude for the next adventure—snorkeling. We joined a guide and a Dutch tourist on a small motorboat that zipped through the inlet to a convenient patch of reef right outside. The water was choppy, and it took a bit of encouraging to get the boys in, but they eventually took the plunge, looking down in fascination at the tiny fish darting among the coral. The guide even captured an octopus for us to say hello to. He released it, but I’m not sure how the octopus felt about the whole experience.
- Sports: Tennis, anyone? Sure, why not. Puntacana has a fantastic tennis center, and the kids hit the court with gusto, whacking the balls back and forth with a teenage tennis pro. The center is staffed in part by area youths, who are trained to become tennis instructors, and ours was both skilled and patient. We cheered them on from the sidelines, reminded of that Turbo Tax commercial where DR native David Ortiz becomes a tennis instructor and sends the balls flying all over the place.
GOOD TO KNOW
One other experience sticks in my mind, and while it’s only available once a year, it’s worth going out of your way for. There’s an annual Christmas concert held once a year in the town of Higüey at the Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia. It’s sponsored by the resort owners, and open to the public for free.
Higüey is the nearest town of any size (150,000+) to Punta Cana, and it’s where most of the resort employees live. The half-hour ride out there was interesting in itself, especially for my kids. It was the evening rush, which didn’t mean much on the (newly built) highway but translated into stop-and-go traffic as we made our way through town.
We all watched in awe as motorcycles carrying two, three, even four people weaved through traffic, not a helmet in sight. (We joked that there’s one motorcycle helmet in all of the DR and it’s currently being used by a resort security guard.) Open-air restaurants and bars and shops of all kinds lined the streets, and music blared constantly. It was a chaotic scene compared to the tranquility of the resort, but it was also a reality check and I loved it. The trip would have felt lacking if we’d never ventured out of our luxurious little bubble.
We finally arrived at the cathedral for the concert, which was clearly the cultural event of the year, because it was packed. Fortunately, we had reserved seats inside, but there were even neatly organized rows of chairs and a massive screen outside to accommodate the overflowing crowd. Everyone was dressed to the nines, underscoring the formality of the occasion.
Inside we sat in awe as the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic performed an inspiring selection of tunes, featuring such national stars as opera singer Nathalie Peña Comas and merengue and salsa legend Johnny Ventura. During the performance, a laser show illuminated the massive ceiling of the 1971 cathedral, filling it with undulating blue waves and intersecting lines. It was beautiful.
It was also a fitting end to our trip, which began with a plunge into a freshwater lagoon.
BOTTOM LINE
Punta Cana (the place) and Puntacana (the resort) are fantastic for kids. Ours had a ball—even without international data plans for their devices—and so did we.
Have a question about staying at Puntacana or visiting the Dominican Republic? Let us know and we'll get it answered for you!
Photos of Westin Puntcana and Playa Blanca by Rachel Kay; all others by Victor Ozols
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