My Spring Break
Traveling to the Dominican Republic this year’s spring break.
This is the beach view at the hotel where I stayed.
Spring break. Everyone dreams of going somewhere warm and exotic for a week during spring break. This year my travel dream came true. I was lucky enough to be able to go to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic this year for my spring break. At some points in time it was a mess, I’ll admit that, but it always was fun and a good time because how can you have a bad time with food everywhere, sitting pool or on the beach side, and fun people?
Traveling to the Dominican Republic is quite a trek, even from Williamsburg. My journey began at Richmond International Airport. We flew to Miami International Airport from there, and then my family and I got on the plane that took us to the Dominican Republic. It took a full day just to get to our hotel in Punta Cana. We left Williamsburg at 3:30 a.m. and arrived at our hotel at 3:00 p.m. The flight, however, was the best part of the day. If you have ever been out of the country, then you’d know what a hassle it is to get through customs. We landed around noon, and it took us another hour to get through customs, but my family was one of the lucky ones who got through before everyone else!
Once we arrived at the hotel, we were welcomed with fruity mango drinks, and we could tell that the time it had taken to get there was all worth it. The hotel was filled with so many things to do that I don’t even think we got through all the shops and restaurants over a 4-day span.
The beach there was astonishing. The water was as blue as I had even seen, and the sand was white and clean too. The palm trees shaded the beach for those who had not been able to get chairs under the hotel-provided shades. Vendors walked up and down the beach trying to get the tourists to buy their merchandise. It was such a beautiful sight, almost too much to take in all at once.
Sitting poolside was just as enjoyable as sitting on the beach. With constant entertainment put on by the hotel staff, there was absolutely no way that anyone could be bored there. From dancing and water Zumba classes to scuba diving lessons, this place had it all! Throughout the day, staff would come around carrying exotic animals and offering for the guests to take a picture with the animals. It was so cool being able to hold to parrots! At one point the DJ’s even started pumping bubbles into the pool to have a Bubble Party while people were paddling around the pool on paddle boards. There was never a dull moment.
On our ride to the zip lining area, we saw many different areas of the Dominican Republic.
My favorite part about the trip was the zip lining excursion that my family and I did. Even getting there was quite an experience. Caribbean drivers drive a totally different way than we drive here in the United States, so if you’re one with a weak stomach or are terrified of bad driving, then DON’T GO TO THIS COUNTRY! While swerving in and out of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other cars on a one lane mountain road, our tour guide told us about the Dominican Republic, it’s people, and its history. It was very cool being able to see another country by actually being there and not merely through pictures.
Once we finally arrived at the zipline area, it was mind-blowing. The workers there strapped us in and made sure that we would be safe up in the air, zipping from one platform to another. We were given
This was a view from one of the zip line platforms.
gloves that would be used to stop us when we were coming in to another platform. The first few lines were just the “practice ones”, as they like to put it. Once I got to #5 or #6, that’s when the real fun started. I was able to go on one of the largest ziplines in the world. It was 800 yards, 150 feet in the air, and crossed over a very large river right in the middle of it. It was so cool being able to see everything like that just cruising along that high in the air. If you’re not one for heights though, then I would definitely not recommend this excursion.
My 2017 Spring Break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is definitely one for the books. It was an extraordinary trip full of culture, great food, and even greater people. If you’re looking for your next place to visit, then I would highly recommend visiting here. You will not regret it!
