Our Punta Cana trip Dec. 2007

[Northern traveler]

Our first night we stayed at the Carabela Resort and it was a very nice resort! My husband & neighbors both said they'd stay here for a week, it was that nice. Then the next 7 days were at Melia Caribe Tropical Resort. What a beautiful resort! The Buffet near the check in was the best of all of them. We ate all of our breakfasts in Betty's Kitchen (buffet) and there's many items that were luke warm to cold. So if you go there in the AM, get in line to order an omelet, you pick out your own ingredients and they prepare it right there for you. You do have to make dinner reservations the night before, starting at 9 PM. The Japanese was good but after dinner, you had to be moved to another table for dessert, as they only had 2 large tables for dinner. The Capri restaurant is very noisy! The music is loud, and you have to talk even louder to hear each other. Out of 7 dinners, that was the worst one for us. For lunch, they had a BBQ going on down by the beach, great food there, burgers, chicken, pork, french fries (they were hot and fresh). The maids were not that great. We'd leave notes every day for what we needed and many times it wouldn't happen! My husband brought baseball items to trade with the vendors down from the resort. We stopped into a thrift store before leaving for PC, picked up kids gloves, baseballs, baseball cards. They love those items and will make a good trade with you. I bought make up from the dollar store for the maid, and one time she left a bottle of rum and some fruit for us, after about 3 days of leaving this and a tip. The vendors down from the resort are extremely pushy and bothersome! We found detours to get around them so we didn't have to walk right by them because they would all approach you, one after another, very annoying! The trains that take you around the resort, have nasty exhaust fumes, that was the only bad thing about those. IF you see someone driving a golf cart, offer him a dollar or two and he'll gladly give you a ride, it's much faster and not as stinky. It was an awesome trip, the ocean is gorgeous, warm water, the resort is beautiful, and we would definitely go back. No place is perfect, but I know they are trying very hard to be, and they're well on their way!

[Me_again]

This is really creepy -- Twilight Zone. Do you always write the trip reports before you go?

[Me_again]

I misread the date on the header clicked on a nov and came up Dec sorry abvout that Nice report and good info on the stinky train

[Tallman1818]

Nice report, I am glad you have fun in our beautiful DR.

[Frog17112]

I love the honesty in your report...pointed out the good and the bad. I've read so many reviews that just emphasize the bad. No comments on the bar or bar service? Just asking...

[Northern traveler]

The service was great, at the swim up bar, and also the bar near the lobby, with our waitress Isabella. She was awesome, and almost like a daughter to us. When you tip on a daily basis, they usually wait on you first, even if you're not first in line! Watch out for the wine though. I had some with dinner and I'm uncertain of the alcohol content, but I was alittle "green" the next day!!

[cozmikgirl]

Since you recently got back..how was the weather? I checked the 10 day forecast and it calls for showers everyday Travelling from 12/20-12/30 with the family for our 10th wedding anniversary

[Dolores]

It is a rare day that the sun is not shining in Punta Cana. If there is a shower, it is usually in the evening and short. When you come, please post your weather experience compared to what you were reading on the weather forecasts. Many have the same concern as you do. Please post on this same thread.

[Northern traveler]

We were there Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th, and the weather was gorgeous! It rained a couple times in the middle of the night, and the day we came home, while at the airport, it was perfect for us!!! The temp. was 85, sunny and humid............