Dominican Republic GETAWAY : long weekends 2017

If 2016 was rather an unfortunate year in terms of long weekends to be matched with holidays, with 2017 – that just begun – the outlook is quite another. Much better. The opportunities to break from the usual routine will not fail to take a  short trip back door or just enjoy a little rest.

This article is addressed more to our American visitors due to the fact that the Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean so for Europeans it would be easy to travel there just for few days but obviously, it’s for everybody else as well.

You can also get ideas from this article if you are island hopping in the Caribbean and you choose the right side of  Hispaniola as one of your stop-overs.

First of all, let’s see the festive days in 2017 in the USA that would be great for some GETAWAY!

 | Monday, January 16, 2017  | Martin Luther King’s Day
 | Monday, February 20, 2017  | President’s Day
 | April 13-16, 2017  | Easter
 | Monday, May 20, 2017  | Memorial Day
 | Tuesday, July 04, 2017  | Independence Day
 | Monday, September 04, 2017  | Labor Day
 | Tuesday, October 12, 2017  | Columbus Day

As you can see there will be many possibilities, also more than 3 days to take a break from chaotic life in the city and just lay on the beach and treat yourself with a bit of Caribbean paradise!

Henceforth you will find some travel tips and destinations to discover and some ideas about how to take advantages of them as more as possible during short vacations.

We have chosen four destinations near to the airports because of the short time it’s better not wasting your precious holiday time in transfers from airport to final destination.

As a first destination, we would consider the good old Punta Cana.

When you think of the Dominican resort city of Punta Cana, you think of cocktail hour at the sun sets into the ocean, horseback rides on palm-lined beaches – and all-inclusive resorts. Before you go getting sticker shock, however, you should know that not all of the all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana are exorbitantly priced you will read also about low price resorts in this article.

Punta Cana is on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. The city offers visitors soft, snow-white sandy beaches on the Atlantic coast, as well as the Caribbean Sea coast. The beaches in Punta Cana stretch for 30 miles and comprise six sections, including Bavaro Beach, Macao Beach and Arena Gorda Beach. Several all-inclusive hotels line these beaches.

This place could be in the imaginary as a crowded, only resorts and all-inclusive, mass tourism place. But it is not like this. Of course it is one of the most congestive places in the Dominican Republic but for this reason, it is not at all commercial or cliché.

So if you choose a hotel that satisfies your expectations in a nice and quiet period you won’t even realize that you are in a resort/all-inclusive destination.

Hotels that we would like to recommend for a short getaway could be the forthcomings:

Sanctuary Cap Cana is ideal for couples and is really nice for its boutique feel, is an Adults Only All Inclusive 5 Star resort situated along a stretch of pure white sand beach, located just 15 minutes from the Punta Cana International airport.

This sophisticatedly designed resort offers guests 174 rooms in 12 unique room categories to choose from, with 3 distinct architectural styles: Spanish Colonial, Caribbean Villas, and The Castle Suites.

Guests can choose between 5 restaurants, all included in the price. Price is about 500$ per night. This solution may be a bit expensive but for sure you won’t regret your decision. The place is marvelous, the service is perfect and once you have paid the fee you don’t have to spend on anything else. 

Sanctuary Cap Cana resort is located in Cap Cana, a private retreat inside Punta Cana. Cap Cana is made up of 30,000 acres of flawless beaches, and oceanfront valley roads. It is the ideal destination for any type of traveler, with a variety of things to do, such as water sports and outdoor activities, and high-quality restaurants.

If you are a group of friends and your priority is to have fun and to know new people we would recommend Hard Rock Café Hotel or Barceló Palace. In this two resorts, apart from the luxurious rooms – each one with jacuzzi inside, restaurants, huge pools and one of the best beach of Punta Cana, there are many options also for nightlife activities.

At least for those who are looking for very excellent service and high quality in everything that a hotel can propose the best solutions is Excellence. The name has it all! This resort is just perfect if you want to relax and be surrounded by luxury. It is ideal for couples and it has a standout service.

With 464 guest rooms, a casino, a nightclub, three outdoor tennis courts, and an array of restaurants and bars to choose from, guests can relax, party, and enjoy fine dining all in one place.

Rooms include free minibar items and jetted tubs, and activities at the resort include zip-lining through tree canopies to whale watching.

All this only from 400USD per night.

The second destination that we would consider for a short getaway on a long weekend could be La Romana.

Hotels and resorts are located near to the international airport of La Romana, 20 minutes driving.

It could be a nice vacation taking an all-inclusive resort for some nights and during the day there are many things to do. From visiting Isla Saona with its wonderful beach or Isla Catalina for an unforgettable scuba diving and to discover the incredible marine life of this area.

This region is also famous for its wonderful and giant golf clubs that when new has been designed by Oscar De La Renta.

In La Romana, there is a surrounded area called Casa de Campo which is the most luxurious place in the country. With its huge golf camps, colonial style, little streets, restaurants and many hotels and villas it is the most variegated place in the country.

One place to visit for sure is Altos de Chavon which is a place like no other, a replica 16th-century Mediterranean village in the heart of Casa de Campo. Meticulously designed by Dominican architect, Jose Antonio Caro, and Italian master designer and cinematographer, Roberto Coppa, every detail of Altos de Chavón was handcrafted by local artisans.

This place will just leave you breathless…

As regards the hotels we would recommend:

Our last but not least destination obviously is Las Terrenas.

If you touch down at El Catey Samaná, this is 30 minutes by driving from Las Terrenas.

Las Terrenas is great for a very easy, relaxing getaway. You can choose and accommodation from many little hotels near the beach and just treat yourself with paradise.

For a 3-4 days vacation, we do not recommend any excursion because of the short time but you will feel relaxed and refreshed also just laying on of the various gorgeous beach of this pretty little town, like Playa Las Ballenas, Playa Bonita or Playa Cosón. You can check out more about this beaches on our page of Paradise Founded here: http://getawaydominicanrepublic.com/paradise-founded

If you are very adventurous and you don’t want to just lie on the beach but you want to throw yourself in something exciting we suggest the excursion to the Waterfall el Limon by horseback riding. This is a half-day excursion so is ideal for a short term vacation.

You can find out more here:  http://getawaydominicanrepublic.com/plan-your-holiday/#el-limon-waterfall

Hotels that we would recommend in Las Terrenas, if you would like to stay at an all-inclusive resort we suggest to choose from Sublime Samana, Coson Bay or Viva Wyndham V Samana.

If you prefer a cozy, little hotel we think that you should consider Aligio, Alisei or Marilar.

So these our pieces of advice for a little vacation for a long weekend getaway in the Dominican Republic. For any information, details or more advice do not hesitate to contact Bite my Vibes!