TRAVEL THERE: TO BUFFET OR NOT TO BUFFET
Mornings came with a choice – Indigo Beach Bar & Grill where you ordered from the menu or Hispanola, a buffet. Both were great and both offered unique experiences.
Indigo
Our first morning, we still didn’t have it all figured out. I didn’t know where Hispanola was or even if it was available, since the day before, our friend in reception said it was closed. We did know Indigo, because we’d had lunch there and I knew it was near the place where the orientation tour was supposed to begin. Decision made.
If you like a great view, a laid back atmosphere and ordering from a menu, then Indigo is the place for you. We had our first breakfast there and our last, with little to complain about. The menu is somewhat limited, but there’s an egg choice, a pancake choice, a healthy choice or you can just tell them what you want. They will deliver a basket of pastries and fixings to the table and/or you can graze from a small buffet with cheese, cold cuts and cereal.
If I was going to complain, I might say the service was a little slow and not exactly four star, but things are so relaxed in Punta Cana that it would almost be ridiculous to complain. One more thing, if you don’t like runny eggs, then you are in trouble. The menu says sunny-side up, so I specifically asked if they could flip it over and cook the yolk hard. The waitress said yes, but the plate delivered said no. Then I looked at the view and decided I could live with it.
Hispanola
Forget everything you ever knew about breakfast buffets! I’ve had breakfast buffets all over the world and never in my life did I ever see such variety.
- A grill for the egg, bacon and sausage crowd
- A huge table with every sort of bread to slice that you can imagine
- The entire front of the facility was one long buffet with everything from the most gorgeous pastries you have ever seen to oatmeal to pork & beans – and everything else in-between – but that was only the beginning.
- Another buffet offered sweet breakfast treats, like pancakes, crepes and Belgian waffles. For some reason that’s also where you’d find cheese quesadillas.
- Another vast expanse offered toast, muffins, English muffins, bagels – all the stuff you like to heat up before you enjoy and yes they had a toaster.
- One section had dried fruits, cold cuts, nuts – probably pickled herring – but I never got very close to that table.
- An entire bar of fruits – all fruits, every fruit – juiced, sliced and whole.
- A dairy bar with my precious cheeses in a wide variety, as well as milk, cream, yogurt and cold cereal
In other words, breakfast at Hispanola was an event. We’d enjoy our morning repast out on a covered patio, but in reality the whole thing was one huge open-air facility.
And this is where I have to mention the flies. Al fresco dining is a wonderful thing, but there is nothing you can do about the flies. Even though Samana is not actually open air, they leave both sets of double doors wide open all the time. It’s not like the buffets were fly-covered or even that you were pestered by flies, but if you are going to melt-down because a fly might have crawled on your beignet, I’d say you should skip Club Med Punta Cana. I’m no fly lover, but having come from the food industry, Bill is more particular. He just sucked it up and lived with it, but he didn’t like it.
Great Mornings
Whether you choose Indigo or Hispanola, breakfast at Club Med is a great way to start the day. I confess, I did not work out every morning at Punta Cana the way I do at home, but I don’t walk all day at home the way I did in Punta Cana. I have to say that waking up whenever you darned well please and strolling over to a beautiful breakfast is a pretty nice life.
As I said grace over my morning meal, I’d say a little thank you for CTC Travel that had made it all possible. Come back next week and we’ll talk about how we kept ourselves busy during the day.
jane sadek 