Accommodations – Page 7

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL, WRITING

The Beauty of Our Balcony

March 27, 2019February 22, 2019 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: AN EARLY MORNING REVERIE

Our third day at the Seadust was devoted to enjoying whatever pleasures we could derive from the resort. The food was horrid and while the recent renovation of the property had been adequate, it didn’t give us the appropriate quality to feel as if we were in a luxury resort. So what did we do?

First Up!

I woke up early, which is SOP in this family. I wasn’t quite up to visiting the gym, so I went out to the balcony with my travel journal and my book. First, I caught up in the journal. Looking over what I wrote, I see little that hints at the parallels I was beginning to draw between the ancient Mayan culture and our modern state of devolving affairs.

After getting the journal up to date, I opened up my book and dove into the story. The narrative was focused on bullfighting at this point. We’d learned who the characters were and why we were there, but the story line seemed overly devoted to the matadors and their bulls. I began to wonder if I should have chosen another book to read, which could have given me more insight into the Mayan culture.

I confess the bullfighting story did not hold my attention very well. I constantly found myself staring off into the beautiful scenery just outside my balcony. In the serenity I went through my prayer list, thinking of those in need, those I love and some friends who were vacationing together in another part of the Caribbean. I’d pick up reading where I had left off, but soon I’d been soaking in the green of the palm trees and the blue of the water.

Mr. Lag Abed

Bill slept very late and after a short visit with me, decided to go back to bed for another nap. I didn’t mind. I returned to the balcony and continued dividing my time between the outstanding view and the book which was slowly turning its focus to the time period I was most interested in.

Michener rarely tells a tale with gripping speed, but instead slowly binds you in his tale like a python, slipping around an intended victim. His reputation gets you within proximity and you snuggle up with the book to see what it is like. You are aware of slowly changing positions, but you wonder why the snake has the reputation it does for devastating its victims. Then all of a sudden it is too late. You’d only been reading the book as a distraction and now you have to finish it to find out what happens to these people, who you now care very much about.

In spite of my interest in the book, my stomach decided it was time to have breakfast. I roused Bill and suggested we use our breakfast time to plan our day. Then we could return to the room to dress appropriately and gather up what we might need.

Breakfast of Victims

The only restaurant opened for breakfast was the buffet, so like the sacrificial victims in Chichen Itza we went where we were forced to go. I hoped over breakfast I’d convince Bill to visit the Mayan museum and archaeological site right next to our hotel, but Bill had put up with all the Mayans he intended to. Today he was going to get his money’s worth out of the resort. Our accommodations might have been comped, but we’d paid the airfare, a small daily fee for tips and for the excursion to Chichen Itza. So far, he felt the account wasn’t quite even and he was going to do something about that.

So after breaking our fast in one of our least favorite places in Cancun, we headed back to our room. Come back next week and see how we spent the day.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

This Is an Italian Restaurant?

March 20, 2019February 20, 2019 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SEADUST’S LIGHTHOUSE RESTAURANT

Hungry, thirsty and exhausted we had no desire to visit the room before having dinner. Seadust’s website promised an Italian restaurant with a focus on seafood and that sounded good to us, but we couldn’t remember the name of it. The only restaurant with a lobster tank in it was The Lighthouse, but the pirate-themed decor left us wondering what made it Italian.

There is a Small Wait

It was about 8:30 and all the restaurants were busy. The Lighthouse had about a 20 minute wait, so we left our name on the list and made the rounds of the area to see if anything else looked more promising.

The Buffet held no interest for us.
Big Ben, the steakhouse had an even longer wait than The Lighthouse.
Manhattan was the Seadust’s version of a NY Deli, which didn’t sound like what we wanted.
Samurai, the Sushi joint was closed for the evening.
El Maguey, was a Mexican restaurant and we’d already had a Mexican meal for lunch.
The poolside snack bar was closed.
We’d been at Maison d’ Michelle the night before and I was afraid of being served another helping of duck chunks, regardless of what I ordered.
The only other venue for food was a breakfast place for “Club” members. It wasn’t breakfast time and we weren’t Club members, whatever that entailed.

That journey ate up about half our waiting time, so we made our way over to the bar we had visited the night before. We grabbed some wine and cheese to hold us over until the The Lighthouse could seat us.

The Lobster Tank and Other Disappointments

Front and center in The Lighthouse is a lobster tank, announcing the seafood opportunities awaiting its patrons, but like the wines offered by the previous day’s supercilious sommolier, a significant surcharge accompanied the enjoyment of the crustaceans. First strike!

The menu provided the answer to why the restaurant thought it was an Italian place, but you really had to read between the lines of the poor translation to figure that out. Nothing really sounded like what we imagined we might be served, but we settled on some choices. Bill picked some kind of fish and I went with some fried seafood. I’ve learned when the menu is a little shaky, go for either the mixed grill or something fried. My dish was kind of a deep fried mixed grill but it would have to do. This was more like a foul ball, rather than a strike.

Instead of appetizers, The Lighthouse offers a “salad bar.” OK. I went to check it out, because Bill didn’t want a salad. There was a bowl of greens, but most of the choices on the “salad” bar were cold seafood options – large prawns, crab claws and other selections. I came back to the table with my prawns and crab, which inspired Bill to try the prawns. Strike two! The prawns were overcooked and the meat of the crab claw did not justify the extreme measures required to get to it. I’ve eaten crab claws my whole life. I had never faced an enemy claw quite like these. The shell of the crab was like a concrete casing and after you labored to get to the meat, it wasn’t very good.

Our entrees arrived and it was another foul ball. Mine was adequate. You can get better at the Golden Corral, but I was hungry and it was edible. I don’t think Bill’s entree could even be called adequate, but he did try to eat it. All the while, Bill was Googling the Iberostar and the other accommodations in the Hotel Zone. He decided then and there that all-inclusive would no longer be in his vocabulary!

To finish the meal, there was a dessert bar. Strike three. It did have desserts, but nothing we couldn’t have gotten our hands on in the dreaded buffet. I chose a few small items, but Bill walked away. He walked right over to the Maison d’Michelle and arranged for us to have dessert there. He impatiently waited for me to finish the little tarts I’d picked up and then we revisited the duck chunk restaurant. They served us two desserts and Bill ate both.

I was exhausted. I was also sick and tired of hearing about the shortcomings of our resort. Just because I didn’t waste my energy cataloging the irritants didn’t mean I was oblivious to them, but it also didn’t mean that I had to be disgusted with the whole vacation. I could still have fun. We returned to the room and I went directly to bed. Things did get better the next day, but unfortunately, not in the restaurants. Come back next week and see what I mean.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Late Night at the SeaDust

January 23, 2019January 7, 2019 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: AFTER DINNER ACTIVITIES

Dinner at the Maison de Michelle had been a little disappointing. We were still a tad bit hungry and one more glass of wine seemed like just the ticket. We were able to take care of both those problems.

Wine and Cheese Delight

Right outside Michelle’s was a bar and voila, they had a buffet with cheese and baguettes. While I chose an assortment of cheeses to top off the meal, Bill ordered another round of drinks. Yes, they served Savignon Blanc and Merlot in champagne flutes, but who are we to complain?

While we weren’t thrilled with everything we were experiencing, we weren’t suffering too much either. At this point of the trip we chose to giggle about the chunks of duck and made plans to try another restaurant the following evening. They had eleven after all!

Like our stroll on the beach and the poolside sunset, our after dinner drinks with cheese were very enjoyable. We really only had one concern. When we’d gone upstairs to change clothes, we discovered our balcony was lit up like Alcatraz. The huge balcony had a big hot tub and we were hoping to enjoy it, but who wanted to relax under such a bright light and none of the switches in the room turned off the exterior lights.

Bill had stopped by the guest services desk to ask about the lights and they assured us the lights would be automatically turned off sometime between 10 and 11. We also asked what time they were turned back on. That was something no one knew. We decided we were tired and even though it wasn’t 11 yet, we were going to go back to the room.

Hitting the Hot Tub

Our absolute favorite thing at the Seadust was the balcony. When we first arrived, the curtains were closed, which was a mistake on their part. They were hiding the best part!

The Cancun Hotel Zone is on a thin strip of land just east of Cancun proper. From our room, we had a great view. We could see the adult pool area (which we hadn’t figured out how to get to, yet) the main road connecting all the hotels, a golf course, the body of water which separated the hotel strip from the mainland and yes, the city of Cancun. Yep, it was a pretty marvelous view.

When we got to the room after dinner, the balcony lights were still bright. I suggested I get our things stowed away, while he filled the hot tub. When we finished our chores the lights were still bright, but Bill was eager for a little hot tub action. So, he rigged up a wall with some towels and assured me that since the hot tub was in the corner we’d have plenty of privacy. Thankfully, that’s just about when the lights decided to go out, so we were able to fully enjoy our time in the hot tub.

Thoroughly relaxed, we drained the hot tub and headed to bed. We had to be on our way to Chichen Itza just after seven the next morning. Please come back next week and join us.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

La Maison de Michelle

January 16, 2019January 7, 2019 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A LITTLE BIT OF FRANCE AT THE SEADUST

We capped off our discovery tour of the resort by making our way to the gallery of restaurants just off the lobby. Most of the culinary options line this mall and La Maison de Michelle is a headliner. We strolled over and a very distressed lady let us know there was a dress code. We were fine with that and she was much relieved. We changed clothes and were soon presenting ourselves again for entry.

We Could Have Done Without the Sales Pitch

When we were seated, a very self-important little man came to inform us he was the manager and sommelier. He quickly engaged Bill in a conversation about the wine for dinner. I probably had the same look on my face I had when the hustler at the airport was trying to get us to his timeshare. I think they were brothers. Both were soon disappointed. Bill when he saw the prices on the wine list and the sommelier when he figured out we wanted the free stuff.

For free, the red was merlot and white was savignon blanc. Neither was outstanding, but they would have tasted much better without the swarmy sales pitch. Once we opted for the house wine, we never saw our sommelier again.

What we did get was this very strange rack to hang my purse on. That was a real first! I had a teeny bag I would have happily hung on the back of the chair or thrown on the floor, but not at the Maison de Michelle, apparently

Asparagus Salad

Escargot

So What to Eat

The place was losing points fast when the menus appeared. Get this, the menus were tablet based, complete with pictures of each entree. I’ve seen this before and it’s not my favorite type of menu, but like the light show around the pool, I gave them points for trying.

For starters, Bill chose an asparagus salad and I opted for escargot. We weren’t blown away by our choices. Bill said the asparagus was good, but really needed some sort of dressing. The cute dots didn’t exactly count. I knew my escargot was not going to be the classic presentation I love so much, but I had high hopes that I would like it. I didn’t hate it, but the escargot was tough and should have been sauteed in something, not just heated up. Not up to our hopes, but fair enough to hope the entree would be better.

Our entrees didn’t improve the situation. Bill had a steak and it was OK. I had ordered lamb chops, which somehow became duck. There was such a stew when I pointed out their mistake I decided to go ahead and eat the darned duck chunks. They offered to replace it, but I had a sneaky suspicion that they didn’t have any lamb or it was sub-par and they didn’t want to serve it. Even if there was some language issues, lamb doesn’t sound much like duck. Like Bill’s, mine was OK, but just OK.

Thank Goodness for Dessert

The meal did have a redeeming event called dessert. I had something with chocolate mousse in the description and Bill has no idea what his was called, but they were great. We relished every bite of the meal topper.

As we finished up the meal, we looked around the restaurant and were mostly pleased by what we saw, even if the meal had been somewhat disappointing. The waiting area was too dark and then there was an odd empty spot that made no sense, but the carpet, lighting furniture and decor were lovely.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Welcome to Cancun

January 9, 2019December 8, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: BROWSING AROUND THE SEADUST

Already our trip had its ups and downs, even though we’d just arrived, but ever the optimists, Bill and I set out to explore our resort.

Beautiful Beach

Escaping the disappointing buffet restaurant, we headed past the main pool to the line of palm trees at the edge of the beach. OK – now we understood all the fuss! Here was the epitome of white sugar-sand beach and brilliant turquoise water. With flip flops in hand, I strolled along, enjoying the sound of splashing water and gleeful kids.

It was not a low flat beach like we’d seen in Punta Cana. Here, the dry white sand made a quick drop of 6-12 inches where the waves rolled in. So you had to decide whether to stroll along on the hard wet sand flirting with waves or up the small embankment on the dry sand. We ended up trudging through the dry sand, because Bill was in sneakers. We’d already discovered his leather slides had chosen to stay home.

No Visitors Allowed

The Cancun beach belongs to the Mexican government, so you can walk easily from one hotel area to the next without dodging no trespassing areas. After passing a few smaller hotels we happened upon the Iberostar. One of Bill’s favorite things to do on holiday is visit all the nearby hotels to compare them to our accommodations. We headed up the stairs to the Iberostar and were immediately informed by security that we were not welcome.

I wish they would have let us in. In Bill’s imagination, the Iberostar became the perfect hotel. Anything that came up short at the Seadust, he believed would have been better at the the Iberostar. After being turned away there, we headed back to the Seadust to sit by the pool.

Margarita Moment

We were about to embark on one of our favorite moments at the Seadust. On our way past the pool, I stopped at a bar and ordered my first Margarita. We found a pair of lounge chairs and spent an hour enjoying the setting sun as it played among the clouds above the sea.

Every imaginable color danced in the sky as the palm trees swayed. Nearby families frolicked in the deep blue pool. AAAAAHHHHH, just what a resort holiday is supposed to be about. We shared our impressions of the vacation so far and what our hopes were for the days to come.

Then we had a little comic relief. As the sun faded and the sky began to darken, we noticed the lights around the pool began to change color. Only it wasn’t the slow calming change of color you might expect around a pool. Oh no, one color after another flipped past as if they were all frantically and unanimously trying to decide which color they should be. I couldn’t resist making a little video. It gives you a peek at the frenetic lights and the family-oriented nature of the pool, not to mention the gorgeous sky and swaying palms.

A Bit More Poking Around

The flashing lights irritated us enough to pull us out of our loungers. I had a little more discovering I wanted to do and I needed to talk to the Best Day rep about our return trip to the airport. We made our way to the Best Day rep and found I would need my paperwork to arrange the pick-up. We’d just gotten there, so I figured I had time.

We wandered down a few hallways to figure out the lay of the land. One hallway led to Kid Heaven, which included a delightful looking waterpark. Bill had no interest in it though, so we never came back down that way. We also found the Mexican restaurant, but Bill was holding out for French.

Down another hallway was a theater and a convention center. Nothing gave a clue when the theater would be offering entertainment, so we went back to the lobby and checked out a gift store. Cute stuff and reasonable prices, but no buying was involved.

In the lobby they were building a Christmas tree. It was big, but I can’t say it was all that attractive. Sort of the bargain basement version of giant fake trees. Time to find that French restaurant. Come back next week and see how it went.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

A Difference of Opinion

January 2, 2019December 11, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: TRAVEL FROM TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

I’m home from Cancun. My friends at CTC Travel gave me a stay at Seadust Cancun Family Resort. Not like they sent me there on an assignment, more like a favor. Someone else had won the trip at the CTC Travel Show in January and had never gone. The trip needed to be used by the end of the year or it would be forfeited. Bill and I are fortunate to have some flexibility in our schedule and our budget, so flying off to Cancun on short notice was not a hardship. After we got there a difference of opinion arose. Let me tell you about it.

How Do You Look at Life?

I believe, sincerely, that how much you enjoy life depends on how you look at it. Do you start at zero and enjoy grading up or do you start at 100% and nitpick your way down? That philosophy extends to travel, but a problem arises, because Bill and I look at travel from opposite ends of the scale.

I want to go anywhere at anytime. For the pleasure of going, seeing and experiencing, I’m perfectly willing to be inconvenienced. I start at zero and am pleasantly surprised by what’s good. Quite frankly, Bill likes the comforts of home. A trip needs to give him a compelling reason to be there. He hates to be captured by mediocrity. He starts with high expectations and grieves over the loss of every point.

We lived through mediocrity in February with the Royal Caribbean Cruise out of Galveston. We were there to have a good time, but everywhere we turned it was like they were trying to keep us from enjoying ourselves. Bad embarkation buffet, bad sail-away, bad internet, bad service, really bad dinner, even worse entertainment and then bad food the entire rest of the trip. We managed to avoid being miserable through our own efforts, but barely. Bill, bless his heart couldn’t keep from pointing out every disappointment, while I tried to ignore them.

Club Med Punta Cana saved us. If it hadn’t been good, Bill might have given up traveling altogether. Punta Cana wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough and Bill had a blast. So, when we had a chance to do another all-inclusive in Cancun. Why not? Bill was ready to re-live the Club Med experience.

How This Trip Played Out

Bill arrived in Cancun happy as a clam at high tide. I had purposely avoided begging him to pack, which meant he’d gotten around to it at about 10 PM the night before we left. Better me crazy than him, right? The whole air travel experience went well. No $120 Spirit surprises at check-in. No hassles at security. Chik-fi-la for breakfast. Comfortable flight. The luggage arrived when we did and customs was a breeze. So far so good. Thank you American Airlines.

Then it started. I’d warned him of the hustlers in the airport. I’d read him the notice from Best Day, which was providing our transportation. Still, the hustlers managed to drag him over to a kiosk and tried to get him to visit a time share. We left the area unscathed, but disgusted.

Due to some misinformation from the “helpful” hustler, we had a little problem finding Best Day, but that was our fault not Best Day’s. They’d warned us. We hadn’t been fed on the plane, so Bill was getting hungry. Standing in the hot sun to get on our shared ride, Mr. Bill was peckish, but cooperative.

We were lucky enough to be some of the first folks out of the van, but then there was the whole tipping thing. The arrival lobby was open-air, making Mr. Bill hotter and hungrier, but he did get a room upgrade, so that made him happy.

He wanted to go directly to the buffet, but I suggested we at least find our room and freshen up. The elevator was a sauna and slower than molasses. I should have let him go to the buffet. The elevator-disguised-as-an-oven dumped us on the 6th floor where the light fixtures, which had the room numbers on them, were so creative was impossible to tell which room was 606. We had to figure it out by a process of elimination.

There was one benefit to waiting on the luggage. Mr. Hot and Hungry was able to change into a cooler outfit. As soon as that happened we were off to the buffet, which unfortunately was about to close. One trip around the buffet restaurant told us everything we needed to know and it wasn’t good news.

The Seadust Cancun Family Resort ain’t no Club Med Punta. I think Bill might have turned around and left right that minute if it weren’t for me. Sure, he would have had to pay a fee for changing his flight, but he could have gone home. However, I was excited about getting to see Chichen Itza the next day – and he loves me. Maybe dinner would be better – right?

Well, come back next week and find out!

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

A Few Final Points

November 14, 2018November 14, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: CLUB MED PUNTA CANA IS WAITING

Here’s a few things I didn’t have a place for in other posts about Club Med Punta Cana. I hope they’ll help you decide you need to go there and visit. If so, call my friends at CTC Travel.

Dinner A La Carte

You never have to face down a buffet at Punta Cana unless you want to or unless you didn’t get your Indigo reservations in soon enough. Indigo reservations can only be made in person at the restaurant on the day you want to eat there. They start taking reservations at 9 AM and if you wait too long, you either won’t get the time you want or you won’t get in at all.

We celebrated our anniversary by having dinner at Indigo. It was a lovely meal, but Bill made better choices than I did. He had some kind of whole fish and he says it was one of the most amazing meals he’s ever had. I had some Dominican shrimp in a plantain bowl. Good, but not one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. Here’s a few pics from Indigo and that meal.

Another Dinner Choice

With so much free food and drink available, we didn’t see much reason to spend money that way, but there was one opportunity to do just that. It was called La Cava. On the patios of Samana and Hispanolo (for dinner only) there was a section set aside for La Cava guests. You become a La Cava guest when you purchase wine, whiskey or cigars from La Cava and enjoy them with a meal. If we’d been there longer, we might have considered it, but we did just fine with the included comestibles.

Shopping

There were a few shops at the resort and they had lovely things – but there were no bargains. Not a single one. Especially not on larimar, a semi-precious gemstone found only in the Dominican Republic. The cheapest larimar I found at the resort was a pair of earrings with a tiny piece of larimar hanging from each stud. The price was $80 and if someone had brought it to me, I would have thought it was some cheap trinket they got for about 5. So none of my friends got larimar.

At the resort, everything is priced in Dominican pesos and while everyone can tell you how much that is in euros, they are not so good with dollars. That made shopping quite challenging. It also almost caused Bill a heart attack when he saw a receipt with a bottom line of 4210.

Several years back, Club Med celebrated its 45th anniversary by printing up lots of T-shirts and other items with the number 45. The items sold like hot cakes So, when their 50th came, encouraged by the sales of the 45 items, they printed up lots of 50 merchandise. However, the 50 merchandise was a bust. They almost had to give it away to get rid of it. but while everyone was rejecting the 50th anniversary merchandise, they were still requesting items with 45 on it. You’ll see the 45 logo all over the resort on everything from t-shirts and bikinis to flip flops and beach bags. Vintage 45 items are a status symbol. We spent a lot of time speculating on the ubiquitous logo and as we asked around, trying to solve the mystery, we discovered there were almost as many answers as their were t-shirts. Some Americans thought it was for Trump – NOT! Some French people claimed it was the number of a popular soccer player. I asked the Chief of the Village and he gave me this skinny. So, in case you ever go to a Club Med resort and wonder, well here’s the answer.

Farewell to Punta Cana

I think that about covers it. You should have everything you need to enjoy a resort vacation with Club Med – and I heartily suggest you give it a try. I’m probably the only person on the face of the earth that wouldn’t think it was the best vacation ever, but my best vacations are devoted to satisfying my inner Museum Girl.

Would we ever return to Club Med Punta Cana? If we were the sort to repeat destinations, then there is no reason we would not. It is a beautiful resort with great food and a lot of fun things to do. We just rarely return to someplace we’ve already been.

So will we ever do Club Med again? It is certainly a possibility, but we’d probably only go for three nights, not five. We had a great time, but while Bill is more active at sports than I am, neither of us prefer sports for days on end. I can see us doing it before or after a vacation devoted to all my museums, palaces and historic sites or just getting away for a few day.

Winning the fabulous door prize from CTC Travel certainly gave us a new favorite possibility on our wish list, but we’ve already got the next trip planned. I’m just not ready to tell you about it yet. Right now, as I finish up this post it is June, shortly after our Club Med vacation, I have no idea what I’ll be offering up next week on Travel Talk, but please come back. I promise it will be fun!

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

What Do You Do at Club Med Punta Cana?

October 31, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: KEEPING BUSY IS EASY!

The list of potential activities is quite long at any Club Med and that is very true at Punta Cana. I would think that most people in the world would find more to do than they can imagine. So, what did we do?

And They’re Off!

If you like to wake up early and get busy, you can do that at Punta Cana. The buffet opens early and early tee off times beat the heat. The gym opens early and if walking or running is your thing, well then there’s 42 acres to trot around in 24 hours a day. The beach also beckons 24 hours a day and it’s so beautiful all the time, that’s always appropriate.

Official activities begin around 9. Some a little earlier. Some a little later. We were usually ready to roll around 10. And what are those activities?

Water Sports – Kayaking, Stand-up Paddle Baords, Snorkeling, Windsurfing, Sailing (some fees)
Creactive by Cirque du Soliel
Archery
Tennis – courts, lessons and tournaments for all ages and levels of skill
Bill practicing his chipping swing

Land Sports – Jogging, Walking, Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Triatholon, Marathon, Bocce Ball, Basketball
Fitness – all kinds of classes, everyday, in the gym, in the pool and by the beach, from Aqua Zumba to Yoga
Golf – Lessons for all levels and a mini-golf (putt-putt) course – actual rounds are off the property and must be paid for seperately
Excursions (fee required)
Kid’s Club – for all ages from nurseries for infants to teens
Shopping – a variety of boutiques from art and jewelry to cigars and whiskey -they don’t charge you for looking 🙂
Spa Treatments (fee required)

What’s even more amazing is that the lion’s share of all this won’t cost you a penny extra.

So What Did We Do?

Well, Bill was a regular on the tennis courts, the archery field and he took advantage of the golf lessons. Around noon every day, there would be a Crazy Signs lesson after the Aquasize class, followed by volley ball, water polo and other games where Bill’s height and excellent coordination made him a popular player. Bill also played in a ping pong tournament. I was the official sidekick and cheering section.

On the first day, I thought that after the orientation was over I might hang around the pool until the Aquagym class at 11:30. Someone else, who will remain nameless, thought it might be better for me to follow him to the tennis courts and observe his lesson – and that’s pretty much how I spent my five days at Club Med Punta Cana. It wasn’t what I had imagined, but it wasn’t bad at all. I read a great book and made wonderful memories with my husband. Not a bad use of my time.

Things I Wish I’d Known

I had imagined starting my day with yoga on the beach. There was actually a palapa for yoga right next to the beach, but yoga was at 5:30 PM every day. By that time, Bill had put in a full day and we were back at the room for Bill’s afternoon nap.

I had also envisioned getting up bright and early and hitting the stationary bike, as I do at home and on cruises. Of the things available at Punta Cana, the gym was the least appealing. It was clean and they had lots of almost new equipment, but the space was cramped and I like a little elbow room. None of the stationary bikes were recumbent either and an hour on one of those saddle seats didn’t seem very appealing. Also, walking all the way to and from the gym to get saddle sores, when walking to and from is what took up most of our time, was a little discouraging. So, the gym was not my friend.

I had also dreamed of cabana boys delivering exotic drinks with paper umbrellas in them. There were no cabana boys. You could get as many drinks of whatever variety you wanted, if you walked up to one of the bars, but there were no paper umbrellas to be found and if I wasn’t going to be waited on hand and foot, I’d just as soon have another slurp from our bottle of water, several of which they left for us in our room each day.

Relaxed Myself to Death

The bottom line is that I nearly relaxed myself to death. I’m just not athletic, not even a little bit, but I’m also usually a very busy person. I don’t relax very well. My thing on vacation is to see as many museums, palaces and historic sites as I can, but Punta Cana was not a hot bed of museums.

So, we had a great time at Club Med and Bill took full advantage of all the activities. I ate a lot, relaxed a lot and walked a lot. Speaking of eating, isn’t it time for lunch? Come back next week and we’ll grab the mid-day meal.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Our Club Med Home Away From Home

October 17, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: GENEROUS AND GRACIOUS SPACES

Since I’d won our trip to Club Med from CTC Travel, we had no idea what kind of accommodations to expect. How bad could things be at a five star resort, right? Still, I’ve usually pored over the available information and carefully selected our rooms to be as economical as possible, while providing what we need. We made out just fine in what they provided – in fact, better than fine.

The Big Picture

Most of the entertainments and dining facilities are centrally located on the property. If you go one way from there, you’ll reach the Zen side of the resort. That’s the more exclusive, adults-only part. If you go the other way, you’ll find building after building after building of more family-oriented hotel rooms.

Our Accommodations

I can’t speak for the rest of the rooms in any of the other buildings, but I can tell you 662 La Nina is a nice place to stay. When you enter the door there is a hallway. On the right is a room with a toilet and next to it is another room with the balance of the bathroom facilities, a huge walk-in shower and a large two-sink vanity.

On the left side is a huge, and I do mean huge, closet. Along with plenty of hanging space and hangers, there were two stacks of roomy shelving. If I would have had my druthers, I would have preferred a dresser with drawers, but that’s just me. The shelves worked fine. There was also a shelf all around the top of the closet that was great for hats and such. There was room for everything and to spare.

The room came with some equipment, a hairdryer, a frig, a coffee maker, an iron and an ironing board. There’s also free wi-fi, not the fastest in the world, but more than adequate for the usual stuff. The Dominican Republic is on the same power grid as the US, so they had the same kinds of power and plugs as we do.

After you get past the bathroom facilities and closet, the room opened up. To the right was a nice bed, queen-sized, I think. It seemed a bit smaller than at home. To the left was a secondary space with two sofas that could be made into beds. We didn’t have to guess that this was great for families, a pungent smell told us someone had recently had an accident there. As soon as we notified housekeeping they took care of it, but they had points taken away for it nonetheless.

There was also a nice balcony. I wasn’t really roomy, but there were two chairs, a table and an ashtry, which we no longer see in America very often. I spent some quality time out there, but had to be careful to wear socks, because if my ankles were bare, some invisible pest would begin to gnaw on me.

We were very comfortable there. The rooms are not what I consider luxurious, but they weren’t spartan either. Nicely, but not opulently furnished – it was a beach resort after all. We especially appreciated the bonus room. I’d retreat there in the mornings before Bill woke up and he liked to enjoy his online games there. We slept well every night without any interruptions.

We also walked a million miles or at least it seemed like it! La Nina was sort of in the middle of the cluster of buildings with rooms. I’m guessing there is a premium to pay for rooms which were closer to the entertainment section, but there were buildings which would have doubled our steps taken. I hope they are a bargain.

At the reception area they tell you that you can call whenever you like and a cart will come and transport you back and forth. On our first day we tested that theory and attempted to grab a ride to our room. So, had everyone else on the property. Well, not everyone else, but enough someone elses that we weren’t going to wait – especially when we watched an aggressive group jump on a cart and zoom away, rather than allowing the ladies who had been waiting ahead of us to take it. In other words, we didn’t plan to fight that battle on a regular basis. While I did see a lot of carts whipping around the property, it was rare for them to have guests as passengers. Usually they were toting bags or equipment.

So that’s it for our accommodations. Come back next week and we’ll go to breakfast.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Dinner is Delightful at Club Med Punta Cana

October 3, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SAMANA, THE INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

I have no complaints about Club Med Food. I liked some things better than others, but there was not a thing available that was anything but good. Meals were delicious all day long, but dinner at Samana was something special.

Bon Jour & Bon Appetite

After our visit to Cielo, we’d stroll across the patios to Samana and climb the stairs. Just inside the doors we’d be greeted by a delightful lady we came to recognize by sight – even if we doubted she recognized us at all.

We’d tell her there were two of us and she’d find us a table. You could sit wherever you wanted, but we discovered we needed the hostess. One night we arrived and she wasn’t standing there, so we wandered around on our own. A bit later we came back to the door, happy to see her waiting, feeling quite silly for having tried to seat ourselves.

As soon as we had a table, a server would appear and offer us a beverage. Bill would get red wine and I would get white. Then we’d disappear off to the many, many buffet table. We didn’t stick to a particular order for our food. We’d wander about and pick the things that interested us most. I think the first night was by far the best, Beef Wellington, escargot, veal and much more.

Confession, I ate more cheese, morning, noon and night, than anyone probably ever should – but it was SO good. There’s a reason I don’t keep a variety of cheeses in my frig – I would eat them. Mozzerella, Blue, Gouda, Swiss, Emmantala, Tontine, Farmers, Feta, Brie – along with amazing breads, dried apricots, nuts and more. I ate enough that it should have been all I ate, but this was vacation, right?

The menu rotated every night. Around the central area,

a huge section for appetizers, mostly fresh seafood and shellfish
cheese and bread
the next section would vary by evening. The section next to the bread would vary with the evening and then the desserts would begin.
An inner circle would offer very international dishes, like tempura, sweetbreads, Mongolian bbq, schwarma, enchildas etc. etc. etc.

The back wall had

a salad bar
a pasta bar
a section for grilled seafood
then grilled meats and other entrees, like the Beef Wellington or Halibut Oscar
one corner had a pizza oven offering fresh slices – very popular with the kids
a section with Dominican foods.

In my youth I went with a group of my college friends to an all-inclusive resort – a Jack Tar Village on Grand Bahama. Eating was no problem. You couldn’t eat all the food they offered, but beverages were a whole ‘nother thing. The beverages were supposed to be included and you could usually manage to get one, but good luck getting refills. Thankfully, we discovered a rum factory nearby and dosed ourselves quite liberally with coconut rum, but could get little of anything beverage-wise from the staff. We also discovered the vending machines had beer. I didn’t have any of that, but I think our group had cleaned out every beer out of every vending machine before the week was over.

There was no stinginess with alcohol at Club Med. All throughout dinner the waitstaff kept our glasses filled – both the wine and the water. It wasn’t fine wine, but it was fine – if you know what I mean. The guest population of the resort was primarily French, if you remember, so I doubt Club Med could get by without the good stuff. I noticed that most people were drinking rose’, something that surprised me. I knew it was becoming a thing over here, but apparently the French like it, too.

After dinner there would usually be entertainment, so come back next week and enjoy the shows with us. I can’t sign off without another thank you to CTC Travel. Thanks so much, we loved Club Med.

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