Coco-Loco & Mamajuana on Bacardi-island

Welcome to paradise 🌴

I love Dominicans! This was my first visit to a Caribbean state and I was really fascinated by the solidarity of the people. Of course, the humidity also affected me a little, but I got used to it relatively fast. The countryside has been very special and gorgeous for me as a European! We arrived late in the evening. Since we landed in Puerto Plata, we had a very long (about 4 hours) transfer to Samana 😀

Dom. Rep. Tip 1: Definitely travel to Samana! Here you have even more beautiful beaches, which are not full of hotels. Besides, nature in the north has much more to offer! 🙂

On the drive to the hotel, our car suddenly stopped 😀 Around us it was already completely dark and to the left and right of the road just the jungle. But somehow I also found it calming to listen to the noises 🙂 But we did not have to wait long for help 😉 A few phone calls later a new vehicle arrived. And in the meantime, many people stopped and asked if they could help us in any way. Really very helpful people! The hotel was absolutely beautiful! Here you can also spend your honeymoon 😉 Because of the location it was also perfect for those who want to have some action in between and get to know the country and the people 🙂 The picture below is from Bacardi Island (I somehow forgot to take pictures in the hotel 😀 )

In any case, one feels completely happy here! 🙂

Dom. Rep. Tip 2: Since you are on an island, certain things can be very expensive! For example, we forgot our Travel Adapter. This should cost about 30$ in the hotel. So keep your travel gadgets in mind 😛

How to achieve total relaxation 😀

This trip was a very good mixture of recreation and adventure 🙂 The service in the hotel was incredible! Whenever I stopped somewhere for more than 3-5 minutes, someone came by and asked if I would like a drink 😀 And you know the answer…. 😉 In Germany, there is a definition of happiness: slightly drunk and no appointments 😛 But of course I didn’t drink alcohol around the clock 😀 There is way too much to explore here 🙂 At first I always like to go for a walk on the beach 🙂 Here I already met some new friends 😀

Dom. Rep. Tip 3: Use enough sunscreen! I didn’t even notice how strong the sun was and got a sunburn 🙁

These two dogs accompanied us during our 2-hour walk 😀 And when we went into the sea, they were guarding our belongings 🙂 Thanks a lot for that again!  Then there are incredibly delicious cocktails straight from the pineapple or coconut! I love them! 😍 Especially the Coco-Locos 😛 When you are asked if you would like your cocktail with vitamins – the answer is yes! In the Dominican Republic, vitamins mean rum 😀

But with all those tasty drinks you surely shouldn’t forget to eat 😉 The food was incredibly good! The spiny lobsters did not even make it to the photo 😀 Unfortunately, I only have an after-picture 😛 No matter if meat, vegetables, fish, salad, sweet or hearty … everybody will be satisfied 😛

Dom. Rep. Tip 4: Just in case, take some coal tablets with you 🙂 If you’re not used to the food, it can grumble a bit in your stomach 😛

So far we have:

• new friends ✔
• delicious cocktails ✔
• amazing food ✔

What’s missing?

Beach Beach Beach! 😀 In the Caribbean, there are real dream beaches 🙂

I can just repeat myself and say that you should definitely go to Samana 🙂 That’s how you can enjoy your days here 🙂

After all the relaxation you can jump into your next adventure 😛

Exploration of the neighborhood – Las Terrenas 🏖

We left early in the morning 🙂 First of all, I made sure the beach is safe – Baywatch style! 😀 On one side you can hear the roaring of the ocean and on the other side birds singing out of the jungle 🙂 A very beautiful walk!

Some of the locals were already awake and took a bath in the sea or fetched some coconuts from the trees. The coconuts here are much bigger and heavier than those at home in the supermarket 😀

Dom. Rep. Tip 5: The mosquitoes are unfortunately also already awake in the morning 😛 So protect yourself with insect repellent. If you want to swim, make sure it is eco-friendly 🙂

The nearest town is Las Terrenas! It is relatively small, but you can find some treasures here 🙂 It is also a very good alternative to the expensive shops in your hotel 😛 We have brought ourselves some souvenirs 😉 Rum, cigars, wood decoration, … stuff like this 😛

Dom. Rep. Tip 6: The rum here is very good and affordable!

In total, we spent about 2 hours here. Unfortunately, we got here a little early. I saw a very cool bar on the beach! In the evening you can have a lot of fun there 😉

Trip to Punta Cana – Party Boat | Snorkeling | Coffee, Rum & Cigars ☕

The trip to Punta Cana has been very interesting. I especially liked the Party Boat and the smaller islands we visited 🙂 We started very early in the morning and went there by boat and bus. There are hardly any mountains and the beach in Punta Cana reminded me more of Mallorca 😀 It is really very touristy there. But for a party holiday, it would be perfect 😛

Dom. Rep. Tip 7: A few people had some problems on the boat. Ginger tea may already help you 🙂 Otherwise, you should take some seasickness pills with you as a precaution.

When we arrived at the party boat we had a super tasty drink! Mamajuana! 😀 Of course, it comes with vitamins 😉 On the boat, we even had a small dance floor 💃 The weather, the water, the islands, everything was perfect! In between, we just stopped somewhere and stayed there for a while 🙂 A very relaxed atmosphere.

And then there was snorkeling 😉 I know snorkeling from other countries (e.g. Egypt) and was therefore not that excited (although it still was very good!).

Dom. Rep. Tip 8: The snorkeling equipment on the boat was not the best 😛 In case you have your own snorkeling mask, it is definitely worth bringing it 😉

Due to the sun and the Mamajuanas, we were already in a good mood… and the tour operators knew that too 😛 So we were driven to a place where one can learn something about the making of coffee, cigars, and rum. And of course, it was also possible to buy everything there 😉 But if you talk to the people, you could also try everything for free 🙂 Everything was very good! But remember Las Terrenas 😛 There you get a better price 😉

Our guide told us some more interesting stories about everyday life in the Dominican Republic – A great trip! If you enjoyed it, you should also leave a small tip 🙂

Los Haitises National Park & Cayo Levantado (Bacardi Island)  🏝

My favorite trip! If you only wish to do only one or two trips, this one should definitely be on the list! This tour you are on a boat most of the time 😉 So make sure that you don’t get sick 😛 In our group, however, everyone was doing well 🙂

We started early again 🙂 On the boat, we had a small breakfast.

Dom. Rep. Tip 9: Better have your hotel put together a small lunch package for you! We didn’t think about it… and two days later we had some stomach problems. We suspect it was from breakfast 😉

Besides us, there was only one other speedboat out this early in the morning… with which we had a few small races 😀 The national park is really breathtakingly beautiful! Our guide was once again very friendly and knew a lot about the area and wildlife.

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I think the pictures might give a better impression of it than I can 😛 The Mangroves also looked really impressive. A very nice place, which hopefully will be preserved for a long time 🙂

We then docked at a small pier and explored a few caves 😉 I have no idea why I look so brown in that one picture 😀 I enjoyed the little hike very much 🙂

Finally, we went to the most beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic – Cayo Levantado. The Bacardi commercial was filmed here! That is why it is also called – Bacardi island 🍸 We had this beautiful beach all to ourselves! Except for a few friendly locals who provided us with coconuts…. and vitamins! 😀

Dream trip!

El Limón Waterfall | A walk through the jungle

We have seen so many beaches…. so it was time to explore the interior of the country 😛 Let’s go to the jungle! You should definitely think about insect repellent 😉 The nature is beautiful!

Dom. Rep. Tip 10: In any case bring your swimwear. In addition, water shoes have helped us a lot (slippery stones 😉 )!

We hiked about 1 hour through the jungle. It’s amazing, watching the sun shining through the leaves 🙂

And then we arrived at El Limon! The waterfall is really one of the most beautiful I have ever seen! So far only Iceland can top it 😛 You can swim right in front of it! 😍 Besides, the water is really refreshingly cold! After the hike, this is a very welcome cooling off! Unfortunately, there are many tourists here. Next time we would try to be here very early 🙂

Even if you are not advised to book excursions on the beach…

Dom. Rep. Tip 11: I would clearly advise you to ask around at least once! Usually, there are already a few people in your hotel who have booked trips on the beach. There you can get some advice, which sellers you can trust 😉

We have booked two excursions through the hotel and one on the beach (The National Park & Bacardi Island). The one booked on the beach was definitely the best (fewer tourists & lower prices)!

Dominican Republic summary

And then it was already time to say goodbye to the Dominican Republic 🙁 Great country, great people, great food and beverages! 😉 I especially enjoyed the mix of adventure and relaxation 🙂 If you think about where in the Caribbean you want to go first, you are definitely not doing anything wrong with the Dominican Republic 😛 And to finish off, a picture that I found on my phone… I like to think I look like someone from GTA 😀