The Punta Cana Princess Dominican Republic Vacation Resort

Winter is long in Canada, or it can be, especially those winters when it snows and gets cold before Christmas, which is what happened this year. That's what led my wife and I, along with a couple of friends, to take a winter vacation to the warm waters and white sand beaches of The Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic is a small island in the warm end of the Atlantic, sunshine and warm temperatures along with extremely friendly people make the Dominican Republic a very popular winter vacation destination for Canadians, Americans and Europeans. It's an especially popular spot among Canadians, the people love Canadians. In fact, more than once I heard the phrase, Punta Canada or Punta Canadian, while we were in Punta Cana.

So we got together with our buds and decided that we wanted at least a 4 star resort, and it had to be an adult only resort. Not that we don't like kids, but an adult resort has more going on for the older crowd like us, and the idea of the women getting in some topless sunbathing didn't escape the men...

Here is what the Dominican Republic Official Tourism Website says about the Punta Cana beach area:

"Punta Cana beach is often referred to as the coconut coast due to its hundreds of swaying coconut palms scattered along the 30 miles of super fine white sand.

This resort area is perhaps the DR's most popular vacation destination.
Punta Cana is outlined by a large concentration of all-inclusive resorts, each with their own garden of sun chairs and cabanas.

However, despite the number of people who idle the day away here, the beach's size ensures visitors will never feel crowded. Those who don't want to spend their time simply baking in the sun can participate in an array of activities from beach volleyball to parasailing."

So we decided on the Punta Cana Princess Resort in Punta Cana of course. It is one of a chain of Princess resorts, and in fact I believe, now that I have been there, that is is the best. We visited a couple of the other resorts during our vacation, but found the Princess where we were to be the most to our liking.

The Punta Cana Princess has just about everything you would want. There is a beautiful swimming pool with a swim-up bar, as well as a long stretch of sandy beach on the ocean. Lots of lounge chairs and little thatched roof cabana's to get under to get out of the sun.

In addition to the pool and beaches, the Punta Cana has several restaurants, including our favorite the Casabe Buffet that features more food than you can imagine, and something different nightly.


There are activities in the pool in the afternoons, usually a water volleyball game and some arobic exercises which are fun to watch if not participate.

Led by a member of the activity team, they really gets things going, and everyone who takes part knows that they have received some exercise by the time it's over. I enjoyed watching it, Wendy was a regular particpant, thus leading to the need for a massage at the spa later in the week....I think she had that planned in advance!


The Punta Cana beach is long and wide, with activities going on everyday, from boat rides to para-sailing to sailboat rides and you name it, there is something for everyone from the daring to those who just want to lay on the beach and soak up the sun.

There are day-trips and excursions into the Dominican countryside as well if you are interested in exploring local Dominican culture.

We walked the long beach on several occasions, passing the other resorts along the way, visiting the shops called the 'flea market' and talking to the vendors who do their best to sell you something from their shops. However, a firm "no thank-you" will end it.

Watch out for the fellows trying to talk you into giving them an hour of your time to visit another resort. They are selling time shares and will lure you with a gift, usually a bottle of local rum, to go with them to see the other resort. I found this a little annoying, and had to tell one of them to basically bugger off, because I was not interested.


Other than that, and that really wasn't that bad, the beach was a great place to walk and people watch, as well as swim.

You do have to watch out for the boats, the locals have a habit of running full throttle up on to the beach, which could be a little dangerous if you were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think they are pretty careful though not to hit anyone.

As well as the Casabe Buffet, there is an Italian restaurant, Il Bacio, a Tex Mex restaurant, the Rio Grande, a Mediterranean, called Mare Nostrum, as well as room service and several bars, the Oasis, Splash, and a beach bar. A drink is never far from your hand, served by accomplished bartenders who go well out of their way to make you happy and attend to all your refreshment needs. I recommend the Banna Mama a wonderful little concoction that we loved!

In addition to bars and restaurants, the Punta Cana Princess has an aquatic centre, volleyball court, mini golf, two spas, lots of clean restrooms, a tennis court and basketball court, a games area and even a medical center with a doctor available.

I mentioned this earlier, but it is worth mentioning again, from the moment you enter to the time you leave, the staff will impress you with their pleasant manners and welcoming smiles and friendly "Hola's" whenever they see you. Here is Hector, bartender at the Oasis Bar in the main Lobby of the Princess resort.

Many are fluent in several languages, although some of them are limited in english, however, they still do a wonderful job communicating. It is not a problem. Spanish is their language, and they do a good job of teaching their guests a few Spanish words and phrases which I found most enjoyable. In fact, by the end of the week, I had added several spanish words to my vocabulary and know I would have learned a good deal more had we been in the Dominican longer than a week.

Although it is an 'all-inclusive' resort, the staff do appreciate a U.S. dollar in their hand as a tip, although they don't particularly look for it at any time, some do, but not much, and it is really quite unobtrusive. It seemed to me they earned it.

Our room featured a view of the swimming pool and the beach, and had a king sized bed, large bathroom, valuables safe, telephone, clock radio, closet, bureau, day bed, flat screen television with satellite TV and a nice balcony overlooking the grounds.

It also had a bar fridge that was kept stocked with two beer, two bottles of Coke, two bottles of Sprite, and two bottles of water. It was refilled daily.

The room also came with two fluffy robes to snuggle up in, and lots of closet space to hang clothes etc.

And...I almost forgot, an umbrella which came in very handy on the days when it rained.

Upon arrival in our room we found a complimentary bottle of whiskey, a bottle of rum three cigars and a fruit basket. Nothing was left out in making this a memorable vacation.

I can say that there was nothing I was left wanting for in Punta Cana....except maybe to spend a few more days there.....Now that we are home in the cold again, breaking ice, the beach in the Dominican seems sooo far away.....I wanna go back....

In the sidebar to your right, you will find the links to the archives and posts I wrote about our vacation to the Punta Cana Princess including lots of pictures.

Punta Cana The Departure For Home

Oh my....up at about 5 a.m to pack up and head for the lobby to check out....I am already missing my days at the Punta Cana Princess in the beautiful Dominican Republic! It was more than a fabulous time.


We packed up and headed for the lobby, although they will come for your luggage, we pulled ours on wheels ourselves, bidding a fond farewell to the early morning scenery at the resort.

After check out we hung around the lobby, had some breakfast and then boarded the bus
 for the 45 minute ride to the airport. It was a breeze through the airport security, then we had to hang around for a couple of hours before our flight departed at 11:45 for home.

The Canjet pilot made good time, we watched the movie Mama Mia and we were back in Halifax by suppertime to snow and cold....oh I miss the view from the Punta Cana Princess.....

Punta Cana Princess Day 7

Uh-oh it's Saturday, our last day in The Domincan Republic before we head home to Canada. The folks in the DR like to refer to the Punta Cana region as Punta Canada, they love Canadians who make up a good deal of their guests.

It was raining all day today, not very nice for a beach vacation, but we made the best of it, getting some rest, watching the satellite television in our room and going out for meals and to check emails etc. We had supper in the buffet and spent some time in the resort Lobby, commiserating with each other on the end of our fabulous vacation.

Here is the swim up bar at the pool.....


Here it is now that I am gone.....






The rain and perhaps a little 'end of vacation depression' drove us to return to our rooms for the night around 9:00 for an early sleep. The morning comes early....too early....We had to be at the Lobby by 6:00 the next morning to get checked out and ready to board the bus for the drive to the airport.

Punta Cana Princess Day 6

I'm not sure what happened to the time, but it's already Day 6 of our winter vacation at the Caribbean resort called the Punta Cana Princess in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic! The time has been flying by...the first of the week it seemed like we had forever, now we are coming to the end. Here's a picture of a catamaran that you can go on for a tour around the beaches and out to the ocean!


I am considering ways to stay, like finding a job, running off down the beach to hide, perhaps emerging after the rest of the group have gone home, and try to find myself a job as a boat driver or something, but alas...I will have to leave with the rest of my group when the time comes....

It is raining today, so it's a little slower day, hanging around the room watching the satellite television. We had breakfast at the buffet, checked our email and had a drink. It's a warm rain, so we took a walk on the beach, then caught the little bus over to another resort and had a look around, did some shopping in the little stores.

In the afternoon the wind was up and so were the kite surfer's I got some pictures of them and a video which I hope to put on here. They were amazing to watch as the wind lifted them off the wave tops sometimes flying to at least 30 feet in the air, maybe more, it was hard to gauge from my position on the beach.


It was Mexican Night at the Casabe Buffet!! Yee-Ha! Fajhita's and more, delicious as usual, and as usual I over ate....as usual....oh my....the diet I am going to need when return to the world....

Kite surfing!!

Punta Cana Princess Day 5

Thursday was one of our beach days, and it was another hot and sunny day! One of the group decided she was up for Para-sailing, which was admirable in and of itself. The Dominican's run lots of para-sail boats where they strap you into a parachute affair and tow you around the beach with a boat, reaching heights too high for me....It cost around $55 for 10 minutes, but it was well worth the time and money. You get to see views of the beach and the ocean that you wouldn't see any other way.

So Jan took to the skies behind a powerful inboard driven boat with a landing deck on the stern. Amazing how they pay out the line and you don't even get your feet wet, lifting off or touching back down, although if you want, they will dip you in the ocean as you go along behind the boat.

Wendy was suffering from a sore shoulder, so she was off to the outdoor spa for a massage, then we had a short siesta in the room for a couple of hours of much needed sleep.

We woke to some rain, really the first rain of the week. Amazing though, regardless of the rain there were still folks in the pool and drinking at the swim-up bar.


We enjoyed another fantastic supper at the Casaba Buffet and then boarded the "bus" for a run to the Casino.
It's about 10 minutes from the resort, they take you in a small van with an open back and seats, and a trailer, yes...I said trailer, it is almost as good as a fair ride.....bouncing along the road at speeds a little on the fast side considering no seat belts and really nothing holding you on to the trailer except your hands gripping what ever you can find to grip....oh boy....I was wishing for a helmet....but we made it.

The Casino is not bad, some slots and tables the typical set up. The machines take American Dollars and like all casinos they "take" them quickly. So, we only stayed about an hour before catching the 'bus' home to the resort in time for the "animaction" show which started around 9:30 I think. The folks in charge of keeping guests entertained put on a great show with some audience participation. It was raining hard by the time we left the Lobby to get back to our rooms. Another great day in The Dominican Republic.

Here is a little beach video....

Punta Cana Princess Resort - Dominican Republic Day 4

We were up at 7 a.m to put our towels on the coveted beach chairs at the pool. This was our pool day, one day beach, one day pool and so on, you get the picture....We had breakfast at the...you guessed it, Casabe Buffet, had lunch there too. I read a book.

To break up the time we took a stroll down the beach in the afternoon to the flea market, where we bought a few things, a dress, t-shirt and a hat or two.

They have about a dozen little stores set up on the beach with clothes, souvenirs, jewelry, cigars, liquor, you name it, lots of paintings too, it takes about an hour or two to go through them all, maybe longer. The sellers will try very hard to sell you something, but be ready, they will dicker about price, a lot, in fact never pay what they say is the starting price, it is always much higher than what they are willing to come down to in order to sell you their wares.


We got back to the pool in time for the afternoon water aerobics, which Wendy took advantage of, trying to work off some of the weight she was gaining from all the food. The Punta Cana Princess resort entertainment staff put on an exercise program every afternoon at the pool and another one at the beach.

She also picked up a bit of a sunburn on her shoulders. I didn't, thanks to SPF70 sunscreen. That stuff really works. Here is a short video of the folks in the pool doing some exercising!

It was Chinese night at the buffet, so we were there by 7 p.m. and it was good...really good....The sun, the pool, the rum and the food all took it's toll, and we were in bed by 10 p.m.

Punta Cana Princess Dominican Republic - Day 3

Uh-oh...day three already....time is flying fast...although I have to say it is a very enjoyable time. Today we designated "beach day" so we were up about 6:00 a.m. to grab a good spot on the beach, then off for a quick breakfast.

The Punta Cana beach has lots of resorts and each one has a portion of beach with beach chairs and thatched roof umbrella things you can get under for some shade. We got a good one with a view of the beach and the ocean. People are walking up and down the beach all day.


There is para-sailing, boat rides and tours, swimming, sailboarding and more. Lots of activities, or you can lay in the sun, get a tan, drink bananna mama's and girl watch. The Punta Cana resort is an adult resort, so the women are often topless.....yes...topless....oh my!! A girl watcher's paradise!


It was sunny and hot! A great Caribbean Beach Day! We had lunch at the Mare Nostrum, a smaller buffet style a la cart restaurant located on the resort close to the beach. Not bad, although I prefer the Casabe.

After spending most of the day at the beach, we made our way back to the swimming pool around 4:00 for a swim. We went back to the room for a rest, then got ready for the beach party supper! The resort sets up tables and food on the beach, a roast pork supper with all kinds of extras on the beach in the sand. It was a beautiful night, warm, with the ocean for a backdrop, music playing and lots of food and drink!


That night we were all pretty tired, but we paid our nightly visit to the lobby to check emails, have a drink, then off to bed by 9:30. The beach party kept going until later in the evening with dancing and lots of fun by the sounds of things! We were just too full and too tired....Pacing yourself is something you need to do at these all inclusive resorts. We were trying, but it is a challenge.

Punta Cana Princess Dominican Republic - Day 2

We woke around 8 A.M. on Monday morning to sunshine. I opened the patio doors leading to our balcony and felt the hot Caribbean sea air touch my skin, and heard the waves crashing on the beach not two hundred yards from our room. Folks were already gathering at the pool, so we made tracks to get ready and grab four lounge chairs. The pool area is popular, and you need to arrive early to get a chair, so remember that.....


We left our towels and books on some chairs and headed off to the Casabe Buffet for breakfast, which as I came to understand was always fantastic. I enjoyed every meal I had at the Punta Cana Princess.

At 11 a.m we had a little orientation meeting with the rep from our travel agent, who filled us in on the things we could do, and answered our questions, which was very helpful. Then of course...we went back to the Casabe for lunch....oh my....I gained about 20 pounds in a week....


We spent most of the afternoon at the pool, including doing some pool aerobics...well the women did, my buddy and I stayed glued to the chairs reading, girl watching and drinking banana mama's prepared by Nelson our pool bartender.

At some point in the day I bought a straw cowboy hat at one of the beach shops. We walked down the beautiful white sand beach to the 'flea market' which is a row of shops selling everything from cigars to t-shirts to jewelry to paintings to clothes to...well you name it....The folks at the flea market like to dicker a bit, so don't pay what they first tell you, they will come down in price.

For supper we tried the Rio Grande Tex Mex Steakhouse. It was very nice, but alas, I had been spoiled by the 'all you can eat buffet' so following our dinner at the steakhouse, we went to the buffet for "dessert"......I had spaghetti.....the others had dessert.....The restaurant is nice if you want to spend some time in a restaurant atmosphere and have a steak or something from their menu, it is perhaps a more romantic setting than the buffet.


After supper we strolled over to the lobby, checked emails and had a drink or two from the Oasis bar and listened to the music of the keyboard player.

It was a nice end to a beautiful, warm sunny day.

Arriving In Punta Cana

Hola!! That's the first words you hear when your plane touches down at the Dominican Republic Airport! It means Hello, and you hear it a lot because the Dominican folks are nothing if they are not friendly!

A cursory stroll through customs who stamped our passports and waved us on, and then the melee begins trying to find our bus. A friendly fellow grabbed my suitcase and asked me what resort. I immediately got the name wrong but he took off with us in hot pursuit trying to keep up with him as he went from bus to bus looking for ours. In the end, we finally sorted out our bus, and after tipping him $5 (all I had in small bills) got our bags loaded and onto the bus.


Because of the confusion, we were among the last to board, so the four of us ended up sitting in different seats throughout the bus as we embarked on our journey to the resorts. Everyone heading for the resorts in Punta Cana gets on the same bus and they drop you off as you go along to each resort.

The Dominican Republic is not a particularly wealthy looking place, let me tell ya....the resorts are...they are fabulous, but the rest of the country is kind of poor looking. Lots of motorcycles and no helmets, lots of old cars and trucks. There are new cars and trucks too, but outnumbered by the older ones, at least from my observation point in the bus. We had a flat tire on the way, a loud bang and the driver stopped to check, but that didn't deter him. He climbed back aboard, announced we had a flat, then continued the drive to the resorts.


We arrived at the Punta Cana Princess resort at approximately 12:00 and were immediately made to feel welcome by a woman who gave us a fancy little drink, then the guy behind the front desk, Stacy, met us with a fabulous smile! He is a fine fellow and made us feel immediately welcome as he checked us in. The lobby of the Punta Cana is fabulous, open on four sides with a high thatched roof. There's a bar, called the Oasis, lots of comfortable seating, and computers that guests can use to check and send emails!

Stacy gave us our room keys and directions and told us that he would send our bags along directly. Which he did, they arrived in the room in about a half an hour.

Our guest room was terrific. A balcony, overlooking the pool, and a sitting area with a couch, a big television with satellite TV, and a bar fridge that had a bottle of whisky and rum, two cokes, two bottles of sprite, a couple bottles of beer and two bottles of water.

The staff never let it run out....Housecoats, and towels, beach and bath, although face cloths were in short supply. Take some if you. They do have them, but they seem to be hard to get in your room.

We changed into our bathing suits, and hit the swimming pool and swim up bar.

Nelson was tending bar and introduced us to Banana Mama's, a drink made with rum and banana's and a little of this and that!

Only trouble is, after too many of them, the banana starts to give me a little heartburn, so I switched to something else on and off.

We walked the beach and visited the gift shop on the first day.


Learned a lesson...in Punta Cana, find out if the prices are pesos or dollars, they alternate and pesos are worth about $4 as of this writing, so a $1.00 key chain turned into a $4.00 keychain...oops...I spent about $60 to find that out!


We had our supper at the Casabe Buffet which has just about everything you could ask for and more, something for everybody, and it changes every day. We turned in early, probably around 10 p.m. following a long day that had begun about 4 a.m.

The Dominican Republic The Trip begins......

Well here goes...in about 5 hours we will be on a plane heading for Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic! Seven days of fun and sun in the Caribbean! Our flight leaves at six o'clock this morning. At the moment it's 1:30 and snowing....there is about 4 inches on the ground give or take, but it seems to be ending now, so we should be ok for the trip to the airport!

The bags are packed...I'm ready to go...I'm standing here in 4 inches of snow....already I'm so lonesome I could die.....

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