Dominican Republic - February-March 2012. Paradise on earth or in the Caribbean. My wife and I have long and repeatedly had a desire to splash in the Atlantic Ocean. (… We will drink so that our desires always coincide with our possibilities! ). In February-March it is, of course, the Caribbean. At first, we were definitely going to Cuba (Freedom Island, Fidel, Roma, Cigars), but after reading "pink" reviews about the Dominican Republic, we decided - let's go there first.
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Dominican Republic - February-March 2012.
Paradise on earth or in the Caribbean.
My wife and I have long and repeatedly had a desire to splash in the Atlantic Ocean. (… We will drink so that our desires always coincide with our possibilities! ). In February-March it is, of course, the Caribbean. At first, we were definitely going to Cuba (Freedom Island, Fidel, Roma, Cigars), but after reading "pink" reviews about the Dominican Republic, we decided - let's go there first. And I really wanted to see whales coming to Samana Bay in the eastern Dominican Republic from January to March.
Flight.
Joint UIA flight from Airfrance: Kyiv-Paris-Santo Domingo. It would be better if they did not cooperate so closely. Or maybe I, naive, had this idea of Air France - Europe! Boeing flew to Paris quickly and easily, an interesting landing - in complete fog.
The flight was overshadowed only by a neighbor in a row: a very pale "frog eater", the whole flight did not take off his long black coat and sat in it without getting up, all 3.5 hours; while he did not eat anything, but only sucked something dark from his bottle. Whether vampire or sick. Later it turned out that he was sick, bitch! The result of the neighborhood: minus 3 days of rest (temperature below 39)! And I'm sure that not only I have one, but all the other neighbors by plane.
Well, hello, French land! Charles de Gaulle Airport made a gloomy impression. It looks like a very big "Boryspil" - times "before the reconstruction": gray and gloomy. Cognac is expensive! And they do not smoke anywhere at all! "Outside please", and no one is interested in how I get to this outsider of theirs. Found Wi-Fi - free for 15 minutes, and then - Monsieur, give your credit card number.
Despite the minor inconveniences, 4 hours of waiting for the next flight flew by almost imperceptibly - France, however (coffee, croissants). And here is our transatlantic liner! Double deck! But for some reason with 8 engines (in all advertising pictures - with 4). The thought immediately creeps in, and did he not begin his long service to the people during the Cold War as a strategic bomber with nuclear weapons on board? Well, it's still interesting. The people are in darkness, the plane is almost full, our seats were in the tail, but at the porthole (lucky: 3rd free and not near the toilet). The old man crossed the ocean in 9.5 hours.
Earth.
Here is the Dolminican! Airport as an airport. Everyone rushes to fill out the emigration card. Inscriptions on them - in Spanish, English and very small - in Russian, with a good, not spoiled by a long seat at the monitor, vision - is not a problem to fill. However, the CIS sheep that flew with us, shouting: -Woman! woman! !!
! ! Or: -Hey, man! ! ! !!
They are chasing those who can read and write with their compatriots. We pretend that we are not from here, and in general: but compress. But here's the downside: the green, pink and white cards that the French flew with us also fill in some white A4 sheets. Well, they are stupider capitalists. Fill in - green. Border. -Buenos note! -Oh! In a sense - hello! And where is your customs declaration (this is also in pure Spanish) - Why? ! ! (this is pure Russian). AND! Rousseau! Well, come on, come on. By the way, after the airport, I haven't heard Russian for 7 days - HIGH!
After arrival, the idea was to stop in Santa Domingo, look at the "Lighthouse of Columbus", which is especially beautiful at night. However, it turned out that Las Americas Airport is 30 km away. to the south, which is a hook at least an hour long, and we are quite tired: we left home more than 20 hours ago. We decide: to postpone the visit until the best times.
Got luggage, stomp on the way out and a miracle! I come across a man who has a leaflet with my name on it. -Congratulations! -But comrade! -And in English? -But. -Do you speak Ukrainian? (My next joke abroad) -But! -Samana? -SI! - "Grand Bahia Princip Kayakoaa"? -SI! ! ! ! ! Well, thank God. The first smoke break in the hospitable Caribbean land and on the road. On the toll highway and just a good road, on the minivan "Toyota", in 2 hours 20 minutes we reach the hotel. It is a pity that almost nothing was visible on the road - it got dark around 19.00. Bottom line: it turned out basically as planned - from door to door in 25 hours.
Samana.
Grand Bahia Princip Kayakoaa is located in a beautiful location, 2 km away. from the town of Samana. It consists of a 5-storey building and 3 villa complexes. The villas have their own life - their own beach, restaurant, pool to which from the main building to go just lazy (but at least once to go still worth it).
Living in the villas, mostly rich Americans, melting only in the pool, with beer mugs full of beer in hand. We booked - the main building - the room "Junior World" (due to the fact that the juniors have a guaranteed view of the ocean, and you can still hear it), and at a price - not much more expensive than the usual "deluxe".
Reception. -Buenos note. Hastened for…. In short: we have prepared a villa for the dearest guests! ! ! ! ! -But the villa, let's "junior world", and upstairs! -So the villa is a "junior" and even much better. In the meantime, go to dinner, and then in 30 minutes the restaurant will be closed ...And after all behaved, fools, though not for the first time we see "friendly smiles of the receptionist". Maybe the road was noticeable, or maybe I just wanted to believe that flying across the Atlantic you will not encounter the "Arab" approach to tourists, because non-Muslims live in the Dominican Republic. An - bolt! ! ! !!
Villa № 18 (Hill Villas complex) turned out to be the farthest and most sniffing spot of the hotel. From the hotel, behind the barrier, 100 meters and about 50 steps up, then another 50 meters. In addition, its windows on one side overlook the 6 rusty 5-meter satellite dishes, and on the other - the access road to the hotel. In addition to everything, when he went out to smoke, there was a security guard on the terrace with a pump-action rifle, he stuck out there all night, then under one window, then under another, well, although he did not sing sad songs. As an apotheosis, half an hour after settling, the water was turned off. Everything. "I was in a hurry, " after a 25-hour drive. DROP! ! ! ! ! Immediately in the evening we try to change the number, demonstratively pull out a laptop, looking for the wording "junior world" on the hotel website. But we only achieve: - come tumors at 10.00. I come "tumors at 10.00" (thank God, in the morning at least the water appeared). "Noser. " Come at 1 p. m. And fuck you. I follow the reinforcements.
Together with my wife we make the third "approach to the projectile". The wife, in the best Latin American temperamental traditions and with a Russian mat, demands a paid number. The receptionist apologizes for not understanding Russian. I suggest that he translate aloud everything that Madame says in English verbatim. A small crowd of interested people gathers. After a few minutes of this circus, the receptionist apologizes and says that there is still one room, but with separate beds. And fuck you and the beds, worse still nowhere - come on! But first we will look at it. Let's go, let's see, the room on the 5th floor, the view is crazy! Everything, we will not go anywhere from here. 7 days later we met Russian-speaking Canadians (by the way, 90% of Canadians in the hotel). It turned out that they, on arrival, "friendly receptionist" "in a hurry" offered the same villa, but they are in the Dominican Republic for the first time and fly here for them only 3.5 hours, that's room with number and did not pass.
However, they still went to look at the "heavenly manna" and, of course, refused. The conclusion is self-evident: villa № 18 - another divorce at his own expense. Having got to this slum, for such money, the tourist will lay out already one hundred or two bucks for normal number in which it and so should be lodged. The next mini-layout is a Dominican all-inclusive minibar. Just before leaving for the Caribbean, I had to watch a film with Johnny Depp about how he was decomposing in Puerto Rico. So Johnny came to the hotel, opened a mini-bar, and there are bottles! ! ! ! ! Well, almost like in a paid minibar in Turkey… Arrived, opened a minibar (looks the same as in Johnny), and there… 2 bottles of 0.25 laps, 2 more of the same sprites and fanta, and, for some reason, in the freezer, frozen in ice - 2 cans of beer, all. Here is such a minibar - included.
I will not write about the hotel - everything is on the site and almost everything is true.
But, on the island - a scourge: Signor - rent 2 sunbeds - $ 2. Maybe so, but all the advertisements say that guests of the Bahia hotel chain can use the entire infrastructure of the Bahia Levantado Hotel - for free - bracelets are even the same. All right: you have a dollar on you and catch your eye, don't disturb - we're resting. By the way, souvenirs and seashells on the island, as it turned out, could be bought cheaper than on the big land (I think they raise prices when cruise liners approach the shore and land on the island landing of large sums).
Samana town. The tallest building is usually a church. The main street is two-storey houses, painted in caustic colors, but beautiful. On the first floors there are shops, on the second - housing. Stones. In the pouring, already at 11 am, drunken men are sitting and killing the "goat". The main street, in the morning, is the "Chikiti" - their work is like this (the port is not small).
You go a little further from the main street - the building (I would not risk calling them houses) from corrugated sheet with cut holes - windows (sometimes there are frames with glass in the holes) - they live like this (their climate is like this). In general, in my opinion, life here is like an anecdote: "Sir! The aborigines are starving for the second week! - Why? - But there is no wind for two weeks - bananas do not fall from palm trees! »
Moving.
On the 8th day we call the representative of the local tour operator. -Oh, we just mentioned you! Well, thanks for that, though mentioned: no meeting with a Russian-speaking guide, no prospectus with a description of local attractions. Although the rest did not interfere and so thank you. -Yes, we will send the machine to you tomorrow by 12 o'clock! Here are the palms. At 12.00 we sit in the lobby on suitcases. Somewhere at 12.30, only thanks to the keen sense of tourism, we catch the driver (in English or Russian he - nibelmes).
We call the tour operator (in the future so with the driver and talked - call - talk - translation). We are loading a Toyota SUV. Let's go. Eye in all directions - interesting, beautiful. We leave at about 6 o'clock, with several stops: we return to "Las Americas" and from there to Punta Cana. They simply do not have a road, except by plane - a local "corn", they say very nicely, if not pumped. On the way we talk several times with the hotel guide. -Yes, I will definitely wait for you! That's a beautiful girl!
Punta Cana
The second part of the holiday was conceived as a purely beach and seal vacation with all the entertainment: from cappuccino coffee and mojito cocktail to an evening visit to the casino. Therefore, the hotel "Grand Palladium Palace Resort Spa and Casino" was chosen. Healthy complex, one of many on the 10-kilometer sandy beach of Punta Cana.
The Grand Palladium includes several hotels, but Pelas… seemed the most attractive in terms of room location and tourist reviews.
At the reception: -Buenos tades! I was in a hurry ...- NO! ! ! ! ! In short, leaving the lyrical details: "good girl" - a hotel guide and a "friendly receptionist" robbed us of $ 150 "surcharge" for a room on the second floor in a bungalow on the first line. The credit card payment terminal turned out to be "temporarily out of order", so the payment was made in cash, without any formalities in the form of a check, etc. At this point all sorts of contacts with representatives of the tour operator were completed until the departure.
Much has been written about the hotel and almost correctly. I will note only that when booking and settling be careful: Grand Palladium Palace and, for example, Grand Palladium Bavaro - are different hotels in terms of level and location.
Therefore it is necessary to print out the plan of hotel in advance that having paid that which is more expensive not to get to that cheaper (with us such joke they too wanted to turn around - did not pass).
Excursions offered by the tour operator are not worth the time and money spent on them. When we finally got bored lying on the beach, after 5 minutes and a little bargaining with the boatmen, we went on a speedboat along the beach to a picturesque lagoon for snorkeling (no expulsion, but on the ocean boat - class, shakes and splashes). After some time on the table next to the reception from a friendly mulatto, we ordered a "horseback ride on the beach under the palm trees. " Despite the fact that I, out of habit, rubbed my foot against the stirrups, I had great pleasure: to ride a horse on the ocean surf!
"Russian shop" really takes place on the beach.
If you stand facing the ocean, then to the right, 500 meters, he is.
A large store with a good selection of goods and good prices (I imagined that this is, as always, a small barn). However, if I like to visit the hospitable Dominican land again, I will not be able to take home coffee (cocoa) or cigars, but as for rum.
Resume
In general, I enjoyed the holiday. Over time, the bad - fades, and the ocean, palm trees and the positive - remain. Will I go again? If you have health, money and opportunities - yes. But there are many other interesting places I would like to visit. So goodbye - Dominican Republic!
Paradise on earth or in the Caribbean.
My wife and I have long and repeatedly had a desire to splash in the Atlantic Ocean. (… We will drink so that our desires always coincide with our possibilities! ). In February-March it is, of course, the Caribbean. At first, we were definitely going to Cuba (Freedom Island, Fidel, Roma, Cigars), but after reading "pink" reviews about the Dominican Republic, we decided - let's go there first. And I really wanted to see whales coming to Samana Bay in the eastern Dominican Republic from January to March.
Flight.
Joint UIA flight from Airfrance: Kyiv-Paris-Santo Domingo. It would be better if they did not cooperate so closely. Or maybe I, naive, had this idea of Air France - Europe! Boeing flew to Paris quickly and easily, an interesting landing - in complete fog.
The flight was overshadowed only by a neighbor in a row: a very pale "frog eater", the whole flight did not take off his long black coat and sat in it without getting up, all 3.5 hours; while he did not eat anything, but only sucked something dark from his bottle. Whether vampire or sick. Later it turned out that he was sick, bitch! The result of the neighborhood: minus 3 days of rest (temperature below 39)! And I'm sure that not only I have one, but all the other neighbors by plane.
Well, hello, French land! Charles de Gaulle Airport made a gloomy impression. It looks like a very big "Boryspil" - times "before the reconstruction": gray and gloomy. Cognac is expensive! And they do not smoke anywhere at all! "Outside please", and no one is interested in how I get to this outsider of theirs. Found Wi-Fi - free for 15 minutes, and then - Monsieur, give your credit card number.
Despite the minor inconveniences, 4 hours of waiting for the next flight flew by almost imperceptibly - France, however (coffee, croissants). And here is our transatlantic liner! Double deck! But for some reason with 8 engines (in all advertising pictures - with 4). The thought immediately creeps in, and did he not begin his long service to the people during the Cold War as a strategic bomber with nuclear weapons on board? Well, it's still interesting. The people are in darkness, the plane is almost full, our seats were in the tail, but at the porthole (lucky: 3rd free and not near the toilet). The old man crossed the ocean in 9.5 hours.
Earth.
Here is the Dolminican! Airport as an airport. Everyone rushes to fill out the emigration card. Inscriptions on them - in Spanish, English and very small - in Russian, with a good, not spoiled by a long seat at the monitor, vision - is not a problem to fill. However, the CIS sheep that flew with us, shouting: -Woman! woman! !!
! ! Or: -Hey, man! ! ! !!
They are chasing those who can read and write with their compatriots. We pretend that we are not from here, and in general: but compress. But here's the downside: the green, pink and white cards that the French flew with us also fill in some white A4 sheets. Well, they are stupider capitalists. Fill in - green. Border. -Buenos note! -Oh! In a sense - hello! And where is your customs declaration (this is also in pure Spanish) - Why? ! ! (this is pure Russian). AND! Rousseau! Well, come on, come on. By the way, after the airport, I haven't heard Russian for 7 days - HIGH!
After arrival, the idea was to stop in Santa Domingo, look at the "Lighthouse of Columbus", which is especially beautiful at night. However, it turned out that Las Americas Airport is 30 km away. to the south, which is a hook at least an hour long, and we are quite tired: we left home more than 20 hours ago. We decide: to postpone the visit until the best times.
Got luggage, stomp on the way out and a miracle! I come across a man who has a leaflet with my name on it. -Congratulations! -But comrade! -And in English? -But. -Do you speak Ukrainian? (My next joke abroad) -But! -Samana? -SI! - "Grand Bahia Princip Kayakoaa"? -SI! ! ! ! ! Well, thank God. The first smoke break in the hospitable Caribbean land and on the road. On the toll highway and just a good road, on the minivan "Toyota", in 2 hours 20 minutes we reach the hotel. It is a pity that almost nothing was visible on the road - it got dark around 19.00. Bottom line: it turned out basically as planned - from door to door in 25 hours.
Samana.
Grand Bahia Princip Kayakoaa is located in a beautiful location, 2 km away. from the town of Samana. It consists of a 5-storey building and 3 villa complexes. The villas have their own life - their own beach, restaurant, pool to which from the main building to go just lazy (but at least once to go still worth it).
Living in the villas, mostly rich Americans, melting only in the pool, with beer mugs full of beer in hand. We booked - the main building - the room "Junior World" (due to the fact that the juniors have a guaranteed view of the ocean, and you can still hear it), and at a price - not much more expensive than the usual "deluxe".
Reception. -Buenos note. Hastened for…. In short: we have prepared a villa for the dearest guests! ! ! ! ! -But the villa, let's "junior world", and upstairs! -So the villa is a "junior" and even much better. In the meantime, go to dinner, and then in 30 minutes the restaurant will be closed ...And after all behaved, fools, though not for the first time we see "friendly smiles of the receptionist". Maybe the road was noticeable, or maybe I just wanted to believe that flying across the Atlantic you will not encounter the "Arab" approach to tourists, because non-Muslims live in the Dominican Republic. An - bolt! ! ! !!
Villa № 18 (Hill Villas complex) turned out to be the farthest and most sniffing spot of the hotel. From the hotel, behind the barrier, 100 meters and about 50 steps up, then another 50 meters. In addition, its windows on one side overlook the 6 rusty 5-meter satellite dishes, and on the other - the access road to the hotel. In addition to everything, when he went out to smoke, there was a security guard on the terrace with a pump-action rifle, he stuck out there all night, then under one window, then under another, well, although he did not sing sad songs. As an apotheosis, half an hour after settling, the water was turned off. Everything. "I was in a hurry, " after a 25-hour drive. DROP! ! ! ! ! Immediately in the evening we try to change the number, demonstratively pull out a laptop, looking for the wording "junior world" on the hotel website. But we only achieve: - come tumors at 10.00. I come "tumors at 10.00" (thank God, in the morning at least the water appeared). "Noser. " Come at 1 p. m. And fuck you. I follow the reinforcements.
Together with my wife we make the third "approach to the projectile". The wife, in the best Latin American temperamental traditions and with a Russian mat, demands a paid number. The receptionist apologizes for not understanding Russian. I suggest that he translate aloud everything that Madame says in English verbatim. A small crowd of interested people gathers. After a few minutes of this circus, the receptionist apologizes and says that there is still one room, but with separate beds. And fuck you and the beds, worse still nowhere - come on! But first we will look at it. Let's go, let's see, the room on the 5th floor, the view is crazy! Everything, we will not go anywhere from here. 7 days later we met Russian-speaking Canadians (by the way, 90% of Canadians in the hotel). It turned out that they, on arrival, "friendly receptionist" "in a hurry" offered the same villa, but they are in the Dominican Republic for the first time and fly here for them only 3.5 hours, that's room with number and did not pass.
However, they still went to look at the "heavenly manna" and, of course, refused. The conclusion is self-evident: villa № 18 - another divorce at his own expense. Having got to this slum, for such money, the tourist will lay out already one hundred or two bucks for normal number in which it and so should be lodged. The next mini-layout is a Dominican all-inclusive minibar. Just before leaving for the Caribbean, I had to watch a film with Johnny Depp about how he was decomposing in Puerto Rico. So Johnny came to the hotel, opened a mini-bar, and there are bottles! ! ! ! ! Well, almost like in a paid minibar in Turkey… Arrived, opened a minibar (looks the same as in Johnny), and there… 2 bottles of 0.25 laps, 2 more of the same sprites and fanta, and, for some reason, in the freezer, frozen in ice - 2 cans of beer, all. Here is such a minibar - included.
I will not write about the hotel - everything is on the site and almost everything is true.
But, on the island - a scourge: Signor - rent 2 sunbeds - $ 2. Maybe so, but all the advertisements say that guests of the Bahia hotel chain can use the entire infrastructure of the Bahia Levantado Hotel - for free - bracelets are even the same. All right: you have a dollar on you and catch your eye, don't disturb - we're resting. By the way, souvenirs and seashells on the island, as it turned out, could be bought cheaper than on the big land (I think they raise prices when cruise liners approach the shore and land on the island landing of large sums).
Samana town. The tallest building is usually a church. The main street is two-storey houses, painted in caustic colors, but beautiful. On the first floors there are shops, on the second - housing. Stones. In the pouring, already at 11 am, drunken men are sitting and killing the "goat". The main street, in the morning, is the "Chikiti" - their work is like this (the port is not small).
You go a little further from the main street - the building (I would not risk calling them houses) from corrugated sheet with cut holes - windows (sometimes there are frames with glass in the holes) - they live like this (their climate is like this). In general, in my opinion, life here is like an anecdote: "Sir! The aborigines are starving for the second week! - Why? - But there is no wind for two weeks - bananas do not fall from palm trees! »
Moving.
On the 8th day we call the representative of the local tour operator. -Oh, we just mentioned you! Well, thanks for that, though mentioned: no meeting with a Russian-speaking guide, no prospectus with a description of local attractions. Although the rest did not interfere and so thank you. -Yes, we will send the machine to you tomorrow by 12 o'clock! Here are the palms. At 12.00 we sit in the lobby on suitcases. Somewhere at 12.30, only thanks to the keen sense of tourism, we catch the driver (in English or Russian he - nibelmes).
We call the tour operator (in the future so with the driver and talked - call - talk - translation). We are loading a Toyota SUV. Let's go. Eye in all directions - interesting, beautiful. We leave at about 6 o'clock, with several stops: we return to "Las Americas" and from there to Punta Cana. They simply do not have a road, except by plane - a local "corn", they say very nicely, if not pumped. On the way we talk several times with the hotel guide. -Yes, I will definitely wait for you! That's a beautiful girl!
Punta Cana
The second part of the holiday was conceived as a purely beach and seal vacation with all the entertainment: from cappuccino coffee and mojito cocktail to an evening visit to the casino. Therefore, the hotel "Grand Palladium Palace Resort Spa and Casino" was chosen. Healthy complex, one of many on the 10-kilometer sandy beach of Punta Cana.
The Grand Palladium includes several hotels, but Pelas… seemed the most attractive in terms of room location and tourist reviews.
At the reception: -Buenos tades! I was in a hurry ...- NO! ! ! ! ! In short, leaving the lyrical details: "good girl" - a hotel guide and a "friendly receptionist" robbed us of $ 150 "surcharge" for a room on the second floor in a bungalow on the first line. The credit card payment terminal turned out to be "temporarily out of order", so the payment was made in cash, without any formalities in the form of a check, etc. At this point all sorts of contacts with representatives of the tour operator were completed until the departure.
Much has been written about the hotel and almost correctly. I will note only that when booking and settling be careful: Grand Palladium Palace and, for example, Grand Palladium Bavaro - are different hotels in terms of level and location.
Therefore it is necessary to print out the plan of hotel in advance that having paid that which is more expensive not to get to that cheaper (with us such joke they too wanted to turn around - did not pass).
Excursions offered by the tour operator are not worth the time and money spent on them. When we finally got bored lying on the beach, after 5 minutes and a little bargaining with the boatmen, we went on a speedboat along the beach to a picturesque lagoon for snorkeling (no expulsion, but on the ocean boat - class, shakes and splashes). After some time on the table next to the reception from a friendly mulatto, we ordered a "horseback ride on the beach under the palm trees. " Despite the fact that I, out of habit, rubbed my foot against the stirrups, I had great pleasure: to ride a horse on the ocean surf!
"Russian shop" really takes place on the beach.
If you stand facing the ocean, then to the right, 500 meters, he is.
A large store with a good selection of goods and good prices (I imagined that this is, as always, a small barn). However, if I like to visit the hospitable Dominican land again, I will not be able to take home coffee (cocoa) or cigars, but as for rum.
Resume
In general, I enjoyed the holiday. Over time, the bad - fades, and the ocean, palm trees and the positive - remain. Will I go again? If you have health, money and opportunities - yes. But there are many other interesting places I would like to visit. So goodbye - Dominican Republic!
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