Distance from PUJ Airport: 7 miles ($10-$15 cab ride)
Length of stay: 5 Nights
Rate: $1,100 per person (5 nights + flight + all inclusive) (Vip Package)
Being my first time in the Dominican Republic I was a bit nervous, reading various reviews of the hotel and people getting sick from the food and the water. This ended up being one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited. It is full of culture and life, the people are sincerely full of joy and provide hospitality that you wont find anywhere else. Before I review my experience I must say that this is not the best place for American tourists. I encountered several situations of Americans at the hotel frustrated because no one spoke english. To visit this country I highly suggest coming with someone that speaks fluent spanish or hiring a tour guide.
The Flight:
I flew Business class with my Girlfriend on a US Airways A321, we where lucky enough to get a young nice flight attendant that made our flight enjoyable and memorable. The flight from Charlotte, NC to Punta Cana is about 4 hours. Before take off the flight attendant came around asking for our meal and drink order. The meal choice was between Lasagna and a cold Shrimp Salad, I ordered a scotch with my meal and Veronica had Champagne. We both had the Lasagna which was surprisingly good for plane food accompanied with a cold chicken salad. After the meal we had a few more drinks and the flight flew by pretty quickly. Its nice to see that Us Airways has most of their fleet renovated, both the planes we flew on where brand new planes. The return flight offered Chicken breast with tomato sauce with a shrimp cocktail and side salad.
(In Flight Meal)
The Hotel:
Be Live is a chain of All Inclusive Hotels within the Dominican Republic. They currently have 3 locations and offer a variety of different options. The hotel has 2 types of guests, VIP and regular. The VIP guests either paid for a Master Suite in the VIP building or they paid $85 a day to upgrade from being a regular guest.
As a regular guest you are entitled to domestic liquors, beer and 3 meals a day at the buffet as well as a 24 hour snack bar. As a VIP guests you are entitled to Top Shelf liquors as well as a selection of 6 restaurants at the hotel to dine in nightly. The hotel has a Brazilian Steak House, French Gourmet Restaurant, American Restaurant, Mexican Restaurant, Italian Restaurant and Japanese Teppanyaki. VIP guests also have a VIP lounge with a dedicated concierge, a private pool as well as a private beach with dedicated bar. There is also a private buffet at the Mexican Restaurant that offers breakfast and lunch for VIP guests.
As we arrived at the hotel there was a huge line for check in, I had read reviews that check in could take up to 2 hours depending on the time of day. Since we had 2 Master Suites we where taken by 2 ladies with all our luggage to the VIP lounge about a 5 minute walk away. Inside the lounge there is a full top shelf bar accompanied with a snack bar. We where checked in within 5 minutes and they informed us they would make all of our restaurant reservations for every night. After check in they walked us around the property and explained what we had access to on top of the other guests. The private beach was amazing, it is filled with day beds and cabanas. There are cocktail waiters that are extremely attentive and make sure all your needs are met. All VIP guests are marked with a gray wristband.
(Regular Check-In Line)
(VIP Check-In)
VIP Wristband
(Check in Lounge)
Our room was outstanding, unfortunately I only took videos and have no pictures to post. The room is equipped with a jacuzzi, rain head shower, king bed, living room and a balcony facing the ocean. Included in our package was also 24 hour room service as well as mini bar that is restocked daily. The mini bar consists of beer, water, pepsi and sprite. Bottled water is extremely important in DR because their water is not potable, it is even recommended to brush your teeth with bottled water.
The day after we arrived we decided to spend the whole day at the private beach to just relax. As we arrived there was a gentlemen that asked us which bed we wanted. After we pointed it out he brought us towels and made our bed, he also raked the sand around the bed to make sure we had a clear walking path which was generous. After he left our waitress came and introduced her self and let us know she would be there all day to bring us whatever we needed. Next to our day bed there was an extensive lists of cocktails and liquors to choose from. The beach at the hotel isn't the prettiest, it faces the corner of the country on the Atlantic Ocean. The crystal clear waters are all on the Caribbean Sea side which is South of the hotel.
(Room Balcony)
(Our Daybed)
(VIP beach)
(Drink Menu)
(Liquor choices, VIP guests are entitled to most liquors that have a (-), you can see how much it costs a regular guest to order the same type of liquor)
The Food:
Unfortunately the food wasn't the best part of my trip, I love to eat and I enjoy discovering new foods and types of cooking but here wasn't the place. I thought I was Superman and could eat anything without precaution and thats what lead to me and every one traveling with me getting sick. The buffet was nothing above average, it can be compared to a hispanic golden corral. A bunch of people digging their hands in the food and cross contaminating everything possible. You also see a lot of foods that should be refrigerated or under heat just sitting there all day. The reserved restaurants for dinner on the other hand where pretty good. My personal favorite was the French Gourmet and the Brazilian Steak House, the food was well presented along with good taste and good service. Below are pictured of my meal at the French Gourmet Restaurant
(Appetizer)
(Entree)
(Dessert)
Excursions:
Before coming to Punta Cana I did my research extensively on the types of excursions the region had to offer. One of the things I had to do was the day trip to Saona Island. When I looked this excursion up on Viator.com it was costing around $120 per person, this included the boat trip there with food and drinks included all day and the boat trip returning to Punta Cana. I decided to hold off and wait to see if I could find a better deal at the hotel. I walked along the beach and found a guy selling excursions, he approached me and offered me parasailing. I told him no but I was interested in seeing what else he had to offer. He showed me the Saona Island trip that included a speed boat to the island, snorkeling, a trip to a natural pool, 3 hours at the island with lunch and drinks and a trip back on a Catamaran. He originally wanted $90 per person, I was able to negotiate him down to $55. He might was well have given it to me for free, this was probably the funnest excursion I have ever taken. A van picked us up at the hotel at 7am, it took us on an hour trip to the beach where the boat would pick us up. We boarded the speed boat and headed to a reef where we snorkeled for about an hour. There where a good amount of fish and marine life. Following that we went to a natural pool in the middle of the ocean that was waist deep. It was crystal clear blue water, we where able to pick up starfish laying around and take pictures with them. When we finally arrived to the Island it almost seemed unreal, it is a true paradise. A lady approached me offering massages by the ocean, first she started off saying $40 for 25 minutes. I was able to negotiate her down to $50 for 30 minutes including both me and my girlfriend. It wasn't the best massage ever but being next to the ocean really allows you to relax and enjoy. Let me give you one piece of advice, NEVER DRINK QUISQUEYA BEER. This was the beer included on the island, I never thought I would ever say no to a beer until this day. All the Domestic liquors at the hotel and the excursions are undrinkable, I cant imagine how people feel the next day when they get drunk off that. I fell asleep on the Catamaran ride back but it was truly an amazing day
(Speed Boat Natural Pool)
(Massage On The Beach)
The day before departing we decided to take our rental car and drive to La Romana which is a city about 2 hours away from Punta Cana. This drive allowed all of us to appreciate and see the country as a whole. The agriculture, the land and the mountains in this country are beautiful it left all of us shocked. Driving through miles and miles of Sugar Cane fields surrounded by mountains and seeing the coast line was priceless. Our destination was to go take a tour of the Barcelo Rum aging and bottling factory. I had also seen this tour on Viator.com for $180 a person. After doing some research I was able to contact the marketing director and he offered me and my group a tour for $10 a person. We got fairly lost because there was no GPS but we where able to make it in time to the factory. Our tour guide was extremely proud of the Barcelo brand and gave us the tour from the bottom of his heart. it was eye opening to see how the rum sits in those barrels for 1-15 years aging. This now allows me to appreciate when I drink fine liquors, the process a bottle of Barcelo goes through is admirable. After the tour we where able to sample their products and shop from their store. I was able to get 3 bottles of Barcelo Imperial for $15USD each. These retail in the states for about $50USD. After the tour we decided to rent some doom boogies and take a 30km tour to some natural caves. This excursion cost about $50 a person but it was an awesome experience as well. The natural cave we visited is nicknamed "The Church" because its has formations inside that look exactly like catholic spiritual symbols. Protestants also go down to the gave 400 feet below ground and spend days praying and doing various sacrificing rituals. It was a bit scary going down there because there is no light and you could see all the cardboard they use as beds and stuff they light on fire as part of rituals.
(Road Trip)
(Ron Barcelo Aging)
(Boogies)
("La Iglesia" Cave)
Trip Conclusion:
For the price we paid this experience cant be compared to anything. The most valuable thing was to be able to spend time with my family and the people I love. By the 4th day of the trip everyone traveling with me was sick to their stomach, we where all fighting for the bathroom. Coming to the Dominican Republic you have to be extremely careful with what you eat. This is one thing I didn't like compared to other Caribbean destinations. The hotel staff truly made this trip memorable, they have constant smiles that cant be faked. They are there every day to make your trip enjoyable. My last tip is always tip, bring $100 in singles to tip the people that go beyond their means. These workers make very little money, even though the trip is gratuity inclusive it is still recommended to tip. They will remember you your whole vacation and give you service beyond your expectations.
If you are planning a trip to The Dominican Republic or the Caribbean and have any questions feel free to message me through Google Circles.
I am going to this hotel in a few months, how did you upgrade to the VIP?
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