Over the past few years, Steven and I have consistently taken vacations in late December/early January. I can’t quite recall how we stumbled upon doing so, but after our first “winter” trip to Xcarat years ago, we have made it a tradition of sorts. While we live in a pretty mellow area as far as weather goes – basically some fog, wind or rain – there’s something about packing your bags and heading towards warmer weather. Our goal: do a whole lotta nothing!
Usually, we’re drawn to Mexico. It’s easy to get to from California, and has a ton to offer in terms of food, culture, vibrancy and beauty. We actually set our sights on Playa del Carmen, our favorite vacation spot, but after doing some research, found out that we could head over to Punta Cana for the same exact cost. Now that’s a rarity, because flying from Cali all the way to the Caribbean usually costs a pretty penny!
The only foreseeable downside was the length of the flight. While I really despise flying, I didn’t have an issue knowing that on the other end of a long day of travel would be a gorgeous beach with temperatures in the 80s. We booked the trip and said a prayer that the travel gods would have mercy on two parents and four grandparents traveling with two kids under 6. 😉 (Fortunately, the travel gods were very good to us!)
This vacation was also unique in the fact that we aimed to pack all of our things in individual carry-ons to save in luggage fees. Now for me, this was a BIG deal. I tend to always over pack, but hey, a girl needs options! For Steven and the kids, this was actually really easy. Turns out, it was pretty easy for me too. When heading to a tropical beach, you really only need a couple of swimsuits, a cover-up or two and 4-5 outfits to rotate for dinner.
Before the trip, we did a little homework on the area and possible excursions. We love to explore a new destination, and have a lot of fun memories doing so in other places. But I’ll be honest, nothing really stood out to us, so we figured we’d wait until our arrival to ask around.
After a 30-minute shuttle ride from the airport, we arrived at the Occidental Punta Cana, which is absolutely stunning. Set alongside Bavaro Beach, the large, all-inclusive resort boasts beautiful grounds, an abundance of restaurants and three large pools. You can really tell that the staff take pride in the resort – I have yet to see a cleaner, more well-designed landscape than here at Occidental.
(Side note: We’re members of Occidental First Club – which was recently acquired by Barcelo Hotel Group. Great all-inclusive resorts and locations. We’ve been to Xcaret, Nuevo Vallarta, Cozumel and Playacar (the latter several times). I’ll admit that the sales folks can be a bit pushy at times, especially after this acquisition, but if you’re firm with them on where you stand, they’ll respect it.)
On our first full day, we set out towards the beach after breakfast. Occidental truly has the best beach along the coast – plenty of wide open spaces, and very clean. The boys wanted to check out the Kids Club, which is basically a built-in day care for vacationers. Score! Not only a win for parents, the kiddos LOVED the setup: the Kids Club has a playground, designated kids pool, video games, movies and LOTS of new toys. Plus, we all fell in love with Esperanza, the supervisor here. She is such a gem. While it’s a little unnerving at first to leave your kids with total strangers, in a different country, we rested assured that Levi and Harv were in good hands.
Before lunch, we grabbed the kiddos – who by then had swung by the beach restaurant with Steven for their first ice cream cone of many – and packed up our beach essentials. Let me tell you, the food at this place is really good. I’ve been to enough all-inclusive resorts to know that sometimes it’s a mixed bag! But I was impressed at how fresh everything is in Punta Cana. Especially the produce! This meal was the first of many where I just devoured fruits and veggies.
After lunch, we lost our in-laws to a long walk (it’s their thing) and we headed back to the beach with the kids. There are lots of opportunities to buy souvenirs from the vendors walking along Bavaro, but they’re very friendly and unobtrusive (unlike Cabo – those guys literally stand side-by-side blocking your beach view!). A few of them come around with iguanas, parrots and even squirrel monkeys! Levi and Harvey were tickled at the chance to hold one of the squirrel monkeys. For a few bucks, you can snap some pics and be on your merry way.
(I should note here that we looked into a place called Monkeyland, which offers an interactive tour with squirrel monkeys in their natural habitat. It looked fantastic – and the reviews matched – but it was a pretty penny in admission for both adults and kids.)
We spent an incredible amount of time in the ocean at Bavaro Beach. Although cool when you first stepped in, the water actually was the perfect temperature. Every day around 11am-1pm, the waves were larger and so much fun to play in. For Levi and Harv, this was THE LIFE. Jumping in the waves, hanging out with Grandpa and Vovo, and soaking in the saltwater. Pure bliss!
The beach is where we enjoyed the First Club bar, which was only a few steps away from our “spot” – lounge chairs arranged in a mix of shade (for our parents) and sun (for us). Here is where we ordered margaritas, pina coladas and Presidente beer, the official brew of the DR. Thanks to the creative talents of Wilton, our favorite beach bartender, my mother-in-law discovered her favorite blended drink, the Dominican Flag (blue curacao, pina colada, and strawberry daiquiri). If you have a sweet tooth, then this is the drink for you! Harvey, our 3-year-old, decided that HE needed a Dominican Flag. Needless to say, Wilton earned quite a bit of tips in blending non-alcoholic versions of this drink (sans blue curacao, of course).
In the late afternoon, we dusted off the sand and headed back to our room to clean up and relax. It’s not something we would usually do if it were just the two of us, but with the kiddos, it became a good time to settle down, take a nap and recharge in time for dinner. Or, dig into those much-loved Kinder Surprise Eggs!
Speaking of dinner – we had some great meals at the resort! One thing we love about all-inclusive vacays is that you have a ton of food options. Here, we had the El Alcázar Buffet, which offers a variety of internationally-influenced dishes; Caracolas, which specialized in fish and seafood; La Hacienda, which serves up traditional Mexican cuisine; Las Reses, a steak restaurant that was ultimately the family fave; Via Veneto, which featured Italian food; and D’Oriental, which offered a selection of Asian dishes.
After dinner, a Mini Disco show took place in the main theater. Remember Esperanza? She came back in the evenings to welcome all of the littles to the stage for a game and some dancing. It’s here we found our new favorite vacay song – Chocolate (Choco Choco) by Soul Control. Seriously, this song is so catchy! (Not quite PC, but whatever.) It became our theme song for the week. As someone who used to climb onstage for the evening shows when my parents took us to Club Med as kids, I have now become one of those crazy moms sitting in the front row, clapping my hands and mimicking the moves from my chair. ?
There’s always a show after the Mini Disco, where they bring in outside performers like acrobats, magicians and Michael Jackson impersonator. The downside is that these performances start at 9:45pm, and if you’re parents of two kids under 6, you know that you’re usually tucked in and falling asleep by this time!
So that was our first day… and our second, third, fourth, fifth… well, you get the gist! We’re creatures of habit, and couldn’t help but be drawn to the beach every day. At first, it nagged at me that we weren’t doing more, that we didn’t go explore Punta Cana outside of the resort. But most of the activities seemed generic, or cumbersome given that we have two littles in tow. So instead, we gave in to relaxation, no agendas, ocean time, getting lost in a book or preoccupied in building sand castles.
And it was just what we needed.
Any of our fellow parents know that traveling with two kids can be challenging. Often times it feels less like a vacation and more like work. It’s honestly pretty amazing what happens you just chill and let go. It became easy. We weren’t beholden to time, or an itinerary. The boys were perfect, and I’m not just saying that because they’re my kids. We have PLENTY of challenging moments, but on this trip, things were simple. The boys got along, were well-mannered and had fun. In exchange, we didn’t care if they had an ice cream cone before Noon (the first of many each day), French fries and hot dogs for lunch, or steak from the “adult” menu at dinner.
And if you haven’t thought about traveling with your parents and in-laws, give it a shot. Not only are they awesome to have around if the kids need a distraction (or you need a break, let’s be honest), but it’s fun! Steven and I are both kids of incredibly hard-working parents, who each sacrificed a lot to ensure that we had what we needed growing up. Looking back, that also meant that they didn’t always stop to enjoy the fruits of their labor. As one gets closer to retirement, “someday” becomes today. Or it doesn’t, for a variety of reasons. So it’s important for us to invite them on our journeys. And for our kids, it creates the BEST of memories.
So if you’re looking for a relaxing place to simply unwind, soak in the sun and saltwater, take a look at Punta Cana. You won’t regret it!
