One of the best ways to celebrate your birthday is going on a getaway and spending almost a week in white sand, clear waters of party resort town Punta Cana in the Caribbean country Dominican Republic. It was worth every penny.
I booked the vacation package to Punta Cana with airfare and an all-inclusive accommodation through cheapcarribean.com. At this point, I was just beginning to hone my craft in looking for the best deals when it comes to traveling. I learned a valuable lesson after paying separately for my air tickets and hotel reservations which amounted to much more moolah as compared to booking a package, looking back now. Food for thought though: it can go both ways. Sometimes a package costs less than you doing it on your own and vice versa. This time, however, the former worked its magic.
When I booked the package through the website, I included airport transfers so as to not worry about getting to the hotel, unlike my previous trip to Cancun where I took public transportation. The immigration was a breeze, needing no visas for Philippine passport holders but instead to procure a tourist card that costs $10. As soon as you step out of the airport, there are ushers and usherettes asking from which travel agency you booked from and guide you to where your transfers are.
The shared van ride from Punta Cana International Airport to the hotel was close to 45 minutes just because other passengers were dropped off in their respective hotels. But I didn't mind even if it took an hour since I enjoy looking out the windows and taking in what the country is compared to when you get to the exclusive, rich-y part of the resort where a stark contrast exists.
When we reached the hotel, we got off the van and headed to the check-in counter where we were greeted with cocktails, dire refreshments as it was hot and humid and being cooped up in the van for almost an hour. As we got there earlier and the room not yet available, the staff was more than helpful to usher us to the dining hall and the several bars and the beach yonder. After checking in, it was four days of fun, sun, and unlimited food and drinks, the best ways to ring in another year to my life.
When I booked the package through the website, I included airport transfers so as to not worry about getting to the hotel, unlike my previous trip to Cancun where I took public transportation. The immigration was a breeze, needing no visas for Philippine passport holders but instead to procure a tourist card that costs $10. As soon as you step out of the airport, there are ushers and usherettes asking from which travel agency you booked from and guide you to where your transfers are.
The shared van ride from Punta Cana International Airport to the hotel was close to 45 minutes just because other passengers were dropped off in their respective hotels. But I didn't mind even if it took an hour since I enjoy looking out the windows and taking in what the country is compared to when you get to the exclusive, rich-y part of the resort where a stark contrast exists.
When we reached the hotel, we got off the van and headed to the check-in counter where we were greeted with cocktails, dire refreshments as it was hot and humid and being cooped up in the van for almost an hour. As we got there earlier and the room not yet available, the staff was more than helpful to usher us to the dining hall and the several bars and the beach yonder. After checking in, it was four days of fun, sun, and unlimited food and drinks, the best ways to ring in another year to my life.
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