Sun, Fun and Crystal Blue Water in the Dynamic Dominican Republic

by Teri E. Popp, Tastemaker in Residence

Sun, fun, and a quick plane ride away, the Dominican Republic offers Americans a close, warm weather respite from cold temperatures and spring showers (along with this year‘s late arriving snow storms!). Located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, the DR enjoys a temperate climate and aqua hued vistas.

Along with coffee, cigars, and vanilla, the DR‘s tourism industry is flourishing. Visitors can choose from hotels, homes, apartments, bed & breakfasts, or resorts at reasonable prices. See Booking.com, Hotels.com or VRBO.com for a multitude of listings.

For our company trip, we wanted an all-inclusive adventure, so we chose Secrets located in tranquil Punta Cana on the southeast side of the island. An adult only complex, we enjoyed the numerous pools, restaurants and the beach on site.

In addition to resort activities, various members of our entourage toured off-site, taking advantage of boating, snorkeling, and dancing in the sun! Visitors can even snorkel with nurse sharks and a variety of stingrays at the Marinarium. See marinarium.com for details.

And, while monkeys are not native to the Dominican Republic, you can spend an enjoyable hour or two feeding squirrel monkeys at Monkeyland. Visit https://www.runnersadventures.com/ for details on Monkeyland and zip line tours through the DR junglescape. *Note: Do not plan a visit to Monkeyland if you have a nut allergy.

We had so much fun, we plan to visit the DR in the future to further enjoy it‘s cultural, historical and geographic wonders, including the historical capital of Santa Domingo!