weekly wrap UP 3/23/18--spring break and a couple's get away

IT was spring break for public school last week so my parents came to visit and while they were here, my husband and I ran off for a week get away:)  It was all planned out and we were excited about getting away just the two of us.  I tried to minimize the amount of running around my folks had to do with the kids and all their extra curricular activities, and allowed the kids to have week off school so they could do cool stuff with their grandparents.   Although my parents said the kids really wanted to just hang out at home because they are usually so busy.

While the kids were safe at home, my husband and I flew off to Dominican Republic to an all inclusive resort.  We purposely made a point of picking a resort that was fairly isolated so we had to just sit on the beach and relax.  Something neither of us are very good at usually so both of us were a bit worried that we would be bored just lounging by the beach and pool for 7 days but to our surprised we LOVED it:).

Our first glance of Dominican Republic from the airplane window

the hotel grounds were beautiful.  My husband and I were part of the resort where no children under 18 were allowed. So we had a completely kid free pool and beach.  I wasn't sure how this would work but I will admit it was very peaceful:)  We were also assigned a butler during our stay.  This was our person of contact for us to arrange meals, spa treatments, outings and answer any questions we had.  

On the hotel grounds we saw flamingos,  iguanas, macaws, and monkeys 

We quickly learned that if you wanted a shaded beach chair you had to set your alarm for 6:30 am and rush to the beach to reserve a seat otherwise they would all be taken by 6:45.  My husband was wonderful and rushed out every morning to grab us a prime location and I followed a bit later.  

proof that one day I got up extra early just to watch the sunrise over the beach!  The people at the very far end are on the family only beach!  Our beach was nice and quiet and so peaceful!

It was 84 degrees every day and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue

beautiful creamy sand...however no shells which was disappointing as I promised to bring some home for a few people so I came back empty handed.

Don't let the peaceful waves fool you.  The water was extremely rough.  I lasted only a few minutes each time I ventured into the water.  the sand and the roughness of the ocean made me quickly retreat back to the safety of my beach chair:)  I was getting thrown around like a rag doll.

There is nothing like laying under the shade listening to the ocean waves and drifting off to sleep.  Pure  Bliss

We splurged one day and got a couple massage and facial.  It was heavenly
We did attempt to go deep water fishing one day but it was cancelled due to the rough ocean that day. 

the adult only pool also had shaded huts where you could relaxed and just people watch.  

this resort had 5 restaurants and 2 buffets where you could chose to eat any meal.  Each had a different flair to it.  We tried them all:) The food wasn't bad I thought

I love trying different foods from places I visited.  This soup is called  Sancocho and is a traditional.  It was very good.  I found a recipe online so I may try making it at home for the kids.

  

After every meal we  were offered the traditional Dominican Republic drink which according to the bottle cures just about everything, haha...however it was very good and includes rum, honey, red wine and about a dozen different spices and wood fragments in the glass bottle.  I even read that some places include a fragment of a turtle penis -- hopefully that was not included in our drinks:)

For breakfast I tried this dish which I was told was a traditional breakfast (I can't remember the name of it) but it was mashed plantains, topped with sausage and egg.  I enjoyed it, my husband did until he was told it was plantains and not potato that was in it;)

The gardeners around the hotel would often be chopping down coconuts from the Palm trees and would for a tip, open them up for the tourist to drink the coconut water.  Honestly not my favorite drink:)

Our housekeeper always left a nice surprise for us when we returned to our room after a day at the beach which I thought was super sweet.  

We got flowers in the bathroom, rose petals on the floor etc...always nice to see what would be there each day

There were nightly activities that you could enjoy...

But my husband and I enjoyed laying on the beach beds at night looking up at the night sky ( we loved to star watch and we could see constellations so clearly) and just listening to the nights entertainments and the ocean waves.

being serenaded while boarding the plane to return home!

We are now back at home and my parents have left to return home.  My mother has a trip planned to Nepal in a few weeks.  Can't wait to see her pictures when she returns home.