Dominican Republic - Pitstops for Kids

Dominican Republic with kids: Power snorkeling at Sosua Beach

July 18, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

During our Fathom cruise in the Dominican Republic, we knew we wanted to both visit a local beach and take a snorkeling trip. We were able to do both during a power snorkeling trip with Wild Play Adventures.

Usually, we opt to skip official cruise excursions in favor of booking privately. You get a more personalized experience, usually for less. However, in the case of our DR trip, the official excursion was the only snorkeling trip to fit our tight schedule. While there were a lot of people on our trip (at least 25), we still had a great experience, due primarily to the beautiful location and abundance of saline.

Wild Play Adventures picked us up in an air conditioned bus directly from our port at Amber Cove, and drove us 50 minutes to Sosua, a beach town outside of the city of Puerto Plata. The beach at Sosua is gorgeous, and the little town hugging the shoreline is made up of a hodge podge of shops, restaurants, beach bars, and dive shops. It’s a little rough around the edges, and certainly far more local than touristy, and we wished we had more time to explore. Certainly, we’d like to return to Sosua on a return trip to the DR.

We checked into Wild Play’s snorkel center right on the sand, and were given lockers to store our belongings. We were issued fins, snorkels, and masks, and were brought onto the snorkel boat (which came right up to the shore) within minutes. I loved how quickly we were out on the water.

We rode in the boat to two nearby snorkel locations, jumping into the water to explore both. Since this was a ‘power snorkel’ trip, we were issued power snorkel machines, which have propellers that allow you to move more quickly through the water. These machines looked more intimidating than they actually were…the snorkel staff handed them to you in the water once you were already floating, so they were easy to manage. The kids enjoyed using them to propel themselves further underwater, and across small currents. Using the machines was optional, and I decided to snorkel once with one, once without.

We saw a wide variety of tropical fish, jellyfish, and coral in both locations…more than we even saw in Hawaii. I do wish our group had been smaller in number, so I recommend a private tour if and when possible. However, the big group was more manageable than you’d think once in the water. Between snorkel locations, we were served fresh cut fruit and beverages, including water bottles and soda. The two locations were only about 10 minutes apart, but if you’re prone to seasickness, I recommend medicating ahead of time.

Cost:

As noted, our snorkel tour was an official excursion on our Fathom cruise. We paid $69 per adult (12 and up). Check the Wild Play website for current pricing and excursion options. Expect the excursion to take half a day. We left at 2 pm and returned at 6:30 pm.

Age group:

For the power snorkel option, kids had to be 10 and up. Younger kids could participate without the power assist, but trust me, they’ll want to use one. I recommend booking a non-power assist tour if you have young kids.

Directions:

Wild Play picks you up from your cruise port at Amber Cove.

Dominican Republic with kids: 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua

July 15, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Located in the countryside outside of Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic, the 27 Waterfalls of Damajuana is the most talked-about experience on the north side of the island. Is it worthy of the hype? In a word, yes.

What is the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua?

The 27 Charcos of Damajagua is exactly what it sounds like: 27 waterfalls in a row in the middle of the Dominican jungle. Unregulated until 2004, the waterfalls are now controlled by a private company thanks to Peace Corps volunteer Joe Kennedy (yes, of those Kennedys), and there’s quite the operation at the site. When you arrive, either by tour group or on your own, you’ll now find a dirt parking lot, tour booth, bathrooms and lockers, and outdoor dining area. Your group is paired with a guide from the falls, and you opt between navigating 27, 12, 7, or just one waterfall.

We wanted to do all 27, but the water level restricted us to 12. We went with Iguana Mama, and had a fun-loving guide, Raul. Our group of about 10 people were fitted with life vests and helmets (required), and we trekked almost two miles up a dirt trail. (The trail is around 3 km.) The youngest person in our group was eight, and the oldest was probably me, at age 40. The trail included steep wooden steps, rocks, and pretty severe inclines and declines, but overall was in good shape. The way was shaded as we hiked into the jungle canopy, and we were joined by a second guide, plus our guide who came with us from our cruise port.

When we reached the end of the trail to the 12 waterfalls (which took about 45 minutes), we climbed down another steep staircase and entered the river. In places, the water was only ankle deep, and in other places, over our heads. We began making our way back toward the ‘camp’ via the river, alternatively wading, swimming, jumping, sliding, and climbing in, over, under, and through the river. It was amazing.

At each of the 12 waterfalls, our guides would stop us and explain our options, which usually included leaping off a rock or outcropping into a deep pool of water below, sliding on our butts along naturally carved waterslides in the rock, or taking the ‘chicken’ way around waterfalls on questionable-looking ladders and staircases. Honestly, I think the most dangerous route was via those ladders!

Most of the time, I opted to jump (sometimes as much as 10 feet), but I also enjoyed sliding. The kids loved both options, and often, we’d climb back up ladders or ropes to do certain waterfalls a second time. There were groups ahead and behind us, which meant we had to keep to a schedule (see ’tips’ section below), but overall, we didn’t feel rushed. I don’t love heights, but I’m used to jumping off ledges, so the experience didn’t daunt me. If you REALLY don’t like heights, there are work-arounds for each waterfall, but they’re in the form of the aforementioned ladders, which, honestly, are just as scary.

In some places, you can swim underneath the waterfalls or explore partial caves carved out of the rock, and throughout the whole experience, the jungle canopy is above you, shading you and sheltering you. The sunlight cuts through gently (you don’t need sunglasses), and we didn’t find the hike or the swim to be buggy. The water is refreshing but not too cold.

The route down through the waterfalls took us about 1.5 hours, and afterward, we had a short hike back to the camp where we changed and had an included lunch of Dominican beans and rice, BBQed chicken, and a few kid pleasers like (oddly) spaghetti. Soda and rum and coke were included.

How to book a tour:

You can either arrive to the waterfalls on your own, taking a taxi from Amber Cove or an autobus from Puerto Plata, or you can book an excursion through Iguana Mama or Marysol Tours. The latter option is more expensive, but what you’re paying for is the convenience of the transportation (and the expensive gasoline required to make that happen). If you opt to arrive solo, you simply pay as you arrive (about $480 Dominican pesos for all 27), and guides are assigned to you on a first-come, first-served basis. This means you may have to wait a bit for the next guide.

Tips for the waterfalls:

Book a tour early in the day to play in the water with fewer crowds. This ensures you won’t wait for a guide if you’re going solo, either.
Bring waterproof shoes (like Keens or Chacos) or an old pair of sneakers to get wet.
Put on bug spray and sun screen ahead of time.
Keep everything but your waterproof camera on the bus or in a locker.

Cost:

We booked a tour through Iguana Mama, because we wanted the convenience of a port pick-up. Our tour included lunch and cost just over $50 US per adult. If you opt out of a tour, the cost is significantly less per person (around $10), but does not include transportation or lunch. We were quoted everything from $40-100 US for a cab ride for five people from Amber Cove. It IS possible to negotiate a flat rate from taxis on the highway.

How to get there:

If you go on your own, get up-to-date directions at 27charcos.com. More information is found here.

Dominican Republic with kids: Exploring Puerto Plata with Marysol Tours

July 13, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

If you find yourselves on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic near Puerto Plata, you’ve probably come to the island via Carnival or Fathom cruise, to Amber Cove port. (Most all-inclusive resorts are located at the far tip of the island at Punta Cana.) From Amber Cove, the town of Puerta Plata is only about 10 minutes away, and well worth a visit in your exploration of the area.

You can get a ’top 10’ sort of tour through your cruise ship, but we recommend hiring a guide on your own. We used Marysol Tours, and found the experience far superior to a large bus tour.

The good:

We easily set up our day with Marysol Tours ahead of time, via email. From their site, simply go to the section on Puerto Plata city tours and email your preferred date and number in your party. We were a party of five, and had no trouble getting the day we needed. Francisco organizes the tours, and you’ll be well taken care of.

Before our tour, we told Francisco we wanted to see some of the highlights of the city, including Fort San Filipe and Central Park, but also wanted the opportunity to make some changes to the set itinerary (anticipating we’d get recommendations once on the ship). I loved that Marysol Tours welcomed this flexibility. The price (listed below) was actually less than that of the big group tour, and we had the ability to make changes on the fly.

The standard city tour includes a tour of the rum factory in town, a visit to the amber museum (this area is rich in amber), a few minutes in the old city center with its Victorian homes and church, the San Filipe fort, a cigar factory, and a walk along the Malecon (ocean front). For an extra $10 each, visitors can also go up the cable car, which is the highest in the Caribbean with views overlooking the city.

We decided we wanted to see everything except the cigar factory (which simply didn’t interest us), and we were obliged. We also skipped the cable car, since it was a foggy day, and our guide, Jesus, and driver, Ricardo, took us to a scenic overlook instead, which still gave us views of the city. At the rum factory, we were given the standard tour (with entrance fee covered), and at the city center, we visited the central square and church. This area was run down, but beautiful to see, despite some fairly aggressive locals hoping to show us around for tips. Nearby was an amber jewelry store, and we visited this instead of the museum. To us, this was more authentic because we met the jewelers and saw the process of making the jewelry they sold.

We took a San Filipe fort tour in the same manner as the run factory (Jesus left us in the hands of the on-site tour operators), and then we walked along the waterfront adjacent. All of this was well-worth seeing.

The not so great:

After we visited the fort, we asked if we could end our tour at a restaurant recommended to us. Instead, Jesus and Ricardo first took us to another restaurant on their agenda, which was far too touristy for us, and we had to firmly explain that this wasn’t what we wanted. Despite assurances that we could deviate from the planned itinerary, it took a phone call to Francisco to explain our desires. Certainly, the tour company has an agenda they are trying to stick to. However, after a phone call to Francisco, Jesus was able to take us to Maimon, the tiny town on the other side of the port, where we had been told we could find some of the best seafood in the region. We told Jesus he could leave us here to eat, as it was only a few minutes’ taxi ride from the port, but he and Ricardo kindly returned for us after our meal. And yes, our meal was the best we had in the Dominican Republic. We highly recommend La Primo in Maimon.

The totally awesome:

When Jesus and Ricardo came to pick us up, we asked them where we could find a rare tropical fruit, guanoabana. Ricardo cheerfully took us on a wild goose chase to no fewer than four roadside fruit stands to find the after-dinner treat. Finding guanoabana made our day!

The bottom line:

We had to keep our wits about us to make sure we got the tour we wanted, but once we were clear about our needs, Marysol Tours went above and beyond. We had a very good, personalized tour of Puerto Plata.

Cost:

A city tour with Marysol Tours is $35 for adults and $18 for kids (free for lap children). As noted above, this is less than the pre-determined cruise excursions for a more personalized experience. Be sure to budget a little extra for a tip for your guide and driver.

Directions:

Marysol Tours will pick you up at Amber Cove. During our trip, they were not an official cruise partner, so we had to meet them just outside the main gate (by the highway) instead of in the terminal. It was about a 10 minute walk from our ship.

Disclosure: We were given a media discount from Marysol Tours, for the purpose of review. I paid full price for the teens.

Dreams Punta Cana Resort and Spa

August 31, 2010 By Amy Hagstrom

Beach-side luxury at Punta Cana.

Playas Uvero Alto
Provincia La Altagracia
Dominican Republic

This review was submitted by Lindsay Aycan of Toronto, Ontario, who traveled to Punta Cana with her husband and two kids in July 2010.

Punta Cana Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive property owned by Dreams, is located in the Dominican Republic, situated next to both the tropical jungle and the ocean. Recently named the Best Family Friendly Resort and Best Pool in the Caribbean at the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards, Punta Cana Resort offers luxury to adults and fun to kids, and just lots of sunshine to traveling families who want a mixture of relaxation and adventure on their vacation.

Punta Cana is extremely kid-oriented, from their friendly Explorer’s Club staff to their accommodations for infants and toddlers to their family-friendly spa (girls love to get their hair braided!). In the evenings, they literally give kids the stage for performances while adults eat. All-inclusives have their pros and cons, but in the pro list is definitely the lack of stress that comes from not worrying over meals and menus (and their prices). All meals, almost all resort activities, pools, and amenities are included. Excursions off-site are offered, but Aycan and her family never left the property; with young kids and so much to do on-site, they felt no pressing need to leave.

Rooms offer families a lot of space.

Rooms are standard-sized or suite-style, and room service is offered 24 hours a day, a big plus for families who like to eat dinner early, as the restaurants don’t open for seating until 6:30 pm. Each room has a porch or patio and free internet access (although the Aycans had difficulty with the code that was supposed to connect it).

Their favorite resort feature was the free-form, resort-length pool (with lots of zero-depth entry sections), perfect for young kids. Rafts and floaties are provided at the pool areas, and kids love the help-yourself ice cream cone and popcorn stations.

There are seven restaurants within the resort, two of which are adult-only (more details here), but the Aycan family spent most of their mealtimes at the World Cafe, where the kids especially loved the “make-your-own crepes” and pizza. There’s also a drop-off kids’ club (one for little ones, one for teens) called the Explorer’s Club, and an infant space for those under three located right next to the beach with indoor and outdoor place areas, a wading pool, and diaper changing stations (not supervised; parents stay with child).

The free-form pool is perfect for families.

Note: There were a few bumps along the way during the Aycan’s stay. One aspect of the resort that bothered them was the intrusiveness of the lawn maintence which continued throughout the day, sometimes with very noisy equipment, and very close to the pool (some grass in the pool as a result). They were also without hot water in their room for the first day, which was resolved (though not as quickly as they’d like).

Date Last Visited: July 2010

Room Rates: Resort stays vary by length and number in your party. Check their site for booking information.

Website: http://www.dreamsresorts.com/drepc/index.html

Phone Reservations: (809) 682-0404