Blogs from La Romana, Dominican Republic, Central America Caribbean

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You all know by now that all-inclusive resorts are not what what I like. I prefer to go to wild places, and after one day at the beach I am completely bored! But If I have a comfortable hotel, very close the a nature's park, then this is the best of both worlds! That's exactly what I had during this week! The resort is located just beside a real nature preserve!!! Send me comments if you need more information. Highlights: 1- Night walk to look for tarantulas: we saw 15 in less than 40 minutes, not far from the hotel! 2- Guided tour to a cave, (cueva del puente). We were all alone with a park ranger. Cave is full of bats and I took lots of pictures, I identified 2 species. 3- No big reef ... read more
Bank of sardines
bat -- jamaican fruit bat
fishes under the dock


18thDec Dominican Republic – La Romana Didn’t have a cruise tour organised, just decided to catch a shuttle bus into town and maybe, if we’d done an organised tour, gone to the ‘tourist spot’ we may have had a better experience at La Romana. As it is…we do not want to come back here. We were taken into ‘town’ where a central market area was organised and was covered with stalls. However, we were so hassled by the stall owners, that we felt overwhelmed and rushed to get through to the other side. We crossed the road and looked at the church and while we were crossing back, was advised by a policeman on a motorbike passing by that John take off his gold necklace as it was likely to be pulled from his neck by ... read more
Coast of La Romana
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Resumo: Mergulhar é bom D+! Recomendo! Sou sortuda: estou num lugar bacana aqui em Santo Domingo! Estou Bem! Acordei super cedo para mergulhar! Estava ansiosa, pois Bayahibe é considerado o melhor lugar da RD para isso. Hj entrei dentro de um navio naufragado. Foi a minha primeira vez nadando nos corredores de uma embarcação enferrujada. Tive vontade de chorar!!! Parece besta, mas esta primeira impressão a gente nunca esquece. Aqueles peixinhos nadando em volta, as plantinhas crescendo dentro, uma certa escuridão ... Fora do barco, Tanta Cor! Tanta Vida embaixo d’água!! Tive uma sensação maravilhosa! Amo muito!! Pena que minha câmera para isso quebrou. Queria compartilhar um pouco deste momento. =) Depois disso, o maior pinga-pinga até chegar em Santo Domingo (Capital da RD). Logo que eu cheguei liguei para o Carlos pois ficaria na casa ... read more


Though the shutters were drawn and our room was dark, there could be no doubt that it was early morning, as a cacophony of roosters competed for air time in a deafening chorus outside of our apartment. I opened my eyes, and took a second to remember where I was. I quietly rolled out of bed so as not to wake Dennie, threw on a shirt and some sandals, and snuck out into the streets of the village. The town was bathed in a golden light. A boisterous women in the small square down the street from our place began to prepare the batter at her empanada stand, just as an older man rolled a wheel burrow of oranges and pineapples towards her. Stray dogs sprawled out on the interlocking brick that paved the square, enjoying ... read more
On the boat
flowers
swimming in the cave


Ah la la, on ne le dira jamais assez, que le temps passe vite ! Voilà déjà pile un mois que j’ai écrit ces dernières lignes au sujet de l’Argentine et maintenant, comme beaucoup le savent déjà, nous sommes en Suisse depuis déjà combien de temps ? 3 semaines ??? Pffffff….. Je tenais malgré tout à finir le récit de nos aventures correctement, quoiqu’en retard je vous l’accorde, mais les derniers temps ont été plein de rebondissements, ce qui a vite différé l’écriture du blog. De plus, sans Internet, pas facile de le faire. Tentons donc de reprendre l’histoire où nous l’avions laissée… Nous avons donc quitté Buenos Aires le 19 octobre, 5h30 du matin. Nos dernières images de la capitale argentine ont donc été des visions nocturnes, pleines de couleurs et d’illuminations particulières, dans cette ... read more
Les cocotiers de toute part
Le complexe hôtelier où nous avons passé quelques jours
Quelle plage !


My husband and I have owned a vacation home in Casa de Campo, La Romana for the past ten years and we couldn't be happier! Both my husband and I are avid golfers so the Dominican Republic is like heaven to us. We plan on retiring here within the next 3 years. Casa de Campo has three golf courses, the most famous is teeth of dog which is my husbands favorite. Teeth of Dog is ranked the number one course in the Caribbean and 34th in the top 100 courses in the world by Golf Magazine. If you are a golf lover you should visit the Dominican Republic the golf here is year round and out of this world!! We also enjoy Cocotal Golf & Country Club in Bavaro, Punta Cana. Buying property in the Dominican ... read more
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When there is a new tour option that may begin being offered to guests on the ship, it needs to first be tested out. That's when the crew come in. Often somebody from shore excursions will just go on a "fam trip" but sometimes, an invitation will be extended to other staff, those of us who are "at the front lines" of working with the guests. I guess the idea is not only do we test out the tours, but if they're great, we'll recommend them to guests. So today's test tour: a catamaran, snorkel & beach break on one of the small islands across from La Romana, Dominican Republic. Somehow, we managed to get out of bed and ready for our crew tour only 4 hours after getting back from Club Onno's. Walking off the ... read more
The Entertainment Crew
Group Shot
The View From The Back of the Catamaran


It's a monumentous, exciting and bittersweet day. It's my birthday, but it's also my last day on the Destiny. Jody's too. Neither of us care to have a crazy party on our last night on the ship when we have immigration at 6am and a long day of travel the next day, so a party tonight just isn't really an option. Last night we had a big party in the crew bar - a combo birthday / goodbye party. There were tons of people in the crew bar. People there to say goodbye. Though many people seemed surprised to realize that I'm leaving; I think because so much focus was being put on my birthday and Jody is so vocal about leaving, focus was just lost there. The night before, I'd made a huge stash of ... read more
Birthday Girl
Jacques Sets Out The Jello
Adam Breaks Out The Tape To Decorate


This afternoon, Logan got off the ship with me, just for a couple hours, to go see La Romana, the town closest to the pier where we dock in the Dominican Republic. I figured it was time I saw some of this port besides the nightclub, and during the day for a change. Everyone talks about how sketchy La Romana is. But it’s just a busy small-city in a developing country. You need to be a smart and safe traveller. I wouldn’t go by myself at night or start wandering down random alleys, but really, that’s being logical. And I wouldn’t do that in Toronto. I enjoyed looking around the city centre with Logan. It’s good just to get out and see. And always, just to get some headspace away from the ship. And for once, ... read more
The Cathedral
Looking Down from the Cathedral's Steps
Vendors in La Romana's Central Park




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