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Vacation thoughts: Puerto Rico vs Dominican Republic

lala646

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
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DH and I are planning a trip for the last week of February this year, and trying to decide between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Neither of us have been to either, and are looking for a relaxing trip. I'm still having a lot of knee issues following a somewhat unsuccessful repair surgery this summer, so we're talking beach front/lazy river rather than hiking/strenuous exploring. We're not really drinkers, but are open to all-inclusive suggestions of anyone had particularly good experiences and want to share. Thanks!
 
It was a long time ago but we went to DR for a destination wedding and it was great. We were in the resort the whole time and it was wonderful.
 
We have stayed many times (yearly) at the Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana (Not Dreams Punta Cana). It’s fabulous & sounds exactly what you are looking for.

It’s all inclusive, beachfront, the rooms are spacious, the food is vast & delicious & the staff are fabulous. There is also the option to upgrade to Premier (which we have always done) which gives you better balcony rooms with sea views, access to a private beach area with cabanas, beachside waiter service & a private dining restaurant. All the water sports (though I imagine you might not want to do any with knee issues) are also included with Premier.

This Easter is the first time we are heading to Barbados instead (we are UK based) but the Dreams Royal Beach is our go-to & the girls favourite Fly & Flop destination. We know we’ll get well looked after & the girls have ice cream or pizza slices on tap. Alcohol is also included should you wish to have a few glasses.
 
I haven’t been to Puerto Rico, but we’ve been to DR and had a great time. We stayed at Iberostar Grand Bávaro, which has since been renamed to Joia Bávaro.
Link: Here

It’s adults only, though they have family friendly hotels if you’re traveling with littles.
We enjoyed the relaxing vibe, the all inclusive style, and the cost in DR is actually lower than many of the islands we’ve been to, while still feeling luxurious.
 
We went to Puerto Rico about 17 years ago—before the hurricanes that really devastated some parts—so I have no idea how it has changed. What I will say is that the local beaches—even back then—were not gorgeous. To get to the gorgeous beaches—we had to rise early, bc lots of people are jumping on these ferries—and they sell out—.
It was not a lazy vacation. We rented a car and traveled around and got ourselves into some precarious situations due to the mountainous areas and the lack of internet/gps back then, lol.
That said, I liked it a lot—we hiked the jungle, checked out the satellites where they filmed the movie Contact (a big deal back then) and went to the Bacardi rum tour and of course, did Old San Juan.
Maybe someone with recent experience can chime in.
 
We just went to DR in November for my Birthday. It was the best trip I've ever been to. We stayed at Excellence El Carmen Adults all inclusive resort and we did upgrade to the excellence club.
We absolutely loved everything about it and would love to go back.
 
I will be the dissenting opinion. I have been to DR twice and PR twice. I much preferred PR. I believe DR is less expensive but I didn't like the hotels as much or the food or the beach. I felt like i was trapped at the resort, we were told it wasnt safe to go off the property. I like PR more, I liked the scenery more, the ability to go off property and explore and felt safer and have more choices of restaurants.

If you truly dont want to go off property then I would just go on trip advisor and find which has the most amazing resort! Trip advisor is a great resource.

If you're open to other options, I have been to every island in the Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos is my personal favorite. Followed closely with Aruba.

If someone asks me for the ONE island to go to, they will never go anywhere else, I ALWAYS say Aruba. It is hands down the most consistent. I have been to Aruba 8 times and highly recommend it.
 
Loved Punta Cana but it is limiting to the resort. We stayed at Excellence and the service was wonderful. However, the food and drink were not as good as we have experienced at Secrets all-inclusive resorts. If you are looking for rest and relaxation, I would definitely recommend DR in an all-inclusive resort. No worries about anything!
 
We went to Puerto Rico about 17 years ago—before the hurricanes that really devastated some parts—so I have no idea how it has changed. What I will say is that the local beaches—even back then—were not gorgeous. To get to the gorgeous beaches—we had to rise early, bc lots of people are jumping on these ferries—and they sell out—.
It was not a lazy vacation. We rented a car and traveled around and got ourselves into some precarious situations due to the mountainous areas and the lack of internet/gps back then, lol.
That said, I liked it a lot—we hiked the jungle, checked out the satellites where they filmed the movie Contact (a big deal back then) and went to the Bacardi rum tour and of course, did Old San Juan.
Maybe someone with recent experience can chime in.

I spoke at a conference there about 2-3 years ago! Stayed at a beach resort which was nice, ubered over to old San Juan and strolled around/checked out the fort, went to mass in the historic cathedral downtown and accidentally crashed a wedding, shopped, ate awesome vegetarian food, etc. El Yunque is great, had lots of nice meals with friends, and lots of my friends have family there. I felt very comfortable both at the resort and doing solo activities which was nice.
 
I will be the dissenting opinion. I have been to DR twice and PR twice. I much preferred PR. I believe DR is less expensive but I didn't like the hotels as much or the food or the beach. I felt like i was trapped at the resort, we were told it wasnt safe to go off the property. I like PR more, I liked the scenery more, the ability to go off property and explore and felt safer and have more choices of restaurants.

If you truly dont want to go off property then I would just go on trip advisor and find which has the most amazing resort! Trip advisor is a great resource.

If you're open to other options, I have been to every island in the Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos is my personal favorite. Followed closely with Aruba.

If someone asks me for the ONE island to go to, they will never go anywhere else, I ALWAYS say Aruba. It is hands down the most consistent. I have been to Aruba 8 times and highly recommend it.

I love Aruba for a really relaxing vacation! Its my favorite island. Also, I use Trip Advisor too!
 
If you are not stuck on either one of those islands, consider Anguilla. It’s more expensive, but it is definitely a just lay on the gorgeous beach, go to fantastic restaurants trip.
 
Keep in mind- college spring breaks early as 1st week in March and can last into the 3d week of March.

PR definitely offers you the freedom and safety to move around and explore, you can rent a car and discover the other side of the island away from San Juan, visit Old Fort, Rainforest visit, bioluminescent bay, another island that can be visited.
Beach/Pool resorts are all along the San Juan side.
Really wouldn't suggest all inclusive, as there are plenty of dining options.

DR is definitely more of a stay at the all inclusive resort and not venture out type of place. They do advise against going off resort for safety. But this will give you the beach/pool resort rest/relaxation. Also affordable compared to other islands.

Good luck!
 
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