We are back from our vacation in Punta Cana, and I can say it was everything I had been looking for in a beach vacation. My goal was to relax
(as much as you can with a 3-year old!) and hang out in the pool and the ocean all day. We did exactly that. Grace loved the water so much and it was unbelievably humid, that we HAD to be in the water.
We watched Grace progress this week to start learning to swim without arm "floaties" and with her head under water. She figured out that kicking helps her get to her destination. Grace also jumped into deep water dozens of times each day and performed all kinds of acrobatics with Kyle's help. As, my Aunt Phyllis reminded me recently, there was a lot of holding my breath as I watched my little daredevil!
The resort we chose was enormous. We knew that going in, and wanted that type of place so there would be a lot to do. But we really weren't prepared for how spread out everything was. You had to take these trams - we eventually called them "Choo-choo trucks" - to get from one area to another. This worked out just fine, because Grace loved riding the choo-choo truck and it became an incentive for her cooperation and good behavior....as in, "
if you sit nice and eat dinner we can take a ride on the choo-choo truck later".
The hotel upgraded us to their Royal Service area which meant we had unlimited room service, had priority making dinner reservations and had access to a private pool, beach, restaurant, and bar area, . We took advantage of all of this, but we also liked one of the big, main pools (they say there are 10 pools - we didn't see them all!) for its kids' area and proximity to the beach which was close to perfect with turquoise waters and powder-soft sand.
At first, Grace wasn't too sure about going into the water, but once she got used to it, she seemed to have a great time. She didn't like the salty taste, though! You should have seen the funny faces she made when some sea water got in her mouth!
One of the most surprising things about this resort was the peafowl. Yes, peacocks and peahens and their babies. The first evening, three of them walked around the pool and I snapped a photo thinking this was a rare occurrence.
Not so! They were everywhere. And, I also learned what their mating call sounds like....we thought it was cats the first night but soon figured out that it was the peafowl calling to each other!
One of the males put on a show of his feathers every evening. People crowded around him to take pictures and I am pretty sure he felt threatened.
We did so many other things that I didn't get photos of. I had too much fun just having fun and didn't think about capturing every moment with the camera. Some things like our sea kayak ride, walking on the beach at night looking for stars and the moon, the horse and carriage, and dancing at the disco will just have to be great memories.....
We watched Grace progress this week to start learning to swim without arm "floaties" and with her head under water. She figured out that kicking helps her get to her destination. Grace also jumped into deep water dozens of times each day and performed all kinds of acrobatics with Kyle's help. As, my Aunt Phyllis reminded me recently, there was a lot of holding my breath as I watched my little daredevil!
The resort we chose was enormous. We knew that going in, and wanted that type of place so there would be a lot to do. But we really weren't prepared for how spread out everything was. You had to take these trams - we eventually called them "Choo-choo trucks" - to get from one area to another. This worked out just fine, because Grace loved riding the choo-choo truck and it became an incentive for her cooperation and good behavior....as in, "if you sit nice and eat dinner we can take a ride on the choo-choo truck later".
The hotel upgraded us to their Royal Service area which meant we had unlimited room service, had priority making dinner reservations and had access to a private pool, beach, restaurant, and bar area, . We took advantage of all of this, but we also liked one of the big, main pools (they say there are 10 pools - we didn't see them all!) for its kids' area and proximity to the beach which was close to perfect with turquoise waters and powder-soft sand. 
At first, Grace wasn't too sure about going into the water, but once she got used to it, she seemed to have a great time. She didn't like the salty taste, though! You should have seen the funny faces she made when some sea water got in her mouth!
One of the most surprising things about this resort was the peafowl. Yes, peacocks and peahens and their babies. The first evening, three of them walked around the pool and I snapped a photo thinking this was a rare occurrence. 
Not so! They were everywhere. And, I also learned what their mating call sounds like....we thought it was cats the first night but soon figured out that it was the peafowl calling to each other!
One of the males put on a show of his feathers every evening. People crowded around him to take pictures and I am pretty sure he felt threatened.
We did so many other things that I didn't get photos of. I had too much fun just having fun and didn't think about capturing every moment with the camera. Some things like our sea kayak ride, walking on the beach at night looking for stars and the moon, the horse and carriage, and dancing at the disco will just have to be great memories.....
3 comments:
Great pictures, fun swimming and running. I think this all inclusive stuff is the best. I love the bathing suits. Where's Mommy?? I need to see more pictures of Mommy, too.Probably need to send her baby pictures to post with Grace pictures.
Aunt Phyl feels like she was there with all these wonderful photos~Nana is right....WHERE IS MOMMY?????? I think I know, Nana, she is behind the camera~ Looks like you all had the wonderful time you were looking for. Makes Aunt Phyl smile real BIG!
Looks like a gorgeous place..WOW! Sounds like Grace had an amazing vacation with lots of swimming! We are glad you are back so we can swim and play with you for the next month!
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