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Memories Included, Too

Photo from Scott Purks

Summer Purks, 5, spreads her wings under a palm tree on the beach of the Barcelo Bavaro Palace, an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic.

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By Scott Purks

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 19, 2007

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic After we woke at 4 a.m., loaded our 2- and 5-year-old girls in the car, then juggled luggage and girls through three airports — including San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we ate at one of the worst airport restaurants in the world — we finally landed in Punta Cana.

Yes, we spent $3,500 and fumbled through 12 hours of travel — including an hour on the plane when our 5-year-old cried because her ears popped from the altitude — to stay at what many believed, including ourselves to a degree, was an Third World country.

And, man, we were pooped.

That's why I stepped straight to the bar at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace resort, where everything was supposed to be "all-inclusive."

"Cerveza," I said, wondering, "What's the catch? Would I have to pay something? Perform some sort of dance?"

She slid a Presidente toward me and smiled.

"Could I have a glass, please?" I asked.

She smiled and poured the beer into a glass.

"Gracias."

"De nada," she said.

And that's where the endless smiles, graciases, de nadas, drinks, food, sun and fun began.

Seven days later, we all agreed — and please don't discount this in any way — it was the best family vacation we've had.

The top seven Punta Cana memories in honor of our seven-day stay, in no particular order.

The Room

Perhaps the best feeling we had, mainly because of our persistent skepticism, was when Ricardo walked us to our room, No. 6051, and we opened the door.

Tile. Cool air. Clean. Clean. Clean.

We walked to the balcony and ...

We were ON the beach. Waves rolled. My 5-year-old, Summer, could throw a ball from our second-story balcony to the sand.

Directly below, hedges were cut to spell "Barcelo."

"Like Disney World," Summer said.

Two feet from the balcony was a minibar, with, yes, free beer, water, soda and chocolate wafer cookies, which we ate EVERY day.

As if that wasn't enough, we went for the suite package ($400 more for the week) that gave our girls a separate room, which was well worth it so my wife, Clarisa, and I had some privacy.

The Beach

White with pink sparkles from the coral, the beach was the most beautiful I've ever been on, which is saying something because I've been to every major beach in Florida and have lain on beaches in Australia, New Zealand, Southern California, Bermuda and throughout the Caribbean.

The thing that made Punta Cana's the best was the trees, mainly palms that grew about 100 feet from the water's edge and added solid shade up and down the Barcelo land, which stretches more than a mile.

Want sun? Move your lounge chair five feet.

Want shade? Move your lounge chair five feet.

Ocean? Crystal, blue, clear.

Breeze? Cool. (Cooler, in fact, than the breeze on Florida's west coast).

Looking back, any moment on the beach was one of the best.

The Food

Our first meal as a family was a breakfast buffet following the first night, when we fell into bed.

Omelets are cooked to order with the usual American staples as other choices: pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, potatoes and an entire table of exotic fruits. Point to your favorite fruits, and a chef was there to blend a shake with ice, sugar and milk or juice.

Clarisa, Summer and our 2-year-old, Saylor, couldn't wait for the daily shake.

I had a cafe con leche. Sometimes two.

All of it under a massive, open-air structure overlooking the beach.

Outside the buffet, there were six full-service restaurants in the all-inclusive package, including Italian, seafood, Dominican and Mexican.

The People

Never — and I mean never —has there been friendlier people than the ones who served us at Barcelo resort.

Some of them became friends, we think, namely a buffet waitress named Jacqui and the aforementioned Ricardo, who carried our bags (cleaned up in a blue-and-white uniform) and talked with us every day (sweating in a green uniform) as a groundskeeper, mowing grass, trimming hedges and raking up the miles of morning beach seaweed.

We learned how they lived on the grounds in isolated housing averaging 10- to 12-hour workdays but always "enjoying it," even though they wouldn't see their families for weeks — only to travel up to six hours for a weekend visit.

We still talk about Jacqui and Ricardo and hope they're doing well.

I'm sure at this moment they're helping someone else on a vacation.

The Pool

The geographical centerpiece of each of the Barcelo hotel areas is the pool.

The pool at our resort, called "The Palace," was a meandering design reaching to rooms, a bar, an entertainment venue, the buffet and the beach.

Toward the center was a bar in the pool, which Clarisa, Summer and Saylor swam to every day for three virgin Coco Locos, a variation of a Pina Colada.

The deepest portion of the pool was about five feet, which sloped up to kiddie-pool areas, where Summer and Saylor spent hours frolicking.

Never was there a problem getting a resort towel or a shaded lounge chair near the pool's edge.

The Excursion

The list was long for excursion choices, including swimming with dolphins, a zoo and several historical tours of area towns.

We chose only one, partly because it was difficult carting the girls, but mostly because we were perfectly happy relaxing at the resort.

We chose a zoo, Manati Park, which cost about $100 for the entire family.

The next thing we knew, we were on an open-air, rainbow-covered bus, where music was blaring and the driver and guests dancing and singing.

About 20 minutes later, after driving through a countryside, we were in the park, where music was blaring and park hosts and guests were dancing like madmen in the aisles of the dolphin show.

I bought a Presidente and watched dolphins jump and seals burp (I'm not kidding) and balance balls on their noses.

Outside of that, however, it was … well … a Third World zoo featuring 4-foot dinosaurs (iguanas) walking free with the patrons through the park, a terrible bird show, an exhibit featuring (again, not kidding) guinea pigs and a pony-riding area.

A little weird, yes. Which to us, made it all the more interesting.

The Little Things

Along the back side of the beach are a series of thatched, open-air huts; massages and hair braiding are offered inside.

Clarisa got a massage, which her back, one of the most knotted in Tampa, often needs. It cost $40 an hour, and she said it was one of the best she ever had.

Summer got her hair braided (a la Bo Derek) with blue and white tips on the ends. The cost was $20, which was well worth it. Summer kept her braids more than a week after she got home.

Besides that, there were professional photographers (much better than your average cruise-line shooters) taking pictures throughout the days, babysitting options, a gym, a disco, tennis, snorkeling and salsa dance lessons.

One of the things I investigated but didn't take advantage of was golf, which included three free rounds with a week package.

An avid golfer, I looked at a couple of the courses, and they were gorgeous. I didn't play, however, because I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my kids on the beach and in the pool.

Next time, however, the clubs are definitely coming.

Some Final Thoughts

Will we go back?

Yes. Next summer. And we'll stay longer.

If you research, you'll find some reviews that aren't so complimentary. But those reviews, if you take notice, almost never include Barcelo Bavaro Palace, which is where we spent, again, our best family vacation — ever.

Scott Purks is a freelance writer and photographer from Tampa.

TIPS FOR THE TRIP

WHERE WE STAYED: Barcelo Bavaro Palace, 1-800-227-2356; www.barcelo.com

GETTING THERE: Round-trip air fare to Punto Cana was about $600 a person in June. Expect a full day of travel to reach Punta Cana's airport, which is a 15-minute ride to the Barcelo Bavaro Palace. Bring light, fold-up strollers for the little ones (they were a godsend).

INCLUSIVE RULES: Don't be concerned or intimidated by the "all-inclusive" label. The food and drinks are high quality in the package, which for a week cost our family of four about $2,000. Tips are appreciated but not expected by the staff.

ACTIVITIES: Golf and entertainment options abound under the all-inclusive umbrella. If you are a golfer, pack your clubs. Three free rounds are included in most packages and the courses are well worth taking advantage of.

PASSPORT: Our passports took four hours at the post office and four weeks to reach our house. Nonetheless, it's much smarter to work well ahead with the passports.

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