Rae La Soul

A month ago, I did something new for my birthday: I decided to go to actually do something and use my passport to go to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with a layover in Casco Viejo & Panama City, Panama on the way back to the states. I had an early flight Thursday morning with a stop in Panama before I made it to Punta Cana around 3PM. I spent 7 hours in and out of the air but I was thankful that Copa Airlines provided a full meal. It wasn’t the absolute best, but it did what I needed it to do.

My boyfriend and I decided to stay outside of Punta Cana in Cap Cana, which is a more reserved and quieter area outside of Punta Cana. We rented a private villa in the Green Village community through AirBnB. Green Village had a lot to offer without it being overwhelming which made it really hard to return back to the states. The villa featured all of the amenities that we needed and our own private pool. And Roos, our host, was VERY hospitable and kind. We were able to arrange transportation to and from the airport.

Upon our arrival and after getting settled, she even gave us a ride to Juanillo Beach to grab something to eat. Juanillo Beach is so peaceful and underpopulated that we actually spent two days here. We relaxed in the sun, swam in the water, and listened to the waves calmly brush up against the shore. We also grabbed a bite to eat at Little John’s. I decided to try their steak with avocado butter and caribbean rice. I’ve had better steak, but it was what I needed after eating the airline food.

There is a taxi service that is very afforable, about $5 each way around Cap Cana, but we preferred not to use this service since we weren’t fluent in Spanish and didn’t want to create a hassle. It was more convenient and also affordable for us to rent a golf cart for $60 to navigate around Cap Cana. That was an adventure in itself, probably one of the most exciting parts of the trip. It seems that Cap Cana doesn’t enforce the same road rules that the US does, so we just went with the flow and drove the cart all the way to the store, Las Canas Market, to stack up on a few groceries. They offer grocery delivery, but we wanted to get the actual experience.

The day of my birthday, we decided to chill by the pool and eat burgers. We took another trip to the beach to hang out, came back to take a nap, and took the cart to La Palapa, a restaurant in Cap Cana. It was a random choice from a guidebook in our villa. I ordered the mufongo and for the price that was paid for it, it really wasn’t worth it in my opinion. I’ve had better in Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, the scenery was amazing and I guess that made up for everything. How can you not enjoy a dinner, beachside, with the waves crashing?

Our very last full day that we had in Cap Cana was spent at Scape Park. We packed the golf cart and headed out on our 10 minute drive. We purchased a combo pack that included two excursions and we chose horseback riding and zip lining. Both were new experiences for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the zipping. I even got a chance to meet a little monkey named Nacho.

Overall, this trip definitely made my birthday unforgettable. Punta Cana is one of the most gorgeous places that I’ve visited in the Caribbean. It was also one of the best vacations that I’ve had, besides Puerto Rico.