Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!

msbdumas

So last night FI and I went on the putna cana resort website and checked to see what it would cost for us to go and for 5 nights leaving the day after Memorial Day it is so affordable for us...I know there was MsAmeera and another bride who went...can I pick your brain for a min ??? How was it ? What hotel did you guys stay in ? How were the ppl that's FI biggest concern ? Did you make your rsvp on the putna cana website ? Did you have to pay everything up front or just a dep and then paid the rest later ?

FI said we are definitly going just wanted to get some feedback..I would love to get this checked off really soon !!

ejagers

I don't know how you feel about all- inclusives but I met some folks in Aruba who swear by the Dreams all- inclusive resort there, so it's worth a look.  They said it was amazing and I looked on the website and getting my presentation together for DH to persuay him to stay there.  We are already making that our next destination trip we just haven't decided what resort yet.  this is the website I looked at  http://www.dreamsresorts.com/drepc/index.html

Carla1019

I went to P. Cana for a destination wedding June '10. We all had a great time and YES, it was VERY affordable. I stayed all inclusive at Coral Sol De for 4 nights & airfare, all food & drinks, I spent less than $1000. The beach was great! We went out to a local club and I have to admit D.R. has some beautiful people!!

pearls687

YES, YES....YOU SHOULD GO!! 

We honeymooned in P*unta Cana 5/28 - 6/4.  It was AWESOME!  We stayed at Iberostar Grand Bavaro.  I can't say enough about the resort!  It was definitely a special occasion splurge for us.  It was my first time staying at a 5-star and at an all-inclusive, adults-only resort and the level of service was impeccable.  We had a personal butler and concierge and whatever, I mean WHATEVER, we wanted, they were on it, no matter what time of day or night.   Yeah, I could get used to that life!  lol

From beginning to end, the people were friendly and welcoming both on and off the resort.  I've never been to a country where the service was so outstanding and the people took so much pride in their work.

We made our arrangements through a travel agent and paid a deposit first, with the balance due about 30 days before departure. 

We enjoyed the resort so much that we only took one excursion, which was a day-long catamaran cruise from Cap Cana through Discovery Cruises.  That was a lot of fun. 

I would definitely recommend P*unta Cana, and Iberostar Grand in particular.  I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have and share pics (I have LOTS...I'm a picture-taking fool) if you'd like.  PM me if I can help!

msbdumas

In Response to Re:Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!:[QUOTE]I went to P. Cana for a destination wedding June '10. We all had a great time and YES, it was VERY affordable. I stayed all inclusive at Coral Sol De for 4 nights amp; airfare, all food amp; drinks, I spent less than 1000. The beach was great! We went out to a local club and I have to admit D.R. has some beautiful people!! Posted by Carla1019[/QUOTE]
Yes Carla...I knew it was you ! Lol I didn't want to shout you out and be wrong ! Lol. 1000 that's great ! What website did you go to book ? Or did you use a travel agent ? I think the resort we seen for the cheapest was called Barcelo Dominican Beach . With air flight its 1400 all inclusive !

msbdumas

@ pearls thats right you went too !!! Yes..I gotta have FI read your post. He was asking more about the people than the price (he's funny like that). Ok yes. I will be getting more info from you ! The dates you went is the same dates we're going next year. Ok pearls. Im on my phone later this afternoon I will PM you thanks hun !!!

MsAmeera25

Hey! Punt* Cana was so much fun, we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and it was amazing.

The island itself is a poor country but the people are super sweet. There are tons of excursions to do so you can def be busy everyday if you want to. We waited until we got there to book our excursions. We ziplined, did dune buggys, snorkeled etc. if you go def zip line it is amazing, The mountains and views were unlike anywhere we'd ever been.

We booked directly through the hotel we had to pay a deposit and then the balance for us was due a month before departure.

The only things I didn't care for so much was that even though it is such a touristy spot most ppl don't speak English.

You pay a fee to get in the country it was 20 to enter and 20 to leave. I didn't;t know about it before hand so it caught me off guard.

The taxi's are pretty expensive so if you want to leave your resort to go anywhere by yourself be prepared to spend a pretty penny. gas there is like 8.5 a gallon. We ended up leaving our resort one day by ourselves.

I think for a honeymoon, the beaches are great, the excursions are beautiful and the price is on point. I would recommend it I think yau'll will have fun.

msbdumas

Wow a fee to enter and to leave. I will make sure I got the 40 for that lol !

So basically its better to pick a hotel and then make rsvp thru them instead of going thru the putna cana resort website ?

pearls687

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_honeymooning-in-putna-cana?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:400Discussion:eecd7bfc-d037-4ed0-ba9d-20bbf8919759Post:1b900f7a-6fb3-4b8d-bd97-101830bda1ff">Re: Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Hey! Punt* Cana was so much fun, we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and it was amazing. The island itself is a poor country but the people are super sweet. There are tons of excursions to do so you can def be busy everyday if you want to. We waited until we got there to book our excursions. We ziplined, did dune buggys, snorkeled etc. if you go def zip line it is amazing, The mountains and views were unlike anywhere we'd ever been. We booked directly through the hotel we had to pay a deposit and then the balance for us was due a month before departure. The only things I didn't care for so much was that even though it is such a touristy spot <strong>most ppl don't speak English</strong>. You pay a fee to get in the country it was <strong>20 to enter and 20 to leave</strong>. I didn't;t know about it before hand so it caught me off guard. The taxi's are pretty expensive so if you want to leave your resort to go anywhere by yourself be prepared to spend a pretty penny. gas there is like 8.5 a gallon. We ended up leaving our resort one day by ourselves. I think for a honeymoon, the beaches are great, the excursions are beautiful and the price is on point. I would recommend it I think yau'll will have fun.
Posted by MsAmeera25[/QUOTE]


We didn't run into the language barrier at all but that may be because we spent most of our time on the resort.  The area is a popular European destination, so mostly everyone spoke several different languages (that was pretty cool).  They were always careful to ask what language we spoke and would address us in English thereafter.  Everyone we dealt with at the airport, shuttle drivers, and excursion guides all spoke English but we did have to listen hard sometimes because their Spanish accents were so heavy.  The shows at the resort were either all English or translated during the performance.

We paid <strong>$10 each</strong> to enter and <strong>nothing</strong> to leave.  Hmmmmm....... Whassup with THAT?  We did hear somebody in line at the airport saying there was a departure fee but we were never required to pay one and didn't see anybody else pay one either. 

OP, here's a link that might be helpful:

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.frommers.com/destinations/puntacana/">http://www.frommers.com/destinations/puntacana/</a>

MsAmeera25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_honeymooning-in-putna-cana?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:400Discussion:eecd7bfc-d037-4ed0-ba9d-20bbf8919759Post:f26f24e5-d788-4b5a-acd0-6335013541a5">Re: Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Wow a fee to enter and to leave. I will make sure I got the 40 for that lol ! So basically its better to pick a hotel and then make rsvp thru them instead of going thru the putna cana resort website ?
Posted by msbdumas[/QUOTE]

I'm not familiar with the pu*tacana resort website so i'm not sure. We did it separately because we were waiting to buy our plane tickets. I would check with expedia or Orbitiz too because they will also let you pay just the deposit.

20pearls16

I have been to Punt* Cana and it was beautiful. I stayed at the NH Real resort. It was brand new at the time and gorgeous. The only thing I didn't like was that folks spoke very little English and the food was so-so.

I booked my hotel through Cheapcarribean.com and booked my flight through a discount airline's (usa3000.com). I think the whole trip cost me $400. I am the queen of piecing together a cheap trip.

MsAmeera25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_honeymooning-in-putna-cana?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:400Discussion:eecd7bfc-d037-4ed0-ba9d-20bbf8919759Post:a4f2e817-921c-4238-8a06-5dbb29391cd8">Re: Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!! : We didn't run into the language barrier at all but that may be because we spent most of our time on the resort.  The area is a popular European destination, so mostly everyone spoke several different languages (that was pretty cool).  They were always careful to ask what language we spoke and would address us in English thereafter.  Everyone we dealt with at the airport, shuttle drivers, and excursion guides all spoke English but we did have to listen hard sometimes because their Spanish accents were so heavy.  The shows at the resort were either all English or translated during the performance. We paid $10 each to enter and nothing to leave.  Hmmmmm....... Whassup with THAT?  We did hear somebody in line at the airport saying there was a departure fee but we were never required to pay one and didn't see anybody else pay one either.  OP, here's a link that might be helpful: <a href="http://www.frommers.com/destinations/puntacana/" rel="nofollow">http://www.frommers.com/destinations/puntacana/</a>
Posted by pearls687[/QUOTE]

I almost felt like they made the number up lol

Carla1019

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_honeymooning-in-putna-cana?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:400Discussion:eecd7bfc-d037-4ed0-ba9d-20bbf8919759Post:6b2aec97-3d68-4f89-af5f-baf9bee7e50d">Re:Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re:Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!: Yes Carla...I knew it was you ! Lol I didn't want to shout you out and be wrong <strong>! Lol. 1000 that's great ! What website did you go to book ? Or did you use a travel agent ? </strong>I think the resort we seen for the cheapest was called Barcelo Dominican Beach . With air flight its 1400 all inclusive !
Posted by msbdumas[/QUOTE]

The bride & groom booked their wedding using destinationweddings.com so we worked directly with their travel agent. I want to say the couple paid no more than $10,000 to have the wedding on the beach and a nice reception (drinks & food) for 40 people at the resort.
Why o Why didn't I do this!!! LOL!

msbdumas

In Response to Re:Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!:[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!:Hey! Punt Cana was so much fun, we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and it was amazing. The island itself is a poor country but the people are super sweet. There are tons of excursions to do so you can def be busy everyday if you want to. We waited until we got there to book our excursions. We ziplined, did dune buggys, snorkeled etc. if you go def zip line it is amazing, The mountains and views were unlike anywhere we'd ever been. We booked directly through the hotel we had to pay a deposit and then the balance for us was due a month before departure. The only things I didn't care for so much was that even though it is such a touristy spot most ppl don't speak English. You pay a fee to get in the country it was 20 to enter and 20 to leave. I didn't;t know about it before hand so it caught me off guard. The taxi's are pretty expensive so if you want to leave your resort to go anywhere by yourself be prepared to spend a pretty penny. gas there is like 8.5 a gallon. We ended up leaving our resort one day by ourselves. I think for a honeymoon, the beaches are great, the excursions are beautiful and the price is on point. I would recommend it I think yau'll will have fun.Posted by MsAmeera25We didn't run into the language barrier at all but that may be because we spent most of our time on the resort.nbsp; The area is a popular European destination, so mostly everyone spoke several different languages that was pretty cool.nbsp; They were always careful to ask what language we spoke and would address us in English thereafter.nbsp;nbsp;Everyone we dealt with at the airport, shuttle drivers, and excursion guides all spoke English but we did have to listen hard sometimesnbsp;because their Spanish accents were so heavy.nbsp; The shows at the resort were either all English or translated during the performance.We paid 10 each to enter and nothing to leave.nbsp; Hmmmmm....... Whassup with THAT?nbsp; We did hear somebody in line at the airport saying there was a departure fee but we were never required to pay one and didn't see anybody else pay one either.nbsp; OP, here's a link that might be helpful:<a href="http://www.frommers.com/destinations/puntacana/" rel="nofollow">http://www.frommers.com/destinations/puntacana/</a> Posted by pearls687[/QUOTE]

I will def check out the site...I forgot that my godbrother used to have his own traveling agent business and I just hung up the phone with him..said he will get me some info so that way we only would have to pay a dep now and pay in full later..I was just gon go ahead pay now but he was like no don't do that you got plenty of time to book now and pay later..so glad I asked you girls and him !!! I'm going dress shopping in Aug I rather pay that in full now and make payment toward honeymoon as we go !!!

flawlessfay

Just came back from there. Stayed at the Iberostar grand bavaro for my one year anniversary. It was amazing..... Only thing is P Cana does not have a great night life

msbdumas

In Response to Re:Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!:[QUOTE]Just came back from there. Stayed at the Iberostar grand bavaro for my one year anniversary. It was amazing..... Only thing is P Cana does not have a great night life Posted by flawlessfay[/QUOTE]
That's cool..FI is not a night life type of person ! He probably would just want to relax as the evening winds down especially because during the day I will have him doing stuff he normally wouldn't do like snorkling ! Lol

MrsJenrette

We went to P*unta Cana for our honeymoon 4/16-4/21.. and had a BLAST!! It was a gift from my dad and stepmother.. but it costs them under $1300. We stayed at the Now Larimar. The food was great, and people are really sweet.

Princess.. I'm with Pearls.. we paid $10 entrance fee, and nothing to get out.. hmmm.. maybe they were just tryin to get you!.. I would check into that!

MsAmeera25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_african-american-weddings_honeymooning-in-putna-cana?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:400Discussion:eecd7bfc-d037-4ed0-ba9d-20bbf8919759Post:81225e77-938b-49e8-8397-4f1b02f149b8">Re: Honeymooning in Putna Cana!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]We went to P*unta Cana for our honeymoon 4/16-4/21.. and had a BLAST!! It was a gift from my dad and stepmother.. but it costs them under $1300. We stayed at the Now Larimar. The food was great, and people are really sweet. Princess.. I'm with Pearls.. we paid $10 entrance fee, and nothing to get out.. hmmm.. maybe they were just tryin to get you!.. I would check into that!
Posted by MrsJenrette[/QUOTE]

Now yau'll gonna have me calling over there telling them to send me a check!

msbdumas

MsAmeera that got you it sounds like..I would def be calling about that ! So expect to pay 10 to 20 just to get in and possibly to leave ?! MrsJenrette...1300 that's pretty good ! How nice of them to do that..only i wish someone would pay for ours ! I told FI we wouldn't spend no more than 1500 for both of us including air fare ! I think I'm getting excited about the honeymoon !