• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Search
  • About
    • Contact
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Oatmeal Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • 100 Oatmeal Recipes + Whipped Banana Oatmeal
    • The Best Overnight Oats Recipes
    • Smoothie In A Bowl
  • Nutrition
    • Favorite Wellness Products
    • My Wellness Program
    • Top 10 Nutrition Posts
    • Healthy Mindset
    • Real Food
    • Weight Change
    • Becoming A Registered Dietitian
  • Home
    • Home Tour
    • Home Renovation Before And After
    • Renovation
    • Kitchen Organization Accessories
  • Skincare
    • My Skincare Routine
    • my beauty broadcast
    • Beautycounter Swaps
    • What Happened To Beautycounter?
    • How to Apply Skincare in the Right Order
  • Life
    • Mazen’s Birth Story
    • Birch’s Birth Story
    • Fitness
    • Wedding
    • Charlottesville
    • Travel
  • Courses
    • Digital Clutter Course
    • Bloom Wellness Program
    • Freebies
  • Shop

Kath Eats logo

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Search
  • About
    • Contact
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Oatmeal Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • 100 Oatmeal Recipes + Whipped Banana Oatmeal
    • The Best Overnight Oats Recipes
    • Smoothie In A Bowl
  • Nutrition
    • Favorite Wellness Products
    • My Wellness Program
    • Top 10 Nutrition Posts
    • Healthy Mindset
    • Real Food
    • Weight Change
    • Becoming A Registered Dietitian
  • Home
    • Home Tour
    • Home Renovation Before And After
    • Renovation
    • Kitchen Organization Accessories
  • Skincare
    • My Skincare Routine
    • my beauty broadcast
    • Beautycounter Swaps
    • What Happened To Beautycounter?
    • How to Apply Skincare in the Right Order
  • Life
    • Mazen’s Birth Story
    • Birch’s Birth Story
    • Fitness
    • Wedding
    • Charlottesville
    • Travel
  • Courses
    • Digital Clutter Course
    • Bloom Wellness Program
    • Freebies
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Travel / Trip To The Dominican Republic

January 5, 2015

Trip To The Dominican Republic

Part 1 of 2!

DominicanBlog-4770

We spent the week after Christmas living it up in the DR! The sunshine, the beach, the cocktails and buffets – it was all such a great escape.

DominicanBlog-4772

 

DominicanBlog-4774

Karen organized the trip, and we met Matt’s brother Andrew there. We stayed at the Iberostar Dominicana which I will lightly review at the end of tomorrow’s post for those of you planning trips in the future. Overall the resort was very nice!

DominicanBlog-4773

We left Cville very early in the morning the day after Christmas – thankfully all healthy! Upon arrival to the resort we were all starving for a very late lunch and hit the beach buffet for some pizza and tropical fruit.

DominicanBlog-4779

DominicanBlog-4778

Toes in the ocean!!

DominicanBlog-4777

Cocktail hour starts early in the tropics : )

DominicanBlog-4780

Later in the afternoon we changed into our suits and went for a swim.

DominicanBlog-4783-2

A glimpse of teenage Mazen…

DominicanBlog-4787

“KK WATCH!!”

DominicanBlog-4788

DominicanBlog-4792

The pool water was FREEZING despite the balmy 80* temps. Mazen didn’t mind, but we adults did by the end of the week. The ocean, however, was pleasantly warm!

DominicanBlog-4806

DominicanBlog-4809

After showers and things we headed to the main buffet for dinner. There were 1,000 options to choose from, and I tried to focus on seafood and veggies…and desserts!

DominicanBlog-4822

Gah the desserts! It’s no secret that dessert buffets are a huge temptation for me. I had to try everything! Lucky for my body we did a lot of sharing of bites, so don’t think I downed this all (although I probably could have!)

DominicanBlog-4826

Breakfasts were my favorite meal of the day! I went a little wild the first day with an omelet with jalapeno and cheese, pastries and fruit.

DominicanBlog-4831

We spent our days sprinting between the baby pool and the beach.

DominicanBlog-4803

We ended up buying a sand truck and shovel set at the resort that was a priceless purchase.

DominicanBlog-24 this !

The resort had a handful of a la carte restaurants you could go to as an alternative to the buffets. They required reservations that were difficult to secure. Matt and I were able to get a late reservation at the “Gourmet” restaurant (which I believe was supposed to be French themed?) so we had a little date night out. Karen and Andrew had planned to go out another night but they ended up canceling due to disappointment in our experience.

DominicanBlog-4840

Despite the low availability of reservations, the restaurant was quite empty.

DominicanBlog-4841

We ordered off the menu – veggies and Provolone for me and asparagus soup for Matt to start. And then fish for me and lobster for Matt for our main courses. Sad to say that everything was really bad. Mealy and flavorless.

DominicanBlog-

Even the desserts were disappointing and we both left bites on our plates. An apple tart and tiramisu.

DominicanBlog-4853 DominicanBlog-4852

We were happy to go back to the buffet the next night – the food was much better (although still not amazing).

Our third day was spent on the beach again – sipping pina coladas, going for walks, dipping into the ocean.

DominicanBlog-03-2 DominicanBlog-45

We went to the fancy buffet for lunch (instead of the beach-side one) and I made a big salad full of bits and pieces of everything. One thing they always had plenty of: cheese!

DominicanBlog-4858

I also found fresh coconut, which I ate pretending I was a Survivor contestant : )

DominicanBlog-03

Iberostar has a handful of resorts all side-by-side and our resort (Dominicana) was allowed to visit the neighboring Punta Cana resort. There really wasn’t much difference (although we liked to pretend there was!) but it was still fun to go to a different setting.

DominicanBlog-4868

DominicanBlog-4866

Sushi…..and a lot of other things that I can’t remember!!

DominicanBlog-4867

There were shows every night and we went to several of them. Mazen joined in to this kids’ show once – only with the help of Uncle Brain!

DominicanBlog-4870

Head, shoulders, knees and toes!

 

 

 

DominicanBlog-4878

Every morning we had to first visit the flamingo pond, which was a bit hit!

DominicanBlog-4854

And I couldn’t resist the donuts a few times! And the mango – I ate so many mangoes!!

DominicanBlog-4879

The decaf coffee, which was instant, was quite miserable.

DominicanBlog-4880

DominicanBlog-50-2

The beer, however, was decent!

DominicanBlog-4883

I had a cup with lunch a few times : )

At the beach buffet they had a giant grill and always had something good cooking. The food that came off the grill was our favorite food of the week. This day was grilled steak and vegetables, which tasted great!

DominicanBlog-40

I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap of the second half of our trip!

DominicanBlog-12

Filed Under: Travel

Reader Interactions

Previous Post
Notes To Self For 2015
Next Post
Trip To The Dominican Republic – Part 2

Comments

  1. Linda @ TheFitty says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:10 am

    Witt a fabulous holiday week at the beaches. It’s snowing a mix of rain and snow here and making a slushy mess on the sidewalks, I don’t mind winter but I don’t like the temperate, in-between weather, you know?

    Happy New year, Kath!

    Reply
  2. seana says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:11 am

    The food is usually not super great at all inclusives although you sometimes get lucky. We’ve gone to the Dominican the past three years in a row (and a couple in Mexico). The last two times were at the Hard Rock. The food is hit or miss at the restaurants and the buffets are pretty much the same. My husband has the same problem with the decaf. I laughed at your comment on it. The weather is always great though. Glad you had a good time!

    Reply
  3. jill says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:40 am

    What excellent weather! Not totally surprised about the food lacking in awesomeness. In my experience, only really stellar resorts have amazing food. The rest of the time, it’s mostly the sun and sand that are the best parts, and the food is just so-so. Fresh fruit and glorious cocktails are my favourite parts of a resort trip – we tend to stay at self-catering places now, so we can indulge in the resort or bar food when we wish, and then hit up little grocery places so we can cook the rest of our meals. That’s not always an option, I realize. At least you had wonderful weather and lots of fun! Food isn’t everything, I guess 😉

    Reply
  4. Eva says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:43 am

    so i realize that green band you’re wearing with your pink dress on your date night is not a bracelet… but at first glance i thought it was and i just wanted to say, how pretty would it be to wear that pink dress with an aqua or teal bracelet!!! also, you look fantastic! you give a new meaning to “soccer mom” 😉

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 7:45 am

      Haha thank you. Yes it was our wristband!

      Reply
  5. Kaila@HealthyHelperBlog says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:47 am

    What a lovely winter escape! I could use some sand and sun right about now! All the food options look delicious and so fresh. I would definitely focus on the seafood, veggies, and DESSERT too!

    Reply
  6. Ali @ Peaches and Football says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Oh boy this brings back so many memories! We went to Punta Cana for our honeymoon – but we stayed at the Secrets resort there. The food was pretty hit or miss (I tried maybe 40 desserts but only liked 5) but the sunshine and tropical atmosphere were wonderful.

    Today it is -10 and there is a 2 hour school delay. I wish I were back in DR now!!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 1:00 pm

      I hear you on the 40:5 ratio lol!

      Reply
  7. Shel@PeachyPalate says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:58 am

    All the buffet food looks incredible! Pity the restaurant didn’t live up to it! Is that chunks or flakes of coconut on the fried egg?! Could be an awesome combo!!!

    Reply
  8. Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says

    January 5, 2015 at 8:40 am

    I would totally eat ALL of the mango and imagine I was a Survivor contestant while eating the coconut… 😉

    Reply
  9. Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey says

    January 5, 2015 at 8:47 am

    Looks like a fun trip!! I went to the Dominican Republic a few years ago and thought the water/sand was so beautiful there!

    Reply
  10. Amy says

    January 5, 2015 at 8:50 am

    We recently went to DR and had some of the same experiences with the food. But the warm ocean, fresh passion fruit, and fried plantains made up for some of the lackluster buffets!

    Reply
  11. Alex @ get big, go to work says

    January 5, 2015 at 9:26 am

    Not a bad way to spend the week after Christmas!! The sun, sand and water look glorious!

    Reply
  12. Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It out says

    January 5, 2015 at 9:29 am

    Looks like a great vacation! Happy New Year!

    Reply
  13. Katie says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Over Thanksgiving I went to the Iberostar in Montego Bay and our trips look exactly the same! I recognize those towels and that asparagus soup from the terrible “gourmet” meal I had too. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:10 am

    So jealous! We went to the DR a few years ago and the food was really disappointing. All-inclusives can be so hit or miss that I always end up eating fruit and salads, since they’re always better.

    Reply
  15. Kathryn @ Mamacado says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:34 am

    Mazen is just the cutest. How wonderful that he got to do all those fun things and spend time with his family! What my two little ones loved the most this Christmas was just spending time WITH everyone (and Mommy and Daddy didn’t have to work!).

    Wishing you a Happy New Year!

    Reply
  16. Laura says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:43 am

    We had the same disappointing experience at a resort in Costa Rica. Our all inclusive deal included one dinner at the fancy restaurant and the entire meal sucked. It was such a let down. We left that dinner and went back to the buffet to eat! I wonder why those “fancy” meals are so bad.

    Reply
  17. Tonya says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:45 am

    Teenaged Mazen! LOL!

    Reply
  18. Natalie says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:51 am

    My husband and I stayed there last spring and it was a horrible experience in terms of the food. The restaurant reservation system is so ridiculous! Every time we went it was empty just like yours was! We made the best of it but definitely won’t go back! It’s a bummer when you come all that way, but the Iberostar Grandes (more $) are amazing. We stayed there in Jamaica and it was fabulous. I guess you get what you pay for 🙂

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 12:20 pm

      that’s so cool that you have been to the same resort! I wondered if the other ones were better.

      Reply
  19. Hannah N. says

    January 5, 2015 at 11:06 am

    We always enjoy the buffets more than the sit-down restaurants at all-inclusive resorts. It seems they try to make things so much fancier, but always fall short. Looks like you had a great time!

    Reply
  20. Nikki says

    January 5, 2015 at 11:14 am

    Looks like a fab trip! I need a beach vacation. When is Karen heading west?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 12:24 pm

      She is gone 🙁

      Reply
  21. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says

    January 5, 2015 at 11:36 am

    The fruit looks amazing, but it’s too bad the food wasn’t great, especially the restaurant. At least Mazen seemed to have a blast!

    Reply
  22. Matt says

    January 5, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Haha, teenage Mazen!

    Reply
  23. CaitlinHTP says

    January 5, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    I am sooooooooooooooo jealous, Kath!! This looks awesome. Let’s go to the DR for our summer trip instead of the Carolina coast!!!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 12:19 pm

      Next year!

      Reply
  24. Simple Green Moms says

    January 5, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Love the pictures! Love the food! Love your kiddo! Love your dress! Seriously. Everything about this trip looks amazing =) #notjealousatall

    Reply
  25. Laurel says

    January 5, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    The DR is lovely – glad you had a nice time!

    In my experience, the food (and drink) at all-inclusive resorts is usually pretty average. Most people go for the convenience factor – not having to worry about extra charges, etc.

    If you go back to the DR, I highly recommend you check out Paradisus (Palma Real). Paradisus resorts are, across the board, fabulous. The food is incredible (particularly at Pasion, which actually isn’t included when you book but is well worth the price), as are the accommodations.

    Reply
  26. Tracy says

    January 5, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    Karen looks amazing and so healthy! I bet you all will really miss her a ton!

    Reply
  27. Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says

    January 5, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    All inclusives are great for relaxing and eating!! Food can be hit or miss sometimes. I’ve had lot of experiences where the best looking thing on the menu is the worst tasting! hehe

    Reply
  28. Allison says

    January 5, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    We stayed at an Iberostar in Mexico and while the resort was really nice, I thought the food was NOT. I ate a lot of salads, which is good. Because I have a hard time resisting the dessert buffet, pastries, etc, I decided to just not eat them and that really left the options limited. Lots of fruit, “salads” …I even ate salad for breakfast…with eggs. Some of the restaurants were decent enough but a couple can only be described as gross. I did love the pool and the beach and the room though.

    Reply
  29. Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties says

    January 5, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    oh man those beach pictures look AMAZING!! It’s like 15 degrees outside today and I am so jealous of that weather right now 🙂

    Reply
  30. Margeaux Vittoria says

    January 5, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    That first picture of Mazen is ADORABLE. I need to get some little Crocs like that for my son 🙂

    Reply
  31. Christine says

    January 5, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Despite some of the food disappointment I don’t think you can be disappointed with the great family time you had! 🙂 Looks like you all had a nice and relaxing time! We have a 9 week old at home and I’m already asking my husband when we can plan a small vacation in the fall. Not sure where to head with 10 month old but seeing your photos has me itching even more to plan a trip! (We live in Boston and are about ready to get the Arctic freeze, eek!)

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 4:34 pm

      We were not at all disappointed in the trip overall : ) Just keepin’ it real about the food!

      You should head somewhere warm STAT!

      Reply
  32. Krissy says

    January 5, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    I went to the DR in 2006 and had the same thoughts about the food. Not sure what resort we were at but yours sounds similar. A neighboring resort had pizza which we got one night and it wasn’t terrible. The Grill was by far our favorite. We made sure to have every lunch there. The beach was absolutely beautiful though!!

    Reply
  33. Julia says

    January 5, 2015 at 5:06 pm

    I’m so jealous! These pictures are lovely. I would gladly take mediocre food in exchange for such a beautiful tropical vacation with my family! How wonderful of Karen to treat all of you to such a great trip. Has she moved to San Diego yet? I’m sure Mazen will miss her dearly.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 5, 2015 at 5:41 pm

      She just moved -and we all miss her already!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        January 6, 2015 at 5:34 pm

        She moved?!? I must have missed that post. That makes me sad for you guys.

        Reply
  34. Shannon says

    January 5, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    We went to Fiji on our honeymoon and the food was pretty awful. We weren’t even at an all inclusive resort. It was just completely expensive and not very good which was a bummer. We went into a grocery store by all the large resorts and stoli vodka was $98 and bell peppers were $22 per kilo. I can’t imagine it was that expensive outside of the tourist area–how would anyone eat?? Least the booze was good 🙂

    Reply
  35. Stephanie says

    January 5, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    this is killing me! I just returned to negative temps and snow in Chicago after a week at home in San Diego! Take me back to the beach! Glad you had fun 🙂

    Reply
  36. Jeanie says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:10 pm

    What fun! Too bad about most of the food. Eating is my favorite part of a vacation. And Karen looks great!

    Reply
  37. The Many Thoughts of a Reader says

    January 5, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    I am super jealous of this trip!

    Reply
  38. Lisa @bitesforbabies says

    January 6, 2015 at 7:07 am

    Looks gorgeous!! I spend my holiday in Quebec city, and although I enjoyed myself as it was beautiful, I’m still VERY jealous that you were under the hot sun, lol!!!

    Reply
  39. Emily @ Life on Food says

    January 6, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    With the cold temperatures coming today I am super jealous of the bathing suits and pool shots. Glad you had fun!

    Reply
  40. Alex @ DelishKnowledge says

    January 6, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    Love this recap! We spent the holidays in Jamaica and I loved soaking up all the sunshine and frozen cocktails. I think I ate 1-2 mangos every day as well, aren’t they the best?! Sorry to hear your food was meh, I feel that’s how it is with most all inclusive resorts. have you ever stayed in Couples themed resorts? Honestly, they have the best food I’ve ever eating at an all inclusive cruise/resort. Everything is amazing and fresh! Next time you are looking for a trip like this I would highly recommend finding one of theirs!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      January 6, 2015 at 2:54 pm

      we have! we went to Couples Swept Away and thought the food was pretty good.

      Reply
  41. Alex @ True Femme says

    January 7, 2015 at 1:47 pm

    Looks beautiful but I’m sorry to hear the food quality wasn’t so great. That’s always a bummer!

    Reply
  42. Jodi@prairiekuchen says

    January 8, 2015 at 10:33 am

    Looks like an amazing time! I’m afraid to travel that far with 2 little ones but you make it look totally do-able – and worth it!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search

Topics to browse >>

Get my exclusive promos –>

    Footer

    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
    about | privacy policy | contact

    Please note: nearly every link I post is an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting my blog.

    Recipes

    • Oatmeal Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • All Recipes

    Nutrition

    • Healthy Mindset
    • Real Food
    • My Wellness Program

    Life

    • Home Tour
    • Travel
    • Wedding
    • Charlottesville
    • Digital Clutter Course
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Copyright © // 2025 Kath Eats
    Jump to top