#86 at the resort

I've been thinking about our stay at the resort. I wrote about the two excursions I did, Catalina and Saona. MT and T did an excursion by themselves (without me) where they drove a dune buggy through sugar cane fields and to the Chavon River. While they were gone, I took photos of the beach, pool area, lobby and gardens of Iberostar. I think all I have left to write about the resort is well, about the resort itself.

I really like staying at the all-inclusive resorts. I find it very relaxing to lounge on the beach all day. Here was my schedule on the days I didn't leave the resort. I'd sleep in until 9:00 or so. I'd pull on a bathing suit and a cover up and go to breakfast. I liked to eat pretty light in the morning. I'd usually have some type of little pastry and a roll with cheese or butter and some juice. After breakfast, we'd head to the beach and play in the water, lay on a lounge chair, play in the water some more, lounge again...you get the idea. We'd do that for two or three hours, then find some lunch. Usually I would have chicken or fish and rice. And a beer or a pina colada. After lunch MT would sometimes go to our room to nap in the air conditioned comfort. T and I went back to the beach where we would stay until sunset. MT would usually meet up with us there. We'd have a couple of drinks from the beach bar and watch the sun set.

One of my favorite memories was on afternoon at sunset. There were quite a few people on the beach with cameras, just watching the sun set. Sunsets are always spectacular, wherever you are, but I think Caribbean sunsets are extra wonderful. On this evening, T had already showered, so he was dressed, but he couldn't resist hopping over the waves as they broke on the shore. The waves are typically not very big where we were, so it was kind of cute to watch him. As the sun "touched" the water, the people on the beach began applauding the gorgeous sunset. It was really cool. I loved that those people felt the same way about the sunset as I do. I have soooo many pictures of sunsets from this trip! I just can't stop snapping away as the sun lowers itself into the water. MT and I say you can practically hear the sizzle as the sun dips into the sea.

One thing that I thought was cool was how many people were reading as they lounged under palapas at the beach or at poolside. There were people just laying there, getting the sun, but there were lots more who were reading. And they read real books, not just magazines. I myself finished two books while we were gone and I think MT read a couple as well. It is just so peaceful.

At the resort you have the option to eat at the buffet or at one of the a la carte restaurants. The number of meals you can have at the restaurants is determined by the number of nights you are staying At the Iberostar Hacienda, there were four specialty restaurants: Mexican, Japanese, French and steak. We stayed five nights so we were able to choose two restaurants. We chose steak and Japanese.

We went to the steak place our second night there. It was located in the huge pavilion where we liked to eat lunch. The food was fine and the service was good. It was the Japanese place that we really liked.

I'd read about it online, and MT was eager to try it out when I told him about it. It was one of those tepanyaki places where the food is cooked at your table. We sat next to a couple from Chicago. I think the lady was originally from Uruguay. They were really nice. MT talked to them all night. He's very social and loves to talk to other people. I pretty much stay to myself and talk to T.

Our dinner started with appetizers of sushi and tempura vegetables. Yes, Mom, I ate my vegetables. They are very good when they are cut extra thin and fried in a crispy batter! We did try the sushi. There was some with salmon, there was a shrimp and there was crab, I don't know what all it was. I ate it and I have to say that I didn't love it. T ate the salmon and the shrimp, just the meat, not the rice parts. We also had some fish soup that T loved.

While we were eating our soup our chef Jorge came out. He was awesome. Let me take this time to talk about how friendly the men we met were. They were nice to me, but they were extra nice, and I mean kind, to T. Everywhere we went, he was spoken to very kindly and politely, and often patted on the head. It wasn't demeaning in any way. It was friendly and playful. Jorge, although he didn't pat T on the head, was very nice to him, posing for pictures whenever T held up the camera. He gave us stuff we didn't order, probably because both T and I were drooling over everything he cooked. He made delicious fried rice, (we didn't order it, but we both got some!), chicken, steak, shrimp and salmon. You could order two meats (we did chicken and shrimp), but we got to sample everything, thanks to Jorge. It was really tasty and a lot of fun. We ate with chopsticks!

One question I get asked a lot is whether I am a resort girl or a cruise girl. Usually people like one better than the other. When I was at this resort, I was positive that I am a resort girl. Of course, when I got on the cruise ship, I was positive I am a cruise girl. The answer is that both are delightful. They each have positives. The resort is great because it is all-inclusive: food and drinks of all kinds are included in the price you pay. If you want to party, I recommend the resort. Drinking a lot on the cruise ship can be very expensive. Another great thing (for me) about the resort is that it is very relaxing. You don't have to sit with other people and feel obligated to chit-chat. You can do everything at your own pace. You can sleep late and your bed is big. The bathroom is big. The bathtub and shower is big. You can go to the pool or to the beach. You can choose to go on an excursion or stay at the resort. (The same is true on the ship, but somehow it is different.)

This has been a long and rambling post, but I just wanted to share what it is like, as best as I can, at the resort. If you have the chance, you should definitely try an all-inclusive resort vacation. If you go to a nice place, it is worth every penny!