Santo Domingo and Saona Island | All Inclusive Barcelo Talanquera

The vacation in Dominican Republic was my first all inclusive experience. I have never really considered an "all inclusive person", but after listening to many of my friends who spend vacation in that way I have decided to try it. And so we went.

The resort we stayed in was ok but not really impressive. It did not bother us because we did not spend too much time within the resort.( Unlike other people who go to places like that) After the first day of walking back and forth from the beach to the pool, and one bar to another ( I guess the unlimited drinks are the best part of an all inclusive package, although the alcohol could be of better quality:) ) we came to the consensus to rent a car next day. We decided that smoking awesome Cuban cigars on our balcony.

Next day came, we grabbed quick breakfast, rented a car, and off we went. Despite all that we have heard about Dominican Republic (unsafe to leave the resort) we drove all over the place. It did not seem to be unsafe, however when we got to the significantly poorer part that could be called a ghetto, we decided not to get out of the car. We also made a stop at the public beach which was not very pristine, yet very much fun and full of life with all the locals and their interactions. There were many bars and shops just few feet from the beautiful turquoise water, and a playground for children. I must say it was quite a unique place. This beach impressed us more that the one belonging to the hotel. However at that moment we did not know that soon we were gonna see one of the most ( if not the most) beautiful beaches ever!

Unlike that ghetto I have mentioned before there are totally different parts of Dominican Republic. Its capital- Santo Domingo is nicely restored, well maintained, and a clean city. Comparing to what we sow before a little fancy , but very pleasant for strolling and photo shooting. There are lots of restaurants, cafes, old churches, gift shops, and art galleries. We have visited a little bit of everything (church including since it was Easter Sunday), we took lots of pictures and we started to look for a place for dinner. (Also in the culinary aspect all inclusive resorts are not for us because we love to dine at the local restaurants!). We found a very nice place and had an unforgettable and very meaty meal. We got a great table on the balcony so we enjoyed a spectacular view with our food and wine. The best experience was yet to come!!!

We had enough of exploring cities and towns we decided to get to the little island called Saona. It was quite a ride from our resort, but we managed to find a tiny little town where there are boats taking people to the paradise we wanted to see. Saona Island was discovered by Christopher Columbus and it is part of the national park. The island itself and surrounding it waters are absolutely pristine and breathtaking! There are many different species of birds and tropical fish. Before I go any further with Saona I really want to mention one interesting phenomenon that we observed driving the roads in Dominican Republic. It seems like there are no rules and everybody drives like there was nobody else on the road. They do not seem to notice any traffic lights, or stop signs. But miraculously- we did not see a single accident!!!

Going back to Saona Island, when we finally got to the little marina, we sadly found out that all the boats departed for the day. We were simply too late! The only option we had was to rent a small motor boat on our own. After a quick research we found out that the cost of that trip was really high. When we were very disappointed and sure that we not only have missed a great chance but also waisted a day, two French girls showed up with the same problem that ours. So we chipped in and rented a boat. It was an amazing ride with breathtaking views alongside the shore. The Saona Island could definitely be called a paradise. Completely unspoiled by anything, no rodes, no hotels, no restaurants, only very few tiny houses. Truly amazing place with stunning white sand beaches, and coconut palms. On our way back we made a stop at what was called a natural pool. Very shallow translucent turquoise waters very far away from the shore with amazingly big star corals. Stunning!!!

Summarizing- all the best experiences that we've had during this all inclusive vacation were absolutely outside of the resort, and we would never trade them for any attractions that the hotel had to offer! :))