When our kids were young, we had no problem taking them out of school for a week or more to take a trip to the Caribbean. That changed when our oldest went off to college, and our traditional Thanksgiving vacation was not possible. Our daughter had only a few days off from classes for the Thanksgiving holiday, so we skipped our trip in 2015. It was harder than I thought to stay home after ten years of Thanksgiving trips. So we decided to look for a shorter trip, some place we could get to and from with the shortest number of connections, and a short travel time. Traveling out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin doesn’t get you to the Caribbean in one flight. However, it turns out that we were able to get to a AAA Five-Diamond resort with a direct flight from Chicago, and the quickest airport check-in and transfers we’ve ever seen: Tortuga Bay, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Tortuga Bay is a luxury hotel on the grounds of the Puntacana Resort & Club property in Punta Cana, on the east end of the Dominican Republic. The airport is close by, and the VIP service included with a stay at Tortuga Bay gets you through the airport and in a private transfer to the resort with the quickest and most comfortable transfer we’ve ever experienced. You are greeted by a representative of the resort, and you are escorted to the head of the line to process your documents, and then transferred to the resort without delay. We opted for the two-bedroom, oceanfront, suite, with a patio facing the ocean, just steps from the beach.
On the beach, you would never know the airport is so near.
The beach service is what you would expect from a 5-Diamond resort. Anything you desired, and a few things you did not expect, were brought to you as you lounged.
The outstanding service was evident at every part of your stay, and the restaurants and bars across the Puntacana Resort property offered many great dishes and cocktails. I loved to snack on these plantain chips with guacamole and salsa!
The service is what makes this place so special. They have definitely earned those diamonds! I had a taste for something with rum and fruit, and Rafael mixed up the perfect cocktail with nothing more said!
For the golfers in the group, a picture-perfect course ran through the palms and out to the ocean.
The grounds were beautifully maintained, with lush palms and bright spots of flowers throughout.
Hop on one of the bicycles by your suite and take it for a spin.
The ecological park, Reserva Ecological Ojos Indigenas, is there for you to explore, with fresh water lagoons, loaded with fish and turtles.
Take a ride into the Village on Saturday to check out the Farmer’s Market.
Or just explore the shops and restaurants.
In the posts that follow, we’ll spend some time detailing the rooms, the grounds, the restaurants, and the beach. We’ll hike through the Ecological Park, dipping our toes in the lagoons, and take a drive to the Village for the Saturday Farmer’s Market.
Enjoy all our posts on our trip to Tortuga Bay and the Puntacana Resort & Club, …