Trip Report of a visit to Eden Bay Resort, 2nd. To 16th. January, 2006.
We left Gatwick Airport, London, with Thomas Cook Airways, in the posh seats in the front of the aircraft with the free drink, at 1230 on Monday 2nd. Jan. for Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, having booked just two weeks earlier, and paid what seemed like next to nothing.(508 return FOR TWO!) We had just hand luggage, 5kg. each, although maybe we cheated by buying our books in the secure part of the airport, after we checked in.
We arrived in Puerto Plata at 1800 local time. After the usual paper work and the paying of the US$10 each entry fee, and since we did not have to wait for luggage, we were first out of the airport door. We had no hassle from any porters. Our minibus was waiting and at once we were on our way. The driver had a cool box of beer and soft drinks if we wanted anything. However, it soon got dark and I have to say that the trip was not for the faint hearted. The potholes were frequent, deep and generously distributed, and since there was a constant stream of oncoming traffic the driver had to keep his speed down so that he could see the potholes with dipped lights before hitting them. On several occasions we felt quite at home since often the smoothest surface was on the wrong side of the road. The other problem was that there were people walking along the road wearing dark clothing and these were almost impossible to see until the vehicle was almost upon them.
However in just under two hours we made it to Eden Bay where we were welcomed most efficiently, taken right to our room and after a quick shower, by 8.15 we were sitting naked in the dining room with glasses of wine looking at the dinner menu. When I asked about paper work I was told that it could wait until after breakfast.
Throughout our stay the food at dinner was uniformly good, freshly cooked and varied. The menu was not just one week long with the same thing every Tuesday, for example; in fact in two weeks I think there were only two occasions when exactly the same main course item appeared again. The soups were always excellent. The sweets were a bit monotonous, but you could always get ice cream instead if you wanted. The waiters were excellent and quickly cottoned on to what you liked to drink and kept the supply going. Most of the time that we were there it was customary at all meal times to sit at a table with other people, although you could sit on your own if you wanted to. This custom meant that you met new interesting people almost every day. Often the staff would notice that, for example, 10 people were sitting together in the bar in the evening having pre-prandial refreshments, and would put tables together so that all 10 could have dinner together as well. This kind of observation and attention to detail was normal in all departments of the resort. On weekdays the resort General Manager visited every table during dinner, and indeed during breakfast as well, to make sure that everything was going well.
Breakfasts were equally good although this meal had a set menu which was the same every day. However it was so comprehensive that you would have to stay for more than two weeks to sample every dish offered. Again, the staff were quick to learn how you liked your food; for example it took only one day for the message to get to the kitchen that we like our fried eggs with toast underneath them.
Lunch was served at the beach bar from a set menu which again was quite extensive, and every day there was a special and a soup of the day. Again the staff soon knew what you liked to drink and when, and how much ice you liked in your drink.
Beer, wine, spirits, cocktails of every kind, soft drinks, tea, coffee and water were all available all day at the beach bar and all evening at the pool bar.
The entertainment was generally as found on the resort web site, although things could be changed if guests wanted. For example one afternoon croquet was on the list at the beach bar but most people were not interested and asked if they could play poker instead, which is what happened. In the evenings after dinner there was only one act that we found far too loud, but some people liked them and there were plenty of places to go to where you werent deafened. The disco was quite small but unusually not deafening; you could actually talk to people while the music was playing. One evening at 11pm the top hot tub was found to be very hot, but maintenance arrived at once and arranged a cold water hose to cool it down for us.
Some people dressed for dinner in shorts and shirts or dresses, some wore just a wrap and some remained nude throughout their entire stay. We were there just after the theme nights programme was first promulgated on the web site so we did not know about the themes. During our second week some of the new arrivals had brought appropriate things with them but there was no pressure of any kind to either conform or otherwise. There was only one evening when the temperature dropped enough for nudity to feel slightly chilly, and some of us sat at the pool bar wrapped in beach towels. There were always plenty of beach towels to go round and similarly there are plenty of sun loungers all over the place. We had one day of rain, two days mainly cloudy with showers, and the rest of the time there were just the usual fair weather cumulus or no clouds at all.
The bedroom on the first floor (second floor to our transatlantic friends) in the Seacliff block was large with a large shower room. We found that the hot water heater tank held only enough hot water for one good shower, (it takes time and a lot of water to scrub the sun screen cream off), but we found that the water had heated up again in about twenty minutes. I understand that soon the louvres will be replaced with windows and the ceiling fan with A/C but we had no difficulty sleeping. One day I found a tiny lizard on the bed. It cannot have been more than a few hours old and had no fear of me. I was able to pick it up in my hand and it just sat there. Eventually I took it out onto the balcony and coaxed it onto the floor, whereupon it walked away calmly down the side of the building. That was quite a thrill.
The grounds of the resort can only be described as manicured by the garden staff. However one large area of grass was not cut during our two week stay and it grew very little in that time. I want to know where you can get grass like that! There was a great variety of most colourful butterflies, several kinds of bird, and many of the plants in the grounds were in flower. There were no mosquitoes although we were bitten round the ankles by no-see-ums at the first beach party. We put repellent on our feet and calves for the second one and had no problem. Most of the time there was quite a big swell breaking on the beach and there was a red flag flying, but on a couple of calmer days some people went snorkelling with gear borrowed from the resort. The resort also had a few sets of jellies that you could borrow to get you through the shallow coraly (is that a word? The spell checker doesnt think so but Im leaving it in anyway) part of the beach if you just wanted to go for a swim in the sea.
The housekeeping and cleaning staff were excellent; you could have eaten your meals off the floor.
In the TV room there is a selection of about 250 (and growing - we left 12) books, mostly in English with a handful in German, and a couple of dozen video tapes. You can use the resort computer to check your e-mails, or use your own laptop in the lobby. The resort sometimes has a local weather forecast on the front desk.
One day my wife was stung by some kind of insect which left its sting in her arm. Instantly the duty barman swung into action, got the first aid kit, swabbed the area with medical alcohol (70%; he didnt supply that at the bar, though), and assured us that there was no problem, it wasnt poisonous and it would be all right shortly. It was. On another occasion another guest fell and needed stitches, x-rays and the services of a Dentist. The management could not have been more efficient and caring, and in fact were most impressive in their handling of the entire incident.
We had great excitement on two days when we saw humpbacked whales jumping clean out of the water only about to a mile off the beach. Interestingly, in the queue (sorry, line) waiting to board the aircraft on the way home, we spoke to a couple who had been on two whale-watching boat trips and had seen nothing. They were not amused by our tale of having seen whales from the beach bar of our resort.
The resort is in the process of a major refurbishment programme, with many of the units unavailable, but this did not impinge on the enjoyment of our holiday. The consequence of this was that during our stay there were only about 30 couples at most and sometimes fewer. People tended to go for a week or less from North America and two weeks from Europe. There was a large Canadian contingent which sometimes outnumbered the Americans, several Brits, several French, a few Scandinavians, and one couple each from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Maybe we were just lucky, but everyone seemed to click with everyone else and we had the best two week holiday that we have had for a long time.
When we left we only had one complaint: all our clothes had shrunk. Maybe it was the damp sea air.
The drive back to the airport was undertaken in daylight and was not nearly as hair raising as the first one. We made it in under 1 hours. Again, we had no pressure from the porters. At the Thomas Cook Airways desk we were given minute details of where and how we had to pay our US$20 each exit tax, and it was just as well that we paid attention to these instructions because the signage inside the terminal is a little confusing, although airport staff were happy enough to point you in the correct direction again if you got lost. But we found that no-one tells you that, after checking in, and while going through the various gates and searches, you have to fill in another of the blue forms, the same as the one that you had to fill in when you arrived. Perhaps the resort might be able to get some of these to give to guests before departing, or you could try to get a couple of blank ones in the airport on the way into the country.
The aircraft left on time, 1945 local, and arrived in Gatwick about 20 minutes early, about 0750. Our biggest problem was staying awake for 5 hours while waiting for our flight back to Edinburgh.
Would we go back? Certainly.
The Scots.