^This is where it all started. Spring Break 2014. From left to right, me, Chasen, Sebastian, Hunter.
Have you ever booked your plane ticket for one day before you’re scheduled to check in to your hotel? Well this was Hunter’s, Chasen’s, Sebastian’s, and my last Spring Break in college, so we had already blown all of our money booking 6 nights at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We booked the plane ticket a day early because we could save like $200 or $300 on the flight, and we all agreed we would rather put that money toward a day on the beach. So we needed a place to stay the first night we arrived in Punta Cana on Friday, March 7th..
I had a novel idea: ask the Hard Rock if they could offer us a free night (or simply stick us in a closet somewhere and let us take advantage of their all-inclusive bliss). After all, I thought I made a strong case for Hunter’s and my social media reach and how we would write raving reviews of the Hard Rock if they could just help out a few college students on a “budget.” I emailed the Director of Customer Relations (naturally you go for the top dog, I mean who else would you email if you were asking for a free night), and I respect him for even entertaining the idea of putting us up for a night at a discounted rate. He wrote an eloquent email back to me explaining that, “In case that we should have availability, we will not be able to offer you a complimentary night.” Basically, I think he meant to say, “This is a hotel (you moron). We are in the business of having people pay us to stay here.” He was real gentleman about it though and was kind enough to ask about availability and get us a quote.
Well, all they had left were Presidential Suites and while that would have been cool, no one had nearly enough money to pay for it. So Plan B was to find another place to stay for the night. We toyed with the idea of a hostel for a night, but ultimately decided that we had already broken the bank, and went with the Vista Sol Hotel. This was a great little all-inclusive resort (if you were with your middle-aged spouse and two kids). They did have beautiful beaches with volleyball and soccer. They also had incredible cappuccinos, which was a saving grace because their all-inclusive bars and snacks were not exactly luxurious. And to eat at the only decent restaurant, we found out the hard way that you need to call between 9 and 10am for dinner reservations. But for one night, the sand was white, and the beer was cold.
^They had peacocks at the Vista Sol.
I should also add that something tragic happened to me while I was there. In Jamaica in January of 2012, I visited a Fraternity brother, Sam, with another Fraternity brother Joe. While in Jamaica, I found a safari hat in Sam’s dad’s car. It was a little beaten up, but as soon as I put it on, I found my alter-ego. It became my travel mojo. I would put the hat on and in a growling voice tell everyone that, “There’s a newwwww sherriff in town.” That hat went on several trips to the Caribbean with me. And I lost it at the Vista Sol while playing beach volleyball. I took it off to play and after the game, the hat was gone. I haven’t fully recovered emotionally, but may the person who found it enjoy all the ridiculous antics that come with it.
^As you can see, I was still unhappy about losing the hat on the first day. Hunter had a serious face on in solidarity of my loss.
I was a little distraught the rest of the day, but managed to make it out that night. We stopped by the “disco” at the Vista Sol, but only saw a few grandpas breaking it down, so we decided to find a new venue. We got a suggestion to check out the local bar down the street from the resort. The place was called Liquid and it was where all the locals (and Russians?) hung out. We could not figure out the Russian thing, but the bar was pretty good. They kept the bar well stocked and had a nice selection of imported beers. Keep an eye on your friends though. It was nighttime and the four of us had to stick together to avoid any trouble with the locals. Check it out if your trip to Punta Cana ever leads you down a road you didn’t expect. At this point, we were looking forward to what Hard Rock had in store for us. We woke up at 10am, hit the gym, and got in a van heading to the Hard Rock.
^Palm tree chillin.
^Woah, woahhh!
^Palm tree chillin.
