Finding Free Wifi

The search for a free Wifi once you step off the resort can be a bit tricky. Here's a handy list of places with a free connection. You may have to ask management for a password to log on at some of these locations.

 Cortecito:

• Chez Mon Ami in Plaza Nautica
• Noir Beach Lounge - on the beach between Carabella Bavaro Beach Resort and Grand Palladium 
• Palma Sands - on the beach 1 minute walk north of Noir Beach Lounge
• Photo Bar - on the beach 1 min walk north of Palma Sands

Los Corales:

• Dannys Sports Bar
• Soles Bar & Bamboo Bar - both on the beach.
• D'Angelos Pizza/Cafe 
• New York Bakery/Cafe 

Palma Real Shopping Centre:

• Hard Rock Cafe
• Akai Sushi
• Tony Romas

Other wifi connections:

• Steve's Corner Bar in Plaza Punta Cana
• Jelly Fish Restaurant - on the beach between Melia Caribe Tropical and IFA Villas Bavaro
• Acqua Beach Club - on the beach just south of IFA Villas Bavaro
• Brot Cafe - in PuntaCana Village opposite the airport

Pulpo Cojo

    You walk in to Pulpo Cojo restaurant, in the words of Carly Simon, like you were walking onto a yacht.  It is a rustic, seafood restaurant smack dab on the water!  You can dine at a table with your feet digging into the soft, white sand.    The setting is absolutely soothing and gorgeous.

    Our first visit to this seaside gem was memorable.  To think that in the center of Bavaro, there can be a restaurant with comfortable lounge chairs right on the surf.  A slight glance back to land enables you to secure an ice cold Presidente beer, a tasty avocado salad or a plate of fresh indigenous fruit, such as mouth watering mango, guavaberry and papaya.  All this while letting your feet dangle in the warm Caribbean Sea.

    We order and take a quick, refreshing dip in the warm, turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.  After our swim, we return to the lounge chairs, towel off and head to a table tucked just inside the restaurant, covered by the overhang to give my Celtic skin a breather from the tropical sun.  Our drinks and salads awaiting us as the waitress asks if we need anything else?  We request a couple cool bottles of water.

    The salads are fresh and delicious or, rico, in the local tongue.  As we begin to eat, a beautiful boat crosses in front of the restaurant blaring meringue with young bodies moving with the Caribbean sounds.  A moment later, a sailboat gently floats past as a sort of calming theme as we continue fabulous our meal.

    We begin to plan our main course and anxiously place our order for grilled marlin, a deep pan of paella, and side plate of plantains.  Our server is friendly, engaging with irrepressible welcoming smile.  We are now fully immersed in the relaxed, happy local rhythm.

    Gorgeous sweeping views, gentle balmy breezes, calming ambience and always muy delicioso, Pulpo Cojo has remained a consistently wonderful part of our dining pleasure in Punta Cana. 

Try Simple Living

    One of today's popular subjects is Simple Living:  a minimalist mindset that creates a stress-free, healthy and debt-free lifestyle.  Eliminate unnecessary activities, worries and focus on what you enjoy most in life.    There is no place easier to practice Simple Living than Punta Cana.  

    Power down the iPad, lock up the BlackBerry and turn your full attention to the ones you love.  Listen to their thoughts, notice the natural beauty of the scenery around you and give full focus to each sip of that cool, fresh guava/papaya juice.  What an opportunity to prioritize your life in line with all your stated favorites.  
    Slow down.  Release the stress from your ordinary day.  Soak in the relaxed pace of your new environment in Punta Cana.  The only tension now is originating in your mind.  Let it go.  This is the moment you work so hard all year to enjoy fully.  Have fun.  Smile.

    You are now away from your daily rituals.  Let your mind be free as well.  Try a new activity such as sailing or kayaking.  Go for a stroll along the soft, white sand.  Keep it simple.

Immerse in the Local Cuisine

    If we could provide food during your stay in Punta Cana that is mouth watering, extremely healthy and one third of the price you've been spending, would you give it a try?  Then why rush past the small local cafes to gorge on fast food?  Does the cuisine look different?  Absolutely, and so does the gorgeous, soft white sand on the beach look different than your snow covered front yard.  Did you avoid that successfully too?
    When visiting Punta Cana there are many terrific ways to experience the culture available.  One that is overlooked by many travelers is the delicious local cuisine.  
    Just relax and sit down at one the plentiful comedores (dining room in Spanish).  It will have its name painted on the wall.  Already saving you money on "signage"!  As you enter, you will be immediately greeted with one of the warmest, most sincere "Buenos Dias" you have ever received.
    There will be heated trays up in the front with succulent pork, marinated chicken, healthy beans of many varieties and rice.  There will be plates of ripe, exotic fruits that are rarely offered so plentifully in your homeland.  Also, many trays of delicious vegetables.  The two smiling women behind the table with spoons will serve you.  Somewhat of a dream sequence, thus far?
    You then sit with your companions and, no matter how long to relax and eat, you will only be approached when your fresh fruit drink or ice cold local beer is empty.
    You may not return home knowing how to say, "Big Whopper and fries" in Spanish, but you will have added an entirely new healthy and delicious cuisine to your present diet.  As well as added memorable experience to your trip.

"Negotiate your happiness, not your price"

    How do you treat people that aren't in a position to do anything in return for you?  This is the key to travel in third world.  Help people in ways you can and be open minded enough to learn from the locals.  Be generous and you will see this foreign land from a whole new, wonderful perspective.

    Sometimes being right stands in the way of being happy and fully enjoying a hard earned vacation or life.  "I'll give you 10 pesos and nothing more!!!" is something you may overhear from a tourist arguing price with a local merchant over a t-shirt.  Sometimes it is best to realize 10 pesos is equal to 25 cents and you spent over $400 just to fly here.  It is probably not a financial debate worth a surge in blood pressure.  Your daughter will appreciate the brightly colored t-shirt even if you overpaid by 2 or 3 cents.  Simply smile and go with the flow for your own benefit.

Use the local language

   Someone abruptly interrupts our stroll in the park. They demand in a language we don't understand to know the address and hours of operation of a particular small cafe. Simultaneously, their companion is wildly pointing to a guide book. This may be a bit off putting, yet this is exactly how many tour foreign lands, especially when tired and frustrated.

    How about a simple, "Donde esta Capitan Cook?"   Actually, you may find out where Capitan Cook restaurant is located.  A nice bonus since it is directly on the beach and has wonderful seafood.  
Imagine visiting a friend and strictly avoiding the phrases:  hello, please and thank you throughout the visit.  Awkward?  Why is visiting a foreign land any different?  

    Using even the basics of a language is fun, helpful and opens up new levels of personal interactions that few tourists ever experience.  Think about it, when seasoned travelers tell their tales of their exotic journeys, do their most intriguing stories include their 5 star hotel room or their chance brush with a colorful character?  Use the local language to enhance your experiences, if nothing else.

    Have fun with speaking a new language!  You're not being graded.  Many attempts at foreign languages are preceded by the requisite look of terror.  Why?  Be a bull in the China shop.  Throw a few words out there.  See if they actually work.  If not, you'll be sure to get a laugh.  Roll with it, truly not a big deal.  

Knowledge is FUN!

    We love to visit sunny, warm Punta Cana.  We have an even deeper level of understanding and enjoyment when we learn more about the history behind the people and their culture.  This is the island that Christopher Columbus first landed upon.  All those lessons in fourth grade were referring to where you are standing right now!
    It is always advisable to know what is indigenous to the region you are discovering.  If not for the knowledge base, how about to just be able order what's cheaper and tastier?  There is less shipping and, therefore, less cost in regional cuisine.  Also, do you want the beer that sat on a hot ship for three weeks or the one brewed a few miles away?  There's even more of a difference in quality with vegetables, fruits and fish. 
    In addition, there is fascinating history throughout the island.  If you gaze out to sea and your eyes meet a ship wreck, who's boat is this?  How did it get here?  Were pirates involved or was it merely an overbooked 18th century cruise?  "We told you six lira will only get you near the island!"
    Actually, the ship wreck off the coast of Punta Cana is a Russian freighter built in France in 1957 with the name, "Astron".  It was delivering corn to Cuba and ran aground during a storm in 1978.  In this case, perhaps, ignorance is bliss and your own imagination may have weaved a more exhilarating tale, but still.
    It is interesting to know more about where you are visiting and it can also result in a more rewarding adventure.    

Health Insurance for People Living Abroad

The waves are crashing on the white, powdery sand. Palm trees are swaying in the warm breeze. The view of the turquoise waters has a soothing, almost hypnotic effect. You don't want to leave, and decide to make the bold move: leave the cold winters forever! I have great news for Americans and Europeans interested in relocating to the Dominican Republic! Health care coverage is affordable and high quality. Private clinics offer affordable fees for a visit. Without insurance, a doctor's visit will be about $10-15 U.S. dollars. Why would you bother getting health insurance when high quality care is so affordable? Major illness or surgery make health insurance a worthwhile purchase. Medical insurance policies cost only $500-600 US dollars annually for a couple, or twice that for a family of four. Cheaper policies can be purchased, but they will not cover major surgery. There are many insurance brokers in the Dominican Republic that can sell you the policy that best suits your needs.

Another great bargain is dental work. Dentists here are highly skilled and will charge you about half what you will pay in Europe or the United States for the same procedure.

Map of Dominican Republic