Day-by-Day in Puerto Plata

If you follow me on any type of social media, you know that I was in Puerto Plata the week of Valentine’s Day. It was so nice to get away with my boyfriend for a little while, and especially nice to escape the cold weather of New Jersey. I wanted to use this post to give you all a day-by-day in our trip.

We stayed at Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club, which is an all-inclusive resort. We had stayed here three years prior with some friends and actually got roped into becoming members there (more on that in a later post).

Day 1: We got to the resort around 3pm. Since we had just checked in that day, we didn’t have a reservation for dinner that night. We ate at the buffet, bought a bottle of Brugal and sat on our balcony, drinking and relaxing.

Day 2: Woke up pretty early (for me at least) and grabbed breakfast. Since we became members here a few years ago, they wanted to take us on a tour of the updated rental properties (and tried to get us to upgrade our membership of course). Even though we weren’t able to upgrade this time around, it was nice to get a tour of the work that had been done in the last three years. We got a nice tour of the villas there which are AMAZING! They all have private pools, golf carts for the members and have 4+ bedrooms. Maybe one day when we’re rich we’ll be able to afford a villa. After the tour, we just hung out by the pool. That night, we went to a French restaurant on the resort for dinner and spent the rest of the night at a bar making friends.

Day 3: Another day of getting up early, having breakfast and sitting by the pool (I promise we did more activities as the week went on!). We took this day to book some excursions for later in the week. The weather wasn’t really that great, so we spent some time at the hookah bar on the resort. From here we could see the rich members come in on helicopters! From the helicopter landing pad, you get your golf cart and head to your villa (must be nice!!!) #CantRelate. On the menu this night for dinner was Rodizio. If you don’t know what that is, basically waiters walk around with different types of meat on giant skewers and slice off pieces for you. Amazing. Delicious. Mouthwatering. Scrumptious. Delectable. All the above. Last time we visited Puerto Plata we had Rodizio for the first time and we knew we had to have it again this trip. I know there are a few Rodizio’s near me, but I just don’t know if they’ll be as good as the one in Puerto Plata.

Day 4: Finally, a day we were leaving the resort! We woke up early for breakfast again (which is something we always seem to do on vacation). There was an excursion booked, but it wasn’t until 1:30pm, so we spent the early afternoon by the pool. Our excursion was ATVing and ziplining this day! So much fun! I love ATVing as I feel like it’s a good way to see more of the area you are visiting. I’d say we got to ride the ATVs for about two hours. Halfway through we stopped at the beach to stretch a bit and take some pictures. We rode the ATVs back to where we started and then – ziplining time. I had never been ziplining before this and was a little nervous. We did three lines and the last one was over the ocean! Just a little scary, but 100% worth it. We weren’t allowed to have our phones (which makes sense) so I sadly don’t have any pictures of us ziplining. But trust me, we had so much fun. After returning to the resort, we showered, relaxed and had some delicious authentic Dominican food. This was an early night since we had so much excitement during the day.

Day 5: Day 5 happened to fall on Valentine’s Day! We slept in a little later than usual this day, still got breakfast and spent some time by the pool. We checked out the little shops on the resort where you can get souvenirs, picked up some small things and then went for a couple’s massage! I’ve gotten massages before and I loooooove them. I always feel like a new person afterwards! This was my boyfriend’s first massage and he enjoyed it as much as I did. Since it was a couple’s massage, and on Valentine’s Day they gave us a bottle of champagne to enjoy which was really nice! We hung out in the jacuzzi at the spa, sipping champagne and just enjoying our time together. Took a nice little stroll down the beach after and got some information for next time we head to Puerto Plata (like the fact that the excursions are slightly cheaper if you book them with the people on the beach rather than through the resort). One of the pools was hosting a foam party that afternoon so we headed over there and watched people dancing like crazies in foam.

Every Thursday the resort throws a party in a part of the resort that is usually just for the people who are Chairmen owners. We were excited to go to this party, as we had so much fun last time! We had dinner at the buffet and hopped on the bus to take us to the party. Last time we were there, it was more Vegas-themed, but this one was Valentine’s-themed (of course). It was really fun – they had live performers and dancers, a Bravissimo show, and everyone just got to hang out and mingle. We spent a few hours there and just had a really good time. We became friends with one of the bartender/servers there and that man was trying to get us drunk! Every time he walked by us he was trying to get us to order another beer- which he succeeded at. We had a fun night and it was a good Valentine’s Day for the both of us.

Day 6: I think this might have been one of my favorite days. We had another excursion planned, so we were up early for breakfast. On our way to the waterfall excursion, we drove through Puerto Plata and Imbert. We got to see the differences between the “rich” and “poor” areas which was really interesting. The excursion guide told us that most people only make $100-$150 USD a month (including cops which is why there is tends to be so much corruption). We stopped and met with a woman who makes coffee and cocoa from scratch. It was fun: we got to try both the coffee and hot chocolate which was delicious! We then headed to a area in Imbert where souvenirs are handmade. The guide told us that people drive seven hours from Punta Cana to get to this area so they can bring back souvenirs for the resorts. Why this area is so popular for getting souvenirs is that they have a certain type of wood that over time turns to stone that can be carved and hand-painted into the souvenirs we all love to buy.

At last, we made it to Damajagua Falls. Guys, we got to jump and slide off waterfalls!! Never in my life did I think I’d do something like this. I’m not afraid of heights but come on, it’s a little scary to think about! All together we went through 12 falls where we jumped off four and got to slide down three. If you ever get the chance to hike up waterfalls and then jump/slide down them, do it! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Some of the falls were small and not so scary but they last few were a little higher than expected! My boyfriend and I both had so much fun, this is definitely something I would do again on another trip. On our way back to the resort we stopped at a place where we got to see people hand-roll cigars. It was really interesting to learn about it and see it done in real life. We were back at the resort for lunch, walked around the beach for a little bit and just spent some time at the pool. Luckily were able to get into the Rodizio restaurant for dinner again that night as it was our last night and we wanted to end the trip the right way!

Day 7: The end of our trip 🙁 Our flight wasn’t until 5pm, so we had some time to hang out before heading to the airport. We went and picked up our pictures from the waterfalls and got some breakfast. Spent a few hours relaxing in the pool and soaking up the last bit of sun/vacation before leaving. Checked out, grabbed lunch, headed to the airport around 2:30pm and then headed back to reality.

And there it is! All I did during my trip to Puerto Plata. Punta Cana is the typical vacation spot in the Dominican Republic, but I honestly would go back to Puerto Plata every time (and not just because I have a timeshare there!). I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of my vacation, and maybe some suggestions for things to do on your next trip!