After spending a week in Puerto Plata bliss, it was sadly time to head back to the states. Because we are all about adventure, we made the trek back to Santo Domingo on the bus, but with zero hiccups this time! Our wonderful driver, Wilson was waiting at the bus station, and brought us to our hotel, the Catalonia Santo Domingo, for our final night in the Dominican Republic.
When I initially booked the Catalonia Santo Domingo Hotel, I was primarily looking for a hotel that was close to the airport and was “decent.” When we pulled up I knew right away that we had stepped into a luxury resort that was far beyond “decent.”
Once we entered the revolving door we were just grateful for the air conditioning, but we were immediately met with ice-cold water and the front desk representatives that were all smiles!
The Catalonia Santo Domingo is a large luxury hotel, but the staff made us feel like family instead of just another guest, they even provided us with complimentary drink tickets to enjoy at their bar.
Once we were checked into our room we headed upstairs to our room, and were completely blown away by the view that waited for us as we entered the room.
There was seaside as far as the eye could see, and the cars below looked like ants. The Catalonia Santo Domingo is a beachfront hotel with 21 floors to soak in all the beauty of a Dominican sunrise/sunset, because every floor has an unobstructed view!
We heard a soft knock on the door, and I thought one of us had forgotten something downstairs, but when I opened the door it was a Catalonia Santo Domingo guest representative with a tray of sparking water and fresh fruit. He also wanted to remind us about the downstairs restaurant if we were hungry. When we stay at a hotel, regardless of the “star status” it is the little things that are most memorable for me, and the attention to detail made a significant impression on me.
After our snack we decided to explore the hotel. The hotel boasts a casino (that we didn’t get a chance to enjoy), a fitness center with an ocean view, rooftop swimming pool with a cabana, and a ton of food options!
We stopped in at the Terrance Lounge & Bar to have a drink and enjoy the scenery. The waiter was delightful and even gave us a grand tour of the other 5th floor restaurants and the Buffet Restaurant that serves breakfast.
We ordered our drinks and food based on his recommendations and the choices did not disappoint!
My grandma was completely wiped out from the long ride from Puerto Plata, but my mom and I were not ready to call it a night so we donned our bathing suits and headed up to the rooftop pool! We had the entire pool to ourselves and got to experience our final breathtaking Dominican Republic sunset.
After laughing and talking we remembered that we had the complimentary drink tickets and we could not bear the thought of letting those go to waste, so we headed down to the Five Hundred Snack Bar to enjoy one final Presidente beer.
The waiter here was just as friendly as all of the other staff and kept us laughing!
The next morning we headed downstairs to the Buffet Restaurant and my tastebuds started dancing at the spread of food. This buffet was unlike any continental or complimentary breakfast offering. It was complete with a variety of local fruits, cheeses, meats, sausage, with freshly baked assorted pastries, and delicious coffee!
Once we polished off our filling breakfast we headed back to our room to prepare for Wilson to take us to the airport. At check-out time we heard a knock on the door and to our surprise the bellhop was there to bring all of our luggage down to the car! I can’t count how many times I have put flight information in a hotel booking site for it to be ignored, but the Catalonia Santo Domingo not only pad attention but made sure we felt cherished all the way through check-out.
As we drove for the final time through the hectic Santo Domingo streets, I found myself reminiscing over this amazing 3 Generations trip and feeling hopeful that we would return soon!
