Secrets Royal Beach - Punta Cana

We love going to Secrets Resorts as part of our Unlimited Vacation Club. It is great to be able to kick back and be waited on by the staff. Check out our previous post about the service we received on our anniversary. Going to the pool and soaking up the sun is our number one priority and our toughest decision is, where will we dine tonight? This year we decided to return to Secrets Royal Beach in Punta Cana where we joined the club five years ago. 

This was our view for our two week stay. We could see the ocean and the pool through the beautiful palms. The resort came through the recent storm in good shape.

This guy was cutting damaged palm fronds out of the tops of the trees. He used two ropes to climb and a machete to chop away the fronds. Very interesting.

At the top of our list of reasons for loving Secrets is the staff. They do the best to make our stay great. The rum tasting even got me dancing.

Nanc enjoying the rum.

Every evening the entertainment team has a show on the plaza.

Every day they have activities on the beach and at the pool. Darts on the beach in the morning.

Pool exercise in the afternoon.

A new, unique experience for us was a foam party in the pool. Who knew a bunch of crazy adults could have such a fun time.

My beautiful wife.

If you are a beach person, Punta Cana is great with a wide sandy beach.

Depending how the wind was blowing the water sometimes had a lot of seaweed. The day I went in the water was clear and beautiful.

We were there for Halloween and I went as a waiter with my Secrets hat and shirt. I did not win the prize but the staff loved it.

The Tribute Show was fantastic with music honoring a variety of artists from Whitney, to Michael Jackson to Frank Sinatra and more.

We spend every day at the pool soaking up the sun and meeting people. We met Artie, who was born in Muse and now lives in Eldersville (the town next to where we grew up) and knows several of our friends and family. Small world!

No night swimming, but the pools and the lights are beautiful.

The fire show was our one of our favorites. 

This guy must love the heat.

At the end of the show all these women poured the hot wax from their candles on him. Nanc was first and was a bit reluctant but it did not burn him.

The entertainment dancers' "day job," showing off their beautiful Dominican outfits. Cupid was doing a great job shooting the love arrows at unsuspecting couples. 

One thing that never disappoints at Secrets is the staff. Everyone is wonderful from the moment you check in until you have to say good bye. They go above and beyond to make sure all your wants and needs are taken care of. Here is the Preferred Club pool staff whom we interacted with the most.

Here we are with our butler, Martin, who we can't say enough about. He is from Haiti and speaks, French, Spanish and English. He was there for our every need and was personally responsible for our wonderful anniversary celebration.  

We had a great time, but both of us ended our stay getting bad colds, so we were very miserable the last few days. We were also disappointed that Rick and Denise, who were supposed to fly down for a few days, had to cancel.

We are now back in Naples until Saturday and then will be heading to the East coast until the beginning of the year. We will be in Jenson Beach for a month and then two weeks near Jupiter for the holidays before heading to the Keys in January. 

48th Anniversary!!!!

We love going to Secrets resorts and knew that being there for our anniversary would be a special treat. They go above and beyond to make any special day extra special. 

It started when we arrived a week before the big day. The sign on the door is a nice touch and when we entered the room there were balloons on the curtains.

On November 1st, our big day, we ordered room service breakfast and they even included a bottle of champagne so we could have mimosas. 

We finished breakfast and enjoyed our mimosas on the veranda before heading to the pool to soak up some Dominican sunshine.

We had scheduled massages at the spa for the afternoon. We really like the aqua-cycle they have that we used before the massage. We started in the sauna and steam room and then went through several different water stations. This is not your typical whirlpool, each is designed to stimulate a different part of your body. We then had our massages that were wonderful.  

When we got back to the room Martin our butler had prepared a special treat for us. The bed was covered with rose petal as a special celebration of our 48 years.........

......and the whirlpool was ready for a special bubble bath.

What a relaxing way to get ready for dinner.

Shortly before we left for dinner a knock on the door brought another bottle of champagne and some fruit as an appetizer. 

For dinner we chose Mercure, the French restaurant. Our table was covered with more rose petals. The service was great and the meal was fantastic.

When we finished dinner our waiter brought out one last anniversary celebration, a special cake that he decorated himself. Going to Secrets anytime is wonderful, but being there for a special occasion they really go over the top to make the day the best it can be.

Sprint from HI to FLA

When we left Hatteras Island on Thursday we knew we had to be in Ocala by Monday for our annual service. That meant four days of driving and one night stops along the way. It did not start real well as the place we picked to stay the first night was very shaky, so we ended up at another (more expensive) place. The next day we called another place early only to learn it was booked. Since the weather had cooled a bit we did a night at a Wally World. The third night we stayed at the Elks in Jacksonville, a place we have been before and located only 100 miles from Ocala where Cummins has "free" sites with water and electric. We don't like making these kinds of quick trips, but it all went well and we were lucky enough to visit  friends along the way.  

We had to re-cross all those bridges we crossed getting to Hatteras and we knew we had to cross a few more to get to I-95. This was a different one on the Alligator River, a swing bridge that rotated to allow this boat that was on the Intercoastal Waterway to pass.

Day two we were in South Carolina.

A unique spot at Wally World right on a retention pond that filled with migrating geese at sunset.  The problem was, between the squawking geese on one side and the trucks going in and out on the other, it made for a very noisy night. 

Day three was a quick pass through Georgia on I-95. At that point we only had Florida on our minds.

Wow our welcome to Florida was not one the tourist bureau would be showing in the ads. The rain  was very heavy but ended up being only a passing shower that we were out of before we arrived at the Elks. 

We knew in advance that George and Nan, who we met at Betty's and have crossed paths with several time, where staying at the Elks. George found a very neat place for dinner, Julington Creek Fish Camp, right on the water. We had a great evening getting caught up with each others travels.......  

......and our view of the harbor was beautiful. It is always great when we cross paths with friends on the road. 

We moved on to Cummins in Ocala for annual service. We had the oil changed (it still amazes me that Opus needs 27 quarts), chassis lubed and filters changed, on both the rig and generator. It was also time to change the transmission fluid, every 50,000 miles, and even with all that we were on the road by 1:00. 

It was less than 50 miles from Ocala to the Escapees park, Sumter Oaks, in Bushnell. We were happy to see the park came through Irma without too much damage, mainly tree branches coming down. One reason we love this park is the resident Sandhill Cranes. 

The same pair has been here for quite awhile. You not only see them all over the park but can hear their squeaks as the call each other.

Right out our front window is this birdhouse that the squirrel used as a perch. We stayed for two nights just to relax a bit after five straight days of travel.

The next day it was 200 miles down I-75 to Lake San Marino RV Resort in Naples where we will be parked for a month. This park also came through Irma without too much damage (mostly downed trees and pieces of skirting around units being blown away), but this 5th wheel looked like it had blown over.

This is a common sight in South Florida, giant piles of downed trees which has created a new problem. We saw on the news where a power line came down and set a pile on fire. Another result of Irma is that many business signs have blown away and have yet to be replaced, sometimes making it difficult to find places. 

The park had three park models that were totaled. Those were generally the older models that were built before newer construction standards were put in place after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Driving around we have seen houses with big trees still on them, but everyone seems to be doing all they can to get repairs done and to get businesses open.

The weather here has been really hot so when the front AC began blowing hot rather than cool air we needed to find a repair service quickly. We called Land and Sea Cooling and Daniel was here within a couple hours. He found the problem was a bad coil and had the air working in no time at all. We have also been having a problem with a slide not working all the time and a battery charger issue. Daniel checked both and explained what I needed to do. All this in an hour and half. We were very impressed with the service and would recommend Land and Sea Cooling to anyone in Southwest Florida who may need mobile service.  

On Thursday we will be flying out of Miami to Punta Cana for a two week vacation at Secrets Royal Beach. We will be celebrating our anniversary on November 1st and my brother Rick and his wife Denise will be flying in for a few days while we are there. While many people think we are always on vacation because our house has wheels and we stay in many different places, we love going to Secrets to be pampered and just kick back in the tropics.

Hatteras Island

We left Maryland and took two days to drive to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We have been to the Outer Banks many times over the years since our first visit in 1972. We love the miles of uncrowded beach and just soaking up the sun. Since going on the road in 2007 this is our fifth visit we have made during the fall when there are even fewer people on the beach.

On leaving Maryland I was not looking forward to crossing the Nice Bridge, the narrowest bridge we have ever been over in Opus. Good news, they were working on the bridge so the oncoming traffic was stopped as we crossed. Sure made it a lot easier.  

Getting to Hatteras requires crossing many bridges. The Wright Memorial Bridge takes you from the mainland to Kitty Hawk on the Atlantic Ocean.

The last bridge to Hatteras Island is the 54 year old Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. It is being replaced with a new wider, higher and longer $250,000,000 bridge. 

It is an impressive job with several cranes putting together the pieces of one huge puzzle. They did make one big mistake this summer when they cut the electric cable for Hatteras, leaving the island with no power for a week. All the tourists had to leave, really hurting the local economy.

We saw progress as this section with the yellow crane on top the pier was almost complete when we were leaving the island.

One thing I don't understand is the new bridge is still going ashore in the same spot as the old, so near the ocean that with the right combination of winds and high tide it is often under water. Here is the link to our experience of having to drive through the water at this spot in 2010.  Definitely a nerve racking trip.

Another small temporary metal bridge over a new inlet that was opened by a storm a few years ago is also being replaced with a new higher and longer bridge. 

A drive down Highway 12 is always an adventure into the unknown. The area just north of Rodanthe has been washed out many times. This is what the road looked like on our way south this year.

This is the same spot last Friday, one day after we left. Several cars were literally washed off the road by the crashing waves. 

On the weekend we went to Turner's High Moon to listen to some music. Turned out the guitar player knows Johnny Smooth who we heard at the Washington Jazz Society jam last month. Johnny often sits in with this duo when he is visiting the Outer Banks.

The first night we arrived the full moon was rising so we went to the Avon Pier to watch. Because of the full moon the waves were so big the pier was shaking.

Full moon over Hatteras. Check out how crooked the pier has become after the recent storms.

On Saturday we drove up to Nags Head to meet Tom and Georgie for lunch at Sam & Omies, a restaurant that has been in operation for 80 years. On the way back we stopped at the Bodie Island Lighthouse. This is the third Bodie Island light. The first had a poorly constructed foundation and became unstable. The second was blown up by the confederate army. 

We climbed to the top for a wonderful view of Oregon Inlet and the construction of the new bridge. At 170 feet it towers over the low lying coast.

Bodie Island has been repaired but the old steps are still not in the best of shape. Only eight people at a time are allowed in and they ask that only one person be on each flight of stairs between landings.

We did a beach day with Georgie, Tom and Milo. The weather was beautiful and the water was warm all week.

I fished most days and while I did not catch any keepers, I caught several different kinds of  fish; blues, pompano, croaker, mullet and spots. It is always fun fishing here because you never know what you might catch.

Here is something we have never seen on Hatteras. They are doing beach replenishment near Buxton for the first time and there was a lot of activity on the beach and also with dredgers on the water. The beach is wider than we have seen it in years.

Since Tom and Georgie had to cancel last year's October visit because of a hurricane, this was Milo's first time in the ocean. Tom took him in several times and he seemed to enjoy it.

The Cape Hatteras lighthouse has always been our favorite and we have climbed to the top many times. At nearly 200 feet it is the tallest in the United States. Built in 1870 it was the third lighthouse at this location that served as a warning for ships traveling off the coast through an area that has seen so many shipwrecks it is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic.  We were here in 1999 when they picked up and moved the lighthouse 1,900 feet back from the encroaching Atlantic Ocean. We always say that move changed the island forever as thousands who came to see the move "discovered" what a wonderful place this is and it has never been quite the same since.

Looking south from the top to the point, the most popular fishing spot on the island. This is where the south flowing Labrador Current meets the Gulf Stream causing the shoreline to constantly change. Earlier this year a small island appeared off the point, but it has already disappeared.

Looking north is the village of Buxton where we vacationed for many years. North of the village you can see why the island is so vulnerable to the many storms that come off the Atlantic. It is so narrow you could stand on the road and throw a rock into the ocean on one side and into the sound on the other.

We did it, climbed to the top of the two tallest lighthouses on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Both the Bodie Island and Hatteras lights are opened to climb for a small fee from the third Friday in April to Columbus Day, weather permitting.

This is why we love it here. There are miles of uncrowded and empty beach, plenty of sunshine, wonderful fishing and the warm water of the Atlantic, even in October. Years ago you could even find spots like this in the summer.

It was great spending time with Tom and Georgie though I'm sad to report the guys did not do so well at euchre, the girls ruled! We got to go to several of our favorite restaurants, all locally owned as there are no chains here. I got my fix of traditional Hatteras food; catch of the day with baked potato, slaw, hush puppies and the unique Hatteras chowder, always my favorite. 

The sun sets on our stay in Hatteras. A week sure was not long enough and we are already looking forward to a longer stay next fall.

We left Hatteras on Thursday and made it to Florida in three days. Very, very quick for us. We will be at Lake San Marino later this week for a month long stay. While there, we are flying to Punta Cana for vacation and to celebrate our anniversary.

Life is Good!!!!