Hello! And welcome to another installment of Romance Writers Weekly. Am I your first stop, or did you swing by Fiona Riplee’s?

This week, A. S. Fenichel wants to know about our favourite vacation spots. She also just revealed the gorgeous cover for the second book in her Demon Hunter series, Deception. It comes out on the 7th of July, but you can pre-order it now. Look at the pretty!

Mr. X and I didn’t start vacationing regularly until a few years ago. Between his travel for work and my touring schedule, the calendar never cooperated. We’d gone to Hawaii (gorgeous!) for a belated honeymoon, and took a couple of weekend trips down to Disney (I love it there) but that’s about it. Four years ago, we decided we needed to get away. We didn’t want to fly more than four hours and we didn’t want to blow out our bank accounts, but we also wanted paradise.

So where did you go, Xio?

So glad you asked.

The Dominican Republic has to be one of the best-kept secrets in the Caribbean, at least for us American tourists. Every time we go, we run into a ton of people from Canada, Russia, and Germany but we’re often the only people at our resort from the States.

Our first trip down was in 2011 and we stayed in Puerto Plata. The resort was quaint and had very few amenities (no WIFi). While in Hawaii, I had worked most of the time. (E-commerce never sleeps.) And Mr. X, being the tech genius he is, is always on-call. D.R. forced both of us to drop off of the grid and just…enjoy. I’d never really done a ‘laze on the beach all day’ vacation.

We chose an all-inclusive so that we wouldn’t have to think about meals and drinks. All-in-all, it was a wonderful first experience. Was it paradise? Not quite but that was more about our location on the island. The beach, while pretty, was a little rocky and not very clean in places. I stepped on a nail the first day. Fortunately, my sandals took the brunt of the puncture, or it would have been a very different vacation lol. At night, there was really nowhere to go off of the reservation. I mean you could, if you really wanted to, but the perimeter was patrolled by uniformed men with air rifles. So…yeah.

Our next trip down, we went to Punta Cana. Having read that this was the place to be, we decided to go with the popular choice for a change. I am really glad that we did. Punta Cana is much more developed than Puerto Plata, while still retaining its island charm. The resort was beautiful, the staff was super friendly and funny and sweet to us and the food was so much better. And the drinks? Uh…yeah. Those were gooooood. *hic*

But the real reason Punta Cana will always be my D.R. destination is because of views like this.  Postcard-perfect wherever you look. And yes, it is meticulously maintained to give you the illusion of perfection. Empty cups and plates magically disappear from the beach and the sand is always perfectly level when you go down in the morning. If you’ve ever been to Disney World or Disneyland, you’ll notice the manicured similarities. Every aspect of the all-inclusive resort experience is designed for your convenience. In a place like Punta Cana, it means that all you have to do is eat, drink and be merry. You’re faced with difficult decisions, though. Margarita or mojito? Pool or beach? Sushi or empanadas?

Le grand sigh. So arduous. 😉

There are island excursions, of course. When we stayed in Puerto Plata, we toured the Brugal rum factory (with free tastings!) and went to the Amber and Larimar museum. Larimar is a stone native to the Dominican Republic from which they make the most beautiful jewelry. It’s sort of a cross between turquoise and opal. We also toured the “city” and took a cable car ride up Torres mountain. It was a one-day thing.

In Punta Cana, the resort complex was so huge that we never left it. Different restaurant every night, concerts and shows – you name it – they had it.

One of the reasons I really love D. R. is that it is so very affordable. We went to Puerto Rico in 2011 as well and were astounded by just how expensive everything was. Beautiful, of course, but crazy pricey. So yeah, I love the Domincan Republic. When we’re there, I feel like a local and they treat me like one. Good thing I speak Spanish, eh?

There are, of course, other places that I plan to vacation if I ever get the chance. I love Portugal, but I’ve never been down to the Algarve. I’ve always wanted to travel to the South Pacific, as well as the beaches of Morocco and Cape Verde. Maybe I’ll hit the lottery one day. For now, I’ll enjoy the slice of paradise that’s just a four-hour flight from home. Buen viaje!

Hop on over to see where Brenda Margriet likes to spend her down time. See you next week!