Family Holiday to the Caribbean

The Hamilton Family are fairly new clients that have recently returned from their annual Family Sun Holiday and as they gave me free reign to design this trip for them, trusting I'd come up with a trip they'd love, they were kind enough to answer a few questions for me on their return!

Feedback is fantastic for learning and it’s also good to know what make trips a success, likewise I know some people like to check out on-line reviews and get a second opinion from others before committing, people are naturally curious and we enjoy finding out exactly what a destination/hotel/resort is like down to the very last detail!

So what better way to satisfy that curiosity than to share some insights from the Hamiltons with you about their holiday?!

Questions:

Where did you visit?

Caribbean, Dominican Republic. We stayed in the Hard Rock hotel and Casino in Bavaro.

Who went on this trip?

Family of 3. Mum, Dad and 5-year-old.

What was the purpose of the trip?

Chilled family holiday.

What time of year did you visit?

May/June at the start of rainy season. It did rain but only very early in the morning or later in the evening.

How long were you away for?

10 days.

Which airline did you fly with and from which airport?

We flew form Gatwick with British Airways.

How did you come up with this specific holiday?

My very talented Travel Counsellor Donna Eldred found this holiday for us.

How do you think using a travel agent benefited you?

They can apply their knowledge and give time that I didn't have looking into different possibilities.

Do you feel as though you received good value for money with this holiday?

Absolutely!! We were told by lots of people in the resort that we got a very good deal.

Would you recommend Donna Eldred to friends and family?

100% yes. She is excellent at her job. She knew exactly what would be right for us for this trip.

Have you used Donna Eldred before?

Yes, Donna arranged previous trips to New York and Rhodes for us.

Tell us about your itinerary

This was a purely chilled holiday so we only ventured out of the resort once. We went on an organised trip to a dolphin experience where we got to swim with dolphins.

Did you take any tours on your trip?

Only if you include to the pool bar for a snack :)

What was your favourite part of the trip?

It has to be swimming with dolphins, we did this to give our 5-year-old an experience. We all loved it. Although I have to give special mention to the beach which was absolutely beautiful.

How would you rate the hotel you stayed at?

Good 4* The rooms are big with a decent size bathroom. All rooms have views to garden areas or if you can afford them to the beach. Daily mini bar restock, although we did have to ring and request a restock on a couple of days.

What facilities were available at your hotel?

The hotel has 13 swimming pools including an excellent kids pool, kids club, 10 restaurants, 18-hole mini golf course, an amazing spa, a fully equipped gym with Les Mills fitness classes, a casino, a night club, a theatre with a show every night. For the big kid in us, there was laser tag, virtual reality gaming room and escape rooms. The hotel had vacation planners who would help you book whatever you need from trips to restaurants. There were also minimarkets and duty-free shopping throughout the hotel. You really didn't have to leave the complex. The complex is very big and a bit overwhelming at times though but once you found your favourite spots to go and how to get to them it was a breeze.

Top tip: If you get a room near the main hotel don't forget anything when heading to the beach or pool as these are a good 10-15 min walk or a golf cart ride away.

Explain how this holiday suited your family and if there were any negative aspects:

We were after an all-inclusive very relaxed chilled holiday where we could just sit back and relax and that is what we got.

Positives: The staff were amazing and really looked out for the kids, they were very good with the kids. The house keepers would leave gifts for the kids and all the waiting staff would go out of their way to make the kids feel special. The hotel was spotless, staff worked hard to keep it looking good. The choice of food also suited us as we could pick a restaurant that had a menu to suit us, although we did try all but one of the restaurants. The spa was also amazing. It had a full menu of treatments, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, pool, hair salon and nail room. The staff were lovely and very professional.

Negatives: Being hounded by the Legendary Reps trying to sell timeshares. It didn't matter how many times you said no, they still kept trying. Most of the restaurants catered for the American pallet so it was difficult to get truly authentic Caribbean food in the hotel.

Did you try the local cuisine? What was it like?

We didn't leave the hotel for food but one restaurant was dedicated to Caribbean food. Not totally authentic but still tasty.

Tell us about your favourite meal

Favourite cocktails had to the Sweet Child of Mine (Bourbon based with passion fruit) or the Isla Bonita (rum based with pineapple).

For the experience, the best restaurant was Zen an oriental themed placed with show cooking at your table. The best food we ate was in the Mexican Los Gallos. Nice margaritas and authentic tacos.

Did you bring back any souvenirs?

Rum, rum and more rum. Obligatory t-shirt.

If you were going on this holiday again, is there anything you would do differently?

Ask for a room away from the Casino and closer to the pools.

What’s your favourite memory of the holiday?

Apart from swimming with dolphins, stepping on to the beach and walking to the sea listening to the waves and watching our daughter build sandcastles.

Now you are home from this holiday, where would you like to visit next?

Cuba or Mexico