I Stayed At An All-Inclusive in Punta Cana… By Myself

Let’s face it. Most travelers go to all-inclusive resorts to party with friends, or to chill on a romantic getaway with their partner, or even as a family-friendly vacation. Seldom look at it as the opportunity for a solo trip. In fact, many resorts actually charge more for solo travelers, and some don’t allow it at all (I’m looking at you, Sandals). Aside from all of that, all-inclusive resorts are hardly an adventure; it’s a curated experience for safe tourism, something I tend to steer far away from. Well, when I finished my first year of law school, I was interested in two things: getting the F out of NYC for a few days, and relaxing. Insert my calling to an all-inclusive resort. I had just started writing for The Points Guy and figured, at the very least, I could sell a story on what it was like to travel somewhere during Covid-19. I searched Skyscanner and found a fairly affordable roundtrip ticket to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Twist my arm and take my money.

Now, to figure out where to stay. I headed to Booking.com and found a steal for VIK Hotel Arena Blanca at around $70/night, including all food, drinks, coffee, and of course, endless access to the pool and beach. Once again, twist my arm, and take my money! I booked it for 3 nights.

The hotel did not offer any type of pickup from the airport, but I managed to find a $9 one-way private taxi through Booking.com. I arrived at Punta Cana International Airport direct from JFK, and my driver was there waiting with my name on a sign. He drove me out to VIK Arena Blanca, where I was expecting a run-down place due to the cheap price. I was wrong; this place had a wide-open, floral entrance. It was no Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton, but at the price, it couldn’t be beat. After checking in, I walked to my room, passing the pool along the way. I dropped my baggage off and immediately darted for the pool.

After swimming for a little, I headed to the dining area for dinner. Every night, dinner had a different theme, and the first night, the theme was Mexican. I ordered chicken enchiladas which were surprisingly pretty good. Most all-inclusive resorts I have stayed at have below subpar meals, but that wasn’t the case here.

I was exhausted from traveling, so decided to take it easy. After my meal, I went straight to my room and fell asleep by 9PM. There’s a big difference in solo-travel in your 30s verses group travel in your 20s; sleep suddenly reigns priority.

The following morning, I woke up nice and early to enjoy some time by the beach. I was disappointed in the amount of sargassum seaweed, but it was not at the fault of anyone. I had several cups of espresso from the espresso machine in the lobby, and headed to the breakfast buffet, which consisted primarily of fruit, cured meats and cheeses, breads, and an omelette station. I, then, in appropriate treat-yourself-vacation mode, grabbed a sugary red drink and sat on a beach chair.

After one drink, I headed toward the pool area since I wasn’t super impressed with the seaweed-infested beach. Later that day, I had plans to go out on a catamaran tour to get some proper snorkeling in. The tour guide picked me up directly in the lobby of VIK Arena Blanca. The sky started to get a bit cloudy, and by the time my tour was about to start, it looked as though it was going to rain. I was robbed of the typical blue waters I expected while visiting the Caribbean, but I didn’t care too much. I still had a blast.

We rode out to sea, and we were able to go snorkeling once about thirty minutes to an hour in! I will say, I’ve had better snorkeling experiences, but any excuse to get in the water is fine by me.

After snorkeling, the boat drove further out, where we were able to go paddle-boarding if we wanted. I had never been paddle-boarding before in my life, and what better place to do it for the first time than the Dominican Republic?

The tour ended, and I had to head back to my hotel. I was supposed to leave for the US the next day, and so I needed to find a Covid-19 test. Luckily, the test was only $12, right on site, and I got my results within 15 minutes. I did not feel ready to leave, and after taking advantage of the open bar in the sports lounge where I met two young British backpackers, I decided to stay an extra night. I changed my JetBlue flight at no extra cost. The only thing that would change is I would need yet another Covid-19 test, because I traveled when the US was still requiring a negative test 1 day prior to travel.

Since I now had an extra day, I decided to take advantage and head out to a beach other than the one at my resort. I wanted the white sands with blue waters I had heard DR to have. Someone from my hotel informed me of Playa Macao, and told me it was the nicest beach near Punta Cana. I jumped in a cab and headed to the beach. As soon as we pulled up, I could see the blue hues of the water and smell the salty ocean. I nearly sprinted right into the water. It was exactly what I was looking for and was totally worth staying an extra day just to experience. Of course, I had to order a drink in a coconut.

I eventually headed back to my hotel, where my final dinner there would be themed as Italian night. It was probably the worst meal I ate there, but I was still grateful for the experience. I went to the lounge area, where I watched people sing karaoke and play foosball while I sipped and savored the sugary sweet drinks of my all-inclusive Dominican Republic vacation.

I headed to the airport early the next morning, where I was able to take advantage of the lounge thanks to my Priority Pass membership included with my Chase Sapphire card.

All in all, I was hesitant about staying at an all-inclusive resort by myself. I thought I’d get bored, lonely, and that the food/drinks wouldn’t be worth it. I’m often looking for an adventure; to climb to the highest mountains, to eat the best street food, to head to off-the-beaten path spots and fall in deep conversation with strangers. Sometimes, however, adventure can wait, and all you need to feed your soul is a proper vacation.