It's kind of a funny story how we ended changing our vacation at the last minute... I'm a big believer in research, careful planning and going with your gut on a vacation! Well... Jesse and I were very undecisive about where to go in April. It's only natural that we're going to go someplace at the end of Jesse's busy tax season... as a retreat and a time to get away from it all! Well, we changed our minds immensely when it came to this trip... First we had Panama planned out. Then we were weighing our option with Costa Rica. While Jesse still has the desire to go back to Yellowstone and out west, somehow the Canadian Rockies got brought up and I compromised... let's do the outdoorsy vacation as long as we go to Banff and that area of the Rockies. Ok, so things were settled. We were excited and it was a done deal. Hotel was booked, things were underway!! We were going to drive up and on the way back hit up Mount Rushmore and the South Dakota Badlands...
Somehow though... I had my doubts. I was craving a beach - badly. So about 2 months prior to the trip, I started bringing up the idea of changing our vacation to go somewhere tropical instead. Canada just hadn't convinced me. (Although I WILL go to Banff someday, we both really want to go - Maybe with the kids? :) Haha) Anyhow... Jesse turned down the idea. We had decided, the hotel had been booked, why did I want to change it? So I dropped it.. and that was that. I was still excited - a vacation is a vacation, and it's a different destination for me, I'm happy regardless.
Now onto the irony. The week before we're due to leave, that Sunday we went to Barnes and Noble to buy a Canadian map. Jesse's car has GPS but we weren't sure if it'd work well in Canada, so just to be on the safe side. We grabbed a map and some Starbucks and we went to browse the magazines. The funniest thing happened... We always venture to the travel magazines (P.S. I'm so lucky Jesse is as enthusiastic for travel as I am!!!) and one in particular caught Jesse's eye. "CARIBBEAN" with the most beautiful beach on the cover from a beach in St. John's. It was then that he suggests, "Why don't we change our vacation and go to the beach?" I was shocked! I'd been trying to convince him for the past 2 months!... I was thrilled. We decided, let's do it and let's do an all-inclusive. Our very first all-inclusive, actually. We bought the magazine and ran home (not literally of course). Did the research and by the next day we had booked the Secrets Sanctuary resort in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic.
We struggled greatly in deciding where to go for an All-Inclusive. As most are aware, the All-Inclusive are limited ... Most are in Mexico and a few in the Caribbean. Jesse refused to go to Mexico so it was basically narrowed down to Jamaica or the Dominican Republic (as budget friendly alternatives). I knew that DR had amazing beaches... so we finally narrowed it down and with the help of my friend Erin, we chose to stay at Secrets Sanctuary Cap Cana as the Secrets resorts all have a great reputation and are known for elegance! We couldn't have been happier with our decision and the VERY last minute switch... and DR led to a proposal to remember for the rest of our lives...Love you dear!
***For great deals on "Beach Type" destinations check out:
http://www.beachdestinations.com/ (This is where we booked our Secrets Sanctuary Cap Cana resort and airfare and the price was $600 cheaper per person rather than Expedia or Orbitz!)
http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/
http://www.bookit.com/ (Make sure to check out their All-Inclusives area)
Visit the destinations of your dreams. Stop resisting. Take the plunge and GO. Your mind and your life will be enriched by the experience. For now, truly, the world is your oyster.♥
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