My first solo trip was to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and it was very relaxing. Since I'd never traveled out of the country alone before this, I was highly cautious and spent my entire trip at "The Level at Melia Caribe" resort. This resort has adult-only areas, pools and buildings to assure that your trip is relaxing and kid-free. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a butler, who became my DR bestie! The biggest downside of the trip was that hotel food and drinks were pretty mediocre. I, unfortunately, did not venture off of the resort to experience the local cuisine but would encourage others to do so, since I've heard great things. Outside of this, I enjoyed relaxing on the beach most days and visiting the resort spa which has an outdoor shower and massage tiki (very Instagram-worthy). There was also morning yoga outdoors to participate in each morning and a man that walked the beach daily with colorful parrots that you can take photos with. Overall Punta Cana felt like a very ideal place for a relaxing beach getaway or romantic bae-cation.
Aruba was one of my most fun trips to date! We rented an Airbnb with a private beach, and it was very very nice. If choosing to do an Airbnb, be sure you are traveling with a group because most of them are far from the main street without street lights at night and a little challenging to find. If I traveled to Aruba again, I would choose to stay in a hotel on the main street to be much closer to all of the action. There were a ton of restaurants and adventures to experience each day. Be sure to go to Flamingo Beach to take some Insta-worthy pictures up close with those beautiful birds! It is a private beach with limited tickets each day, so it is a very relaxing beach experience as well. The next biggest highlight of the trip was driving an ATV to the Natural Pool. The drive takes you through the town, around the edges of the beach and is soooo much fun. The natural pool is absolutely beautiful and we spent some time there diving off of the rocks and swimming. We also enjoyed a fair share of local cuisine, which was delicious and stumbled across a low-key karaoke bar that we turned into a full concert hall. Random note: I did not have any phone service for much of my trip (T-mobile), so one of my friends purchased a local cell phone and phone card while we were there. Overall I highly recommend a visit to Aruba.
St. Croix is a very laid back, low-key destination, however, there are definitely the typical island activities and adventures to engage in as well (like jet skis, snorkeling etc). This is a pretty affordable place to travel to and it is very ideal for couples. I enjoyed a blend of relaxation, adventure and eating a ton of carbs! We stayed in a boutique hotel located in Christiansted, which was surprisingly off the beaten path with no other hotels around. However waking up to the sound of roosters each morning, made our travel experience even more authentic.
Here are 3 travel tips:
1. Book a horseback riding tour with the Cruzan Cowgirls! This includes a ride through the forest and the ocean. The horses are rescue horses and very fun. (www.cruzancowgirls.com)
2. Visit "Monks Bath Beach", it is a hidden tidal pool that is absolutely beautiful and very Instagram worthy. Be sure to wear swim shoes, because it is very rocky and you have to climb a bit through rocky terrain to find it.
3. Consider renting a car! Island transportation was very challenging to manage while staying in Christiansted, most of the taxi drivers did not want to come to that side of the island to pick us up.
My first solo trip was to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and it was very relaxing. Since I'd never traveled out of the country alone before this, I was highly cautious and spent my entire trip at "The Level at Melia Caribe" resort. This resort has adult-only areas, pools and buildings to assure that your trip is relaxing and kid-free. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a butler, who became my DR bestie! The biggest downside of the trip was that hotel food and drinks were pretty mediocre. I, unfortunately, did not venture off of the resort to experience the local cuisine but would encourage others to do so, since I've heard great things. Outside of this, I enjoyed relaxing on the beach most days and visiting the resort spa which has an outdoor shower and massage tiki (very Instagram-worthy). There was also morning yoga outdoors to participate in each morning and a man that walked the beach daily with colorful parrots that you can take photos with. Overall Punta Cana felt like a very ideal place for a relaxing beach getaway or romantic bae-cation.
Aruba was one of my most fun trips to date! We rented an Airbnb with a private beach, and it was very very nice. If choosing to do an Airbnb, be sure you are traveling with a group because most of them are far from the main street without street lights at night and a little challenging to find. If I traveled to Aruba again, I would choose to stay in a hotel on the main street to be much closer to all of the action. There were a ton of restaurants and adventures to experience each day. Be sure to go to Flamingo Beach to take some Insta-worthy pictures up close with those beautiful birds! It is a private beach with limited tickets each day, so it is a very relaxing beach experience as well. The next biggest highlight of the trip was driving an ATV to the Natural Pool. The drive takes you through the town, around the edges of the beach and is soooo much fun. The natural pool is absolutely beautiful and we spent some time there diving off of the rocks and swimming. We also enjoyed a fair share of local cuisine, which was delicious and stumbled across a low-key karaoke bar that we turned into a full concert hall. Random note: I did not have any phone service for much of my trip (T-mobile), so one of my friends purchased a local cell phone and phone card while we were there. Overall I highly recommend a visit to Aruba.
St. Croix is a very laid back, low-key destination, however, there are definitely the typical island activities and adventures to engage in as well (like jet skis, snorkeling etc). This is a pretty affordable place to travel to and it is very ideal for couples. I enjoyed a blend of relaxation, adventure and eating a ton of carbs! We stayed in a boutique hotel located in Christiansted, which was surprisingly off the beaten path with no other hotels around. However waking up to the sound of roosters each morning, made our travel experience even more authentic. Here are 3 travel tips: 1. Book a horseback riding tour with the Cruzan Cowgirls! This includes a ride through the forest and the ocean. The horses are rescue horses and very fun. (www.cruzancowgirls.com) 2. Visit "Monks Bath Beach", it is a hidden tidal pool that is absolutely beautiful and very Instagram worthy. Be sure to wear swim shoes, because it is very rocky and you have to climb a bit through rocky terrain to find it. 3. Consider renting a car! Island transportation was very challenging to manage while staying in Christiansted, most of the taxi drivers did not want to come to that side of the island to pick us up.