HardRock Casino Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | Motherhood Unplugged

Now, this is what I call a vacation, nothing but the sand + sea. We flew to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for our second babymoon. I simply love the beach in Punta Cana, the beach has powdery white sand with turquoise blue water for miles and miles. It seemed like we had the entire children's pool to ourselves for the first few days as we went in early May before school was out. Phoenix wasn't quite 2 years old yet so I didn't have a problem pulling him out of preschool. Thankfully the job I had at the time was really flexible when it came to time off. I worked for a British owned company and the running joke was everyone in the London office was always on vacation. That's one concept I think the USA could learn from across the pond, we certainly need more vacation time. There definitely would be a lot less stressed out people in the office. Do you think you would be as productive if you could take more time off than you do now?

The HardRock Hotel & Casino was perfect for families. It is an all inclusive resort with a casino and nightclub atmosphere. There's something for everyone at all times of the day. We didn't get to take advantage for the casino because as you can see I was about 6 months pregnant and had a very active toddler in tow. I wasn't quite ready back then to let him go to the kids club or hire a babysitter. Honestly, I just recently found a trustworthy babysitter, who happens to be my childhood friend's teenager. My kids will be 4 + 6 in September and I cry over all the date nights we missed out on. I had a bad experience with hiring a nanny when I went back to work and ever since then I couldn't bring myself to trust another person to watch our children. The hotel rooms are enormous fit with an in room double hydro spa tub! The shower is something out of the MTV Cribs show. It can legit fit 6 adults, if you're having that sort of vacay lol Our room faced out into the courtyard but also had a partial view of the beach and was situated in close proximity to the kids beach area. The food was on point too and I took total advantage of eating any and everything I wanted while pregnant.

The Dominican Republic is also a beautiful destination in itself. I've been a few times. My first trip was in my early 20's with a girlfriend for her birthday. We stayed at the Melia Caribe during that trip, which is also a really nice resort. DR is quite affordable for families and the food is superb at the HardRock. I'm talking the authentic Latin food like the kind from the DR spots in the South Bronx where I used to eat growing up, not that 'Americanized' Dominican food. We mostly ate Inpanema, a Brazilian restaurant and the Los Gallos, a Latin restaurant. Overall, I'd definitely recommend staying at this resort if you like vacationing in all inclusive hotels with pristine beaches, great food + music to dance the night away.

Happy Travels,

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