s the little “alert box” shows up above the post I am on vacation this week. I have decided to drop off the face of the planet from this past Friday to this upcoming Friday.
Drop off the face of the planet, you ask? Yep, I am going to the Dominican Republic. Some people call it a third world country. Others call it paradise. I guess it depends whether you are living there or at a 5-star hotel for a destination wedding :p.
Even though I will be gone all week, I have scheduled all my posts so the posting schedule should remain consistent unless WordPress decides to play games and miss my scheduled postings (which it is apparently notorious for doing in the most recent version).
I will give you some insight into how my girlfriend and I deciphered all of the travel reviews for the different all-inclusive resorts we were considering. Mind you, before you read these, I am a very simple person and she is too. This made our quest to find an affordable vacation in a beautiful country that much easier.
Common Complaints
When you go to a site like Trip Advisor, it is worth it to note that typically people who are dissatisfied are more prone to post a review than those who are satisfied. If you have a bad experience you typically tell more people than if you have a good experience, right? With that in mind, I also realized the reviews would be skewed towards the negative.
There are quite a few complaints that we came across multiple times.
We called maintenance up to try and get hot water but he said there was nothing they could do.
I figured this would be the case. Why would you go to a 3 or 4 star resort in a third world country expecting to have a first world amenity? Things I also expected to be different: electricity could potentially be intermittent, their would be people trying to make a living by selling trinkets to all of the tourists, bugs and rodents might be more common, and I would need to use Spanish to communicate effectively. Luckily my girlfriend speaks conversational Spanish. Why do people overlook the fact that they are going to a third world country (I take issue with that word but I will use it to better communicate my message) just because they are going on vacation?
However, the plumbing was really bad. In the public bathrooms, there is a sign to put your poopy paper in the trash can instead of the toilet.
Again, third world country. Plumbing is typically a problem and often times toilets are not as powerful as in the US. They also have to worry about access to water and do not want to waste it just to flush a toilet. I also thought this was the expectation.
Also by the water sports area are so many minced up sea shells. In other words the sand does not feel good on your feet.
Uhhhh…. ok? So the shells, which occur naturally by the way, are bothering you? Then don’t walk in the water sports area of the beach. Or wear sandals. Or deal with it. I have had that same thing happen to me, too. In Ocean City, Maryland. In Myrtle Beach, North Carolina. Are you looking for reasons to complain?
…tiny ants crawling on the bathroom counter…
Sounds like my old college house. What happens when you take a resort that a lot of people go to, throw in some spilled alcohol, leftover food, and add a lot of humidity? Often times bugs happen. How can you expect to NOT see bugs, especially as little as ants? If this were a 5 star American hotel I would understand this complaint. But it isn’t.
Cable TV was not functioning so we had no American channels for the first four days.
Is that why you went on vacation… to watch American TV? Cause I am going for the beach, the water sports, and relaxation. I look forward to my reading time. I HOPE the TV isn’t on except when we are getting dressed and ready to go out.
Not only that…this hotel catered to the Spanish speaking world. As an American I was treated as a second class citizen.
If you work at a hotel in New York City (which is most definitely a tourist spot!) and someone is visiting from Germany, would it be a fair critique if they said “This hotel caters to the English speaking world!” No, absolutely not. English is our unofficial language pretty much so the expectation should be that you need to know some English to get by in America. If you are traveling to a Spanish speaking country… learn some Spanish.
Conclusion
You are going on vacation to relax, not complain. If your needs are simple, you may find you are a lot more satisfied in the end. This is an obvious equation.
By being more simple minded about my vacation we paid $1,700 altogether. That includes: RT airfare for two, RT airport transfers to and from the hotel, 7 nights stay, all-inclusive food and beverages, and a few other things. When looking at the 5 star locations the price jumped up another $1,000 or so. And you know what the funny thing is? The reviews didn’t change that drastically.
People go on vacation to these locations expecting to be waited on hand and foot in the most beautiful place ever. The reality of the situation is that they are beautiful places with amazing people. But they are poor by our standards.
Rest. Relax. Spend time with your loved one. Laugh. Meet the locals. Take in the sun. ENJOY.
See ya all next week.