We took a direct flight from Halifax via Air Transat. When we arrived in Dominica Republic for our first time, we were extremely pleased with the beautiful weather and warm reception. Unfortunately, we didn't get much sleep the night before since we had to be at the airport for 4:30am. Basically we arrived at the hotel around noontime a bit red-eyed and ragged. But that didn't stop us from heading straight to the beach immediately after checking in.

Our hotel room was located in building 13 which was centrally located, putting us close to the lounge, restaurants and the beach. The resort itself was immaculate, well landscaped, and the staff, well we couldn't say enough about them. They were all friendly and extremely hard working. Everyone greeted us with a cheerful "Hola"! Just about everyone we met, apart from a few chambermaids, spoke very fluent english.

My wife spent most of day on the beach soaking up the sun at a comfortable 27 degrees. I, on the other hand, made several trips parasailing, took a 3-hour 4-wheeling excursion further down the coast on an undeveloped beach, and had a tour of the Bavaro Beach by boat. We took several trips to the nearby village to visit the market. The vendors, who even spoke english, were a bit aggressive but we had a ball bartering with them. Everything was "cheapy cheapy" or "very good price." We picked up a few Cohiba cigars, booze, clothing and a big oil painting. What they say is true, "take half the clothes and twice the money."

The food was terrific; we definitely put on a few pounds. The restaurants were all great, we liked them all.the Beef House, Italian, Mexican, and the buffet! In fact, we went to the Mexican restaurant twice where we made great friends with our waiter "Pedro". He served up some great tequila shooters and liquor coffees. In addition, we visited the outdoor pizzeria just about every evening while taking in the nightly stage performances.

The drinks were great; especially the fruit drinks.Banana Mamas, Coco Locos, and the Strawberry Daiquiris. The waiters got to know us real fast and automatically put a healthy dose of rum in all of our drinks. It's amazing what a couple of US $1 bills can do!

There were loads of topless women on the beach. The only problem was that a lot of the women that went topless shouldn't have.

We had a fantastic vacation and are planning to return to the Occidental Grand Flamenco again next year! Besides, there's so much in Dominica we didn't get to do or see yet. Overall, the weather was great, food was delicious, and the people were terrific! Highly recommended!

Just back from our week at the Paradisus Rio de Oro (our second stay there) and it is just as wonderful as it was in 2005, with the added bonus of the new spa section, nicely built on the seashore with seawater pool and private sandy cove. Everything in this property was, and still is, top-notch: accomodations (go for the superior rooms if you can, nicely tucked in a well-preserved seashore tropical forest, and ask for a sea-view room); food (varied, always excellent and more than plentiful) both at the buffet and the four specialty restaurants, particularly the Japanese one; cleanliness (everything is spotless); service, always smiling, attentive and ever-present to answer your every needs.

In a word, this is the perfect place to spend a week or two in a slendid environment where you will be pampered 24 hours a day. In our opinion, one of the very best value-for-money resorts in the Caribbean, and certainly the best in Cuba!

Thanks for your help!
Michael and Sara