First time in the Caribbean

The first time in the Caribbean. Destination Bayahibe, at the Viva Dominicus Beach that so many have already talked about; we rely on the tour operator Un altro sole. The Blue Panorama flight wasn't impeccable, almost 5 hours of delay at departure; spending them at Malpensa airport, especially during a period of industrial action, wasn't the best. Some poor service on board too, non-working earphone sockets, narrow and somewhat battered seats, flight time 10 hours outbound, 9 return. The Viva Dominicus Beach welcomes us when it's already evening; the practically open-air lobby surprises you, but here there are no doors and no worries about air conditioning in the common areas, everything is "open". We chose, with a small supplement, to stay in the bungalow and it's worth it: the thatched roof wraps around the structure, palms are everywhere.

The heart of the resort is the Placita, where people gather, where there's dancing in the evening, and then the big amphitheatre; the entertainment is super fabulous, different shows are staged with astonishing choreography, the Dominican entertainers have dance in their soul. Everyone welcomes you with a smile, from the restaurant waitresses to the entertainers to the gardeners; they seem happy even with just the little they have, and when we leave the resort we realise that outside, life is another thing. Nothing to say about the quality of the food, always varied and excellent. In the evening you can dine at the Viva Mexico restaurant or at the grill with table service; you just book the day before, and you feel even more pampered. The weather was a bit changeable the first three days, some light showers, but we were always at the beach.

Towards the end of the week it improved; even the locals can't say which is the best season, by now it's just a matter of luck. A week flies by quickly; we also want to laze under the palms, so we opt to do only 2 excursions: the boat trip to the island of Saona + Catalinita (unmissable) and the quad + dune buggy outing. For Saona we prefer to book at the Centro Diving, since the excursion offered is more complete than the one proposed by Un altro sole. We set off by launch after putting on the compulsory life jackets; first destination the mangrove channel (which reminds me so much of Isola dei Famosi), then the island of Catalinita, where we admire giant conches and where we're very close to the point where the Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea, though from a distance, you can see very high waves. Next stop at the natural pools, a kind of sandbank where the water is shallow and warm.

We then stop at the island of Saona, at the little village of Mano Juan, where the women walk around with curlers in their hair and the shops are practically huts. A stop for lunch and then we move by launch towards the Viva's private beach for a bit of relaxation. In the afternoon a stop at the starfish bay, and then back to the resort, speeding along at 50 km an hour, amid splashes and spray, with the launches crossing each other's paths. We've just drunk the rum and we get off dazed. Quite a different kind is the excursion inland, to see the sugar cane plantations. We set off in a battered red bus, take possession of the quads and off along bumpy tracks, stones, puddles, dust everywhere. A stop at the Chavon river (the name says it all) to water up and in a small village to taste coconut.

We change vehicle; the dune buggy is already more comfortable, but when you cross the puddles it's painful, you get unbelievably dirty. Passing through the villages the children run after us; it's sad to immerse yourself in their life... We stop in the sugar cane plantation; a cane cutter earns 10 $ a day to cut 3.5 tonnes of cane....it takes 6 sturdy oxen to move the cart containing the cane cut by hand by one man in a day; let's think about that when we complain about our jobs! Tasting the cane (...the sugar cane) is pleasant. I forgot, we made the trip with Fiorella and Attilio, our children's in-laws; it was fun and together we really had a good time, our children will be happy about it.