…Tremble, tremble: the earache gang is back.

We couldn't resist... we came back. I know, with all the beautiful places in the world, do you really have to go back to Bayahibe? We found a great compromise between quality and price, and I have to say that's no small thing. I swear we looked for good alternatives at a price we could afford, but the only acceptable solution for us was to return to the Viva Dominicus! I let the staff we met last year know our arrival date, and how lovely: they wait for us with open arms.

First of all, this year we changed tour operator, given the previous experience (I bad-mouthed them a lot and I have to say it worked) and we opted for the village... now I'll explain everything.

This year too we're holidaying with Patty, Paolo and Tommy; like us, they couldn't resist the charm of the Caribbean at a fairly competitive price. They leave on Monday, we leave on Sunday.

The flight went smoothly, though I'll say again that the Blue Panorama airline isn't up to much! We arrive in La Romana right on time... the feeling is strange, it can't really be a whole year already. We feel at ease; this time we know how to get around, so we get through the formalities very quickly.

As I told you, this year we opted for the Village, a complex outside the Viva Dominicus resort, with a road separating the two. The room they give us is poor, but our only goal is to go and greet the staff. We head towards the Bocayate and find Sabina and Luca... kisses, hugs, and as is their custom they invite us to dinner... a good start indeed! How much we have to tell each other, but the saddest part is that the Bocayate will be razed to the ground and another complex built in its place. Luca and Sabina will however run a restaurant (L'ANGOLO) a short distance away, so if you want to eat well... go there! The weather isn't great, but we're so tired that once in the room we collapse, cradled in the arms of Morpheus, and don't notice that the mother of all downpours has started outside!

In the morning we wake up and find everything flooded. Oh noooooooo, not in the Caribbean too! And now how do we get to the restaurant for breakfast? Noah's ark didn't come to pick us up, and you don't set off for the Caribbean with an umbrella in your suitcase. But female ingenuity knows no bounds... I go down and ask the waitresses for two bin bags... here's our umbrella, ha ha ha. We reach the restaurant and refuel... and notice that the quality and variety of the food have got worse... no good!

Alright, what are we going to do now that it's raining... first we buy a couple of umbrellas (the bin bags are ingenious but not very practical) and then we go wandering... the main road outside the Viva is flooded, the water up to our knees, thanks to the engineers who designed the complex... well done! With no drains, the road floods very easily. We go looking for Marco and Manu of Mariposa Tour, but the office is closed. Anyway, the day passes enjoyably, between Giorgia's braids and chats with all the staff we've met again. At last Marco from Mariposa arrives and tells us his news too.

Back in the room we notice a leak in the bathroom... and ENOUGH, is it really possible that you wait a year for a holiday and nothing is ever right?! I call the rep and they change our room straight away... so repack the suitcases and unpack them again... grrrrrr, though I have to say the room is nice. This year too we booked a triple, but we ended up with two queen-size beds and there was no way to get a third. So remember that you'll get 2 beds either way, whether you're 2 or 4... it's for staying nice and close!

Second day, and the weather isn't exactly nice, but at least it's not raining. It's excessively hot and the humidity is stifling. Patty, Paolo and Tommy arrive; they're at the Palace, but they're no better off than us with the rooms. This year we noticed the clientele has changed, French and Americans, and of course the cooking has adapted... what a shame, last year the quality was better.

First excursion with Mariposa, and we repeat Saona... it stayed in our hearts. So natural pools for the rum baptism, which for us has become confirmation, then Canto della Playa with a lobster grill... yum, yum. Unfortunately, because of the heat and humidity there are loads of mozzies that sucked our souls a bit more and we'd have turned into vampires! My husband had to take an antihistamine, so listen to the friends who tell you to use Johnson's oil... we didn't:-( Mangroves and more natural pools at sunset... what a wonder.

This year too I was christened by gastroenteritis, but ha, gotcha, I'd brought along some hand grenades that stopped it all 10 minutes after the first pill. NORMIX is the magic little word.

At the Viva Palace this year there's the Bravo club and you can see their shows in the evening, so we have an alternative. The Beach shows are lovely anyway; we didn't miss the one dedicated to Michael Jackson, in which Giorgia had a part... how excited I was!

At last Sabina and Luca take us to see Boca de Yuma, about 40 minutes from Bayahibe. It's a small village overlooking the Atlantic Ocean... what a wonder. We visited the little town, had lunch in a restaurant run by an Italian with pizza (a must for us Italians); folks, I had a marinara made for me that was a real show, enough to rival Italian pizza-makers. After the pizza, a little boat braved the ocean waves and took us to a small beach to spend the afternoon; I won't deny that during the crossing I was very worried. Giorgia played the whole time with a Dominican boy and who cares about the Nintendo... it was much more fun playing with the crabs! Parents, let's reflect!

Another excursion with Sabina, a wander around Bayahibe, which we'd never seen, and then a dip in the sea. On the way back we stopped at the Cueva de las Maravillas in Bayahibe. It was a feat... we were unprepared and wanted to visit the cave in flip-flops and a pareo... obviously we only saw the entrance, but it's worth it, so get organised and go and take a dip — they said it's fantastic.

The time to leave has come; unfortunately we didn't manage a couple of excursions that were close to our hearts, because of the excessive heat, but we saw some lovely spots this year too! A group dinner to say goodbye, kisses and hugs and an ARRIVEDERCI, until next time.