There’s nothing quite as soul filling and empowering as a girl’s trip with your nearest and dearest friends. Sometimes life gets too hectic, and every once in a while, we need some time with our BFFs to slow down, to appreciate life’s blessings, to refresh, to laugh uncontrollably, and to let our hair down. Girls trips provide the perfect opportunity to celebrate the fun, genuine and inspirational people in your life. And well, if it happens to be their 30th birthday, it’s time to make the trip that much more special. And so, duty-free bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne in hand, we set off for a fun-filled week to the Dominican Republic.
With Jet Blue’s full crew breaking out in full song wishing our dear friend India a happy birthday, and showering us with complimentary bubbles and snacks, we were off to a stellar (and very early) start. While the Dominican Republic is infamous for its all-inclusive packages, we opted to go off the tourist grid, and plan our own itineraries, to make the trip more intimate, adventurous and private. Here are our ingredients for a perfect girl’s trip…
A Road trip to Playa Rincon
A road trip is the ultimate bonding experience, providing you with the freedom to make detours, crank whatever tunes your heart desires, adventure beyond the beaten track, and extensively explore on your own schedule. And so, with our 4x4 SUV rental, we set off from the Santo Domino airport for Samana, a 3-hour drive. Queue music, dancing, life conversations and a few failed navigation attempts, and before we knew it, we were pulling into the hotel.
Our later road trip to Las Galeras was not quite as smooth sailing; isolated dirt roads that made you question if you were in the right place, rugged terrain, a questionable police checkpoint, lots of cattle crossing roads, thousands of “motos” appearing out of thin air. However, arriving at Playa Rincón (with its several mile stretch of the whitest sand and untouched beach, and palm trees beautifully dotted along the entirety of the coast), we knew it was worth the 3-hour blood pressure elevating trek. The beach is the epitome of secluded paradise, with every angle worthy of a postcard picture.
Top Tips:
Visit the far left side of the beach; there is a beautiful cove perfect for swimming and lounging.
Try “Coco Locos” – an alcoholic beverage sold by local vendors!
The driving in DR is not for everyone; research before deciding whether to rent a car, and get insurance if you decide to road trip.
Treat yourselves to a stay in a luxurious hotel
We splurged a little more than usual and stayed at the Sublime Samana, a part of the Small Luxury Hotel Group. It is tucked right within a private peninsula on DR’s North Coast. Every little detail from the fresh passion fruit juice we were greeted with, to the insta-worthy hotel décor, and White Company toiletries were appreciated by us all.
Our two-bedroom suite, equipped with a large balcony, kitchen and living area, and an outdoor jacuzzi, made for the perfect setup for lots of meaningful life chats and champagne celebrations. The staff were all very helpful, attentive, and accommodating, helping us to procure flowers, balloons, cake, fruit, and chilled champagne for the birthday girl upon arrival!
The hotel’s outdoor space consists of an impressive sprawling set of interconnected pools and canopied daybeds, perfect for our relaxing afternoons.
Pamper Yourselves
During our stay, we booked surprise “Coconut Whispers” spa packages at the Sublime Spa for the Birthday Girl (and ourselves, of course!). The spa consisted of the cutest cozy wooden cottages carefully placed within a lush tropical rainforest.
Alongside my amazing, hilarious girlfriends, we spent the entire afternoon lazing poolside in our comfortable plush white spa robes. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love coconut any more, along came our treatments. The various treatments utilised local ingredients from the property such as coconuts (obviously), organic honey, and sea salt.
The 2-hour treatment started with a bamboo Vichy shower lightly spraying water over us to activate the body’s circulation, followed by a hair treatment, full body exfoliation, energising warm coconut milk bath, and relaxing rain massage. After this, we were officially pampered poodles and ready to lounge and drink our fresh coconut water. No other words to describe our experience than COCONUT HEAVEN.
Do something a little crazy!
What is a girl’s trip without an adrenaline pumping adventure? Our “something crazy” of choice was a trek to Cascada Limón on horseback. We set off with our awesome guides on our not-so-leisurely horseback ride to the falls. The path was very rugged, causing us to cling to our horses for dear life as we climbed the VERY steep ascents and descents. I can still hear our nervous laughs as the guides enchanted us with their singing to distract us.
Deep into the dense tropical jungle we went crossing streams and every tropical fruit tree under the sun. Taking us roughly 45 minutes to reach the end of the path, we descended fairly steep steps by foot where we were afforded a magnificent view of the stunning 120 ft Salto el Limón Falls and its crystal-clear pool that was just as refreshing as it looked. We soaked, sat in awe taking in nature’s finest for quite some time before heading back, stopping at the “bar” right beside the falls for fresh piña coladas (and extra rum to dull the return journey).We still laugh about this incredible “slightly crazy” adventure today..
