Spring Break 2025: Punta Cana - Part II

 

We booked a cabana on our second full day at the resort. So glad we booked 30 days in advance as they were all sold out when we arrived! The cabana provided front row seating at the pool and full shade!

What a view!

The boys were too cute. Kade was thirsty, so they swam over to the swim-up pool bar and ordered themselves a water. Then Brock ferried him back to the cabana! 

Kade definitely knows how to relax!

Brock getting in a little swim workout!

When Brock and Brent headed in for the gym, Kade and I took a walk down to the beach. He was a bit upset about the seaweed. I loved it - and the water was warmer than the pool!

Resort view!

When we returned from the beach the resort crew had set up an obstacle course for the kiddos! Kade made one attempt, but alas did not get too far. It looked hard! 

Time to get out of the sun and cool off with a popsicle at the lobby cafe!

That evening we treated the boys to in-room dining and headed off to our own dinner on the adults-only side. The steak dinner was delicious! 

Brock asked to take some photos of these climbing people!

Our last full day at the resort was a bit more low-key. Woke up to some rain and decided it best to relax indoors as we all had our fair share of the sun! 

After lunch, we headed back to the water park! No pictures, but all four of us went down this slide together! Brock won!

But they both love this yellow fast slide! 

Paradise!

After leaving the water park, Kade and I headed to the Spa!! They offer 30 minute "Teen Massages" for ages 6 - 13! Since I had to sit in the room anyway, I decided to treat myself to a 30 minute massage as well! Kade selected the Choco-Massage - he smelled like chocolate for a full day! 

Dinner that evening was at the Mongolian restaurant - it was so good!!

We all agreed to pass on the desserts there and headed to the buffet for crepes for dessert! 

We stayed up later that night watching the Karaoke pre-show and about 30 minutes of the Magic show, but we were all exhausted. One more sleep and then last visit to El Mercado for the breakfast buffet. 

All packed up and saying goodbye to the resort and our view! 

I was so pleased - after five days of playing together they definitely bonded up again. 

One last surprise! Brent had been watching the fares and pulled the trigger on upgrading the whole family to business class for the return home. They both sat down looking stunned and continued asking us if these were really our seats! 

It was such an enjoyable vacation - relaxed, read my book, and spent quality time with the family. Really no fights and everyone was happy! The beach is definitely our happy place!

Spring Break 2025: Punta Cana - Part I

Our Spring Break started on Saturday evening - we drove to Charlotte to hang out with the Huntersville crew for a night before getting on our early Sunday morning flight. Between costs and connection - it actually works out better this way. 

Brian and Nancy had an event to attend that night so Brent and I took charge and got to pretend we had four boys!! What a whirlwind! They were too cute together for sure. 

Everyone was showered and in bed by 9:45 - not bad! :) 

We decided to head back to the Hyatt Ziva in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - it was such an amazing resort with great food and an amazing water park!

We arrived a little earlier in the day and our room was not quite ready, but we were able to take advantage of the late lunch buffet and lounge around in the swinging chairs. The boys had their Wifi and we had our adult beverages to jump start our vacation!

After settling in, we decided on Italian that night - the boys are not big on pasta (how are they my kids??!?), but after looking over the other menu items, I thought we'd be good. Kade was a bit upset about not getting chicken & french fries and very reluctantly tried the beef ribs. The rest of us tried a bite and they were amazing - slow cooked for 14 hours!! That is why I always ordered 3 things between Brock and Kade to share (beef ribs, buttered penne, 4 cheese pizza). 

Ice cream time at the lobby! If you don't like what the restaurant offers, you can always come up here for ice cream any time of the day!

The view of the pool area at night, all lit up, is absolutely stunning!

The next morning the boys were excited to return to the buffet for breakfast. We all agreed buffet breakfast is the best! 

We slathered LOTS of suntan lotion and headed off to the pool! I loved that I could still find front row chairs at the main pool at 10am - chair saving is not allowed. 

The water was slightly cool - I told the boys I needed to get good and hot before I got in!

They were happy to jump in with the pool float - and Brock loved acting as the engine in their little train. 

We were sitting so close to the bridge, I felt we needed to recreate the picture from April 2022!

April 2022 (Brock 9, Kade 6.5)      vs.       April 2025 (Brock 12, Kade 9.5)

Poor Kade bit his lip when the boys were over by the infinity edge pool wall. He was bleeding pretty badly and Brock swam his hardest to get him out of the pool. After we got him all cleaned up and some more water, Brock realized his actions "I saved Kade!" He was very proud of himself. 

Another view of the main pool and our chair location. 

Time for lunch (everything revolves around eating at an all-inclusive!) so we headed to the buffet. 

A few minutes early means more time on the swinging chairs!

After lunch we made our debut at the water park! Brock and Kade decided on these slides for their first run!

And just like that - they were best friends again. 

Brent and Brock left a little earlier and headed to the gym for a little cardio. Kade and I played a little game in the kiddie pool (we were the only ones there!) and then headed back to the room to get out of the sun. 

We all got dressed up for our dinner at the Navigator Grill. 

Brock played photographer and snapped some pictures of me while we waited for dinner to open. 

Dinner was pretty good, but we all like dessert the best! 

After dinner, we convinced Brock to get some alone time (away from his family) for a few hours and hang out at the teen club.... the teen club is for 13 to 17 year olds.... no one said a thing when Brock signed in as a 13 year old. :) It's only open from 5pm-9pm and all he wanted to do was play video games. It was nice - gave him an hour of decompression time nightly. :) 

That time was also served by letting Kade get some food he would actually eat in the buffet and then some time alone in the room as well while Brent and I explored some other areas of the resort! This part was pretty awesome - the boys are old enough (and connected with Wifi, Apple Watches, and iPads) that we could get some adult time of our own too and not have to pay a babysitter!