Thursday - 2.23.23

Today is our last full day of the trip already! It’s hard to believe how fast the trip has gone. But like the saying goes, time flies when you’re in the Dominican Republic (or something like that). 

Everyone got up this morning and had breakfast in the resort. We were able to take advantage of our last morning here and even got some bonus beach and pool time in by storing our bags on the bus and keeping our wristbands on. 

After we were done with lunch and a bit more sun, it was time to board the bus and head back to Santo Domingo to our first hotel, Hotel Novus Plaza in la zona colonial. 

Since the ride to Santo Domingo from Puerto Plata is a bit long (about 3 hours and 40 minutes), we stopped at Parador Jacaranda, which is a well known rest stop that sells delicious food, snacks and souvenirs. The students didn't eat too much there, though, because we were going straight to dinner upon arriving in Santo Domingo. It was a nice break in the drive and gave everyone the opportunity to stretch out, have some snacks and hang out.

We made it to the capital in time for our dinner reservation at El Conuco, a typical Dominican restaurant with great food, music and dancing. This was a wonderful way to conclude the trip and enjoy some entertainment while eating. After dinner, everyone got in on the action and there we did some serious dancing! It was a blast and definitely a memorable moment from the trip. It was the perfect way to celebrate our last dinner.

The plan for tomorrow is to just relax and sleep in. It is going to be a long day of travel so we are all going to take advantage of the free time in the morning and early afternoon before we leave for NY. the students will have the chance to also do some souvenir shopping and grab food before we depart.