Majestic Elegance Resort, Punta Cana

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2012 marks 15 years of best friendship with Kate.

F-i-f-t-e-e-n years.

It’s the kind of relationship Hollywood likes to make movies about.

It’s the kind of relationship I always dreamed of having.

It’s the kind of relationship I’ll be most proud of when I’m wearing adult diapers and false teeth (because she’ll be wearing them too).

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To celebrate our anniversary, Kate and I did what any normal, well-adjusted, financially responsible 27 year old girls would do after fifteen years together as best friends, we simply:

saved and scoured beneath our car seats for change until we’d each collected $1000 to travel to an all-inclusive adult-only resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for 5 days and 4 nights.

spent roughly $300 at Hudson News on magazines before leaving Boston Logan International Airport.

Our trip included lots of interesting things. For instance:

On our layover in Miami, Kate spent $0.89 on pretzel M&Ms while I bought a flashy souvenir pen. punta cana 2012 094

I fell asleep repeatedly on the plane only to wake up with a jump and a shout because I kept having the falling dream.

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We took thrice daily opportunities to drink champagne, because hey! It’s a celebration.

We spent unspeakable amounts of money on services at the spa that included but were not limited to: couple’s massage, facials, and mud body wraps.

We charged them to the room, thinking that the room was just so darn generous.

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We laid in our king sized bed each night watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on my laptop and ordering the entirety of the room service dessert menu.

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We had the kinds of conversations you’re sure you should’ve taken notes on, that you should’ve stashed away in a scrapbook to remember in ten years, twenty years.

I laughed in a way I only laugh with her.

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I read Bossypants by Tina Fey on our daybed by the pool and, though Kate had already read it, I kindly recounted every funny story in the book to her. Which is to say, I read the book aloud to her.

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We drank 24 ounce bottles of Smart Water because a.) we want to be like Jennifer Aniston, and b.) we want to look like Jennifer Aniston.

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I even went so far as to take a bubble bath in this tub that was in our bedroom. The hotel staff lined it with rose petals and fashioned two towels into swans. It was the least I could do.

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And this, this one off-center and un-made up photo, is the only one we have together from our trip. The photo is both unfortunate and accurate.

To the next fifteen years, my love.

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47 thoughts on “Majestic Elegance Resort, Punta Cana

  1. Amanda

    I would agree with the other comment. Congrats on your friendship. I would love to be as close to someone as you are to your friend. And I’d love to have a friend that could go on a vacation with me. Both of you are very lucky to have the other one.

    Reply
  2. Stacie @ Snaps and Bits

    Glad you had a great time, that resort looks nice! I went with kids to the Paradisis Palma Real. The resort was nice but the food was average and drinks watered down. I wouldn’t go back there for what it cost but maybe if we went without kids and stayed at your place it would be more awesome!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie

    My sister follows your blog and just shared this post with me because my husband and I just returned from vacationing at the same resort with two of our friends. We had a blast and the recap you did is excellent! Who knows… we probably sat across from each other at dinner one night or on the beach! Glad you enjoyed as much as we did!

    Reply
  4. Janelle

    Love this!! Just had to e-mail this to my closest girlfriends as we are beginning to plan a reunion to celebrate our 16 years of friendship :)

    Reply
    1. admin

      Good question! The food, on the whole, was not good. A few of the restaurants where you have to make reservations to get a table for dinner are decent (ex: the French one). But really, don’t go to this resort if you’re looking for delicious eats :(

      Reply
  5. Andie

    One note I want to add: While I thought the resort was nice and the staff was very kind and accommodating, Kate and I didn’t like that almost all of the resort (except for our room) is not air conditioned. The lobby, many of the restaurants, etc- all of it is open-air, which can be great, but going in the summer meant we were uncomfortable quite a bit.

    Reply
    1. Holly S.

      Oh that is good to know. I hadn’t heard that yet. Yikes! We are going the end of November/Beginning of December so hopefully it won’t be too hot. As long as our room has A/C then I think I will survive. :-)

      Reply
  6. Lindsey

    My best friend and i met almost 30 years ago in preschool when we were 3…i cherish the relationship we have and know we’re lucky to have each other. We’re really more like family at this point. We vacation together and do a few major holiday’s together. Our parents are also best friends who vacation together.

    Reply
  7. Shira

    This is sweet.. My 2 best friends and I have been ‘together’ for 19 years.. next year at 27 yrs old will mark 20 years :) crazytalk.. guess we’ll have to do it up! Also, one of them and I have been reading the “best parts” (ie. the entire thing) of books at the cottage to each other for years.. loved that part.

    Reply
  8. AZJoy

    love this! You are lucky to have such a great friend in your life! Wish I had one, with all the moving and such I have done in my life, there was never that constant girlfriend in my life. You are indeed a lucky girl! I also love seeing all the beautiful places you go!

    Reply
  9. Ksenija

    How beautiful the whole resort looks like and it sounds like the best way to celebrate 15 years of best-friendship. Cheers to another 15 and more, you two!

    Reply
  10. Lindsay

    I love it. I have 2 great girlfriends and we’ve been friends for over 25 years. I would love to do something like this with them. Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
  11. Tara Walker

    HA!! This is the kind of trip my bestie and I dream of!!! We’ve now been BFF for over 21 years! (for more than half our lives!!!) Sounds like you all have the same kind of relationship we have. Looking forward to the next decades together!

    Reply
  12. IRISMES

    So nice reading about my country in your blog, hope you had a great time and that you’ll come back soon! PS, those misspelled signs are hilarious!!

    Reply
  13. Celia

    My husband and I just went there in May! Excellent resort! Great place for you to celebrate 15 years. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

    Reply
  14. Brenda M.

    Loved this post. And love seeing all of the places you have visited. My husband and I have been NO WHERE. So, we’re willing to travel but it seems so expensive. How do you find these amazing deals????? Was air fair separate from the $1000.00 you mentioned? I think you are a great inspiration in so many areas – thanks for a wonderful blog!

    Reply
    1. Holly S.

      My husband and I are going to this same resort with another couple the end of November. We booked through Costco and got a good deal (at least we thought it was a good deal). It was around $2800 for the two of us. This included airfare, airport-hotel transfers, the adult only section of the resort, the junior suite upgrade, some discounts on activities and free round of golf (which we probably will not use). That is a pretty good price considering the resort is all-inclusive. Just thought I would let you know.

      Reply
  15. luv what you do

    Wow, what a beautiful place to celebrate friendship. My BF and I could definitely use a trip like that and my boyfriend and I were talking about going to Punta Cana. We will have to revisit that!

    Reply
  16. Sue

    Bossypants – omg that book is hilarious! I had to give up on reading it in public because I felt like I needed CPR a few times whilst trying not to laugh out loud (not a good look!)

    Reply
    1. Holly S.

      My husband and I are going to this same resort with another couple the end of November. We booked through Costco and got a good deal (at least we thought it was a good deal). It was around $2800 for the two of us. This included airfare, airport-hotel transfers, the adult only section of the resort, the junior suite upgrade, some discounts on activities and free round of golf (which we probably will not use). That is a pretty good price considering the resort is all-inclusive. If you haven’t booked your trip, check out Costco travel deals. Just thought I would let you know.

      Reply
  17. cait

    what a fabulous idea! my best friend Megan and i are celebrating 18 years this year and have decided to plan and save for a BIG trip somewhere marvelous to commemorate our friendship. thanks for the lovely idea!

    Reply
  18. Rachel T.

    I’m totally going to do that with my best friend for our 25 years in three years! What a great idea!! What was the name of the resort you went to? My fiance and I haven’t planned a honeymoon yet, and I like the idea of “adult-only.”

    Reply
    1. Holly S.

      My husband and I went to an all inclusive adult only resort in Cabo San Lucus through his work last October. It was a gorgeous resort, gorgeous beaches and the food was AMAZING!!!! The resort we stayed at was called “Pueblo Bonito Pacifica”. You also have access to their other resorts (can eat there, swim there and use their beaches) as well as free shuttle service between resorts (and going “in town” via a sister resort). Keep Cabo in mind for your honeymoon….it is very romantic. My husband and I and one other couple are actually going to this exact same resort in Punta Cana in November but I have heard the food is average at best. I am bummed about that but I am excited for our vacation. Cabo may be hard to beat. In Cabo you can also visit the famous “Arch” and “Lover’s Beach” which is gorgeous! Just throwing this out there.

      Reply
  19. Holly S.

    Thanks for sharing your experience with us. My husband and I and one other couple will be traveling to the Majestic Elegance Resort in Punta Cana the end of November. I am very excited and it looks beautiful. I am very disappointed about the food “reports” I have read in various reviews though. We have only been to two all-inclusive resorts and went on a cruise for our honeymoon. I have to say that the food was amazing on the cruise and at only one of the restaurants at the resort in Cabo San Lucus but only fair in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The food is one of the things I look forward to on vacation but have noticed that all-inclusive resorts don’t always have amazing food. I guess that is ok since I am vegan and try to eat as close to a Raw diet as possible. I was actually worried about the temptations of the food but was actually looking forward to steering away from my normal eating habits (since I will be on vacation) just a bit and enjoying some of the foods I once loved. The resort itself looks amazing. We will be with some great friends and this will be our second vacation together; the first was Hawaii two years ago and included a third couple.

    I think it is so great you were able to enjoy this with your BGF (Best Girl Friend). True friends are hard to come by and especially for girls.

    The greatest part of our upcoming vacation is the fact that I will be traveling with my BFF of 14 years…..my husband of 13 years. I love the time we get to get away together without our three kids. As much as I love family vacations, mommy and daddy need time for ourselves.

    Way to go on your physical transformation. You are a gorgeous woman!!

    Reply

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