After a very late night… we woke up in the early morning but found time slipping easily past as we lay about and took it easy. We missed the sunrise today, but enjoyed a slow morning before waking and visiting the lobby of the hotel for a coffee before starting our day. We sat at the coffee shop, sampling their mochas and frozen coffees before bringing Chris back a mocha as well and meeting back up with Chris and Sofia at the villa for coffee by the pool, and a late breakfast.
Today Sofia and Carli want to go to the beach – Sanctuary Cap Cana has a lot of walking beaches and even rooms that are butted right up to the sand, and they’re only a few minutes’ walk from our front door so we headed around the side of the villa, down the somewhat unstable stairway carved out of the rocks, and down to the beach bar so that I could settle into the shade and still hear the ocean (I’m not a sand or ocean guy, really, though I try sometimes!). Sofia, Carli, and Chris went off to jump and play in the waves… and I tucked into a pina colada and a good book.
On that note – I am reading “The Secret Life of Addie LaRue, and you should too if you haven’t already. It’s a fantastic story that I am sure will end sad (I haven’t finished it yet) but I’m enjoying the story and it’s very well-written! After a few hours, and a few more pina coladas, we were headed back to ‘our pool’ – where we’d get lunch delivered late and swim around and enjoy the last rays of sunlight hitting the pool before the villa’s roof-line blocked the late-afternoon warmth and chilled the water.
After a late lunch, we all sat around in the ocean air and chatted about life and living, friends and memories. With our dinner reservation at “The Wok” fast approaching, however, we quickly went out separate ways for showers and getting dolled-up – this restaurant requires dress shirts and being fancy – so we all got ready to head off to what would become my 40th birthday celebration thanks to Carli – who brought balloons on sticks and even napkins to make it special for me!
Dinner was very special, not just for my birthday but also because it was much, much better than The Steakhouse. Go to The Wok twice, skip the Steakhouse entirely – you’ll thank me. I hear the Italian place is also delicious – but it looks like we’ll have to come back for that one (oh, darn!).
We all ordered different things for the most part, from ‘black bao’ (a take on Korean buns with pork inside them), to shrimp, to steak you grilled yourself, and sushi rolls. Everything was delicious – really. It was well portioned, and when it came time to get dessert, we asked how big the chocolate-lava-cake equivalent was… and the server under-promised and over-delivered on size – the exact opposite of our night-before experience.
All in all, it was a great day, and a great evening. I’ll summarize my thoughts on everything once we’re back in the United States. There was a great deal of good about Sanctuary Cap Cana – a huge amount really, but it’s not without its faults either and not all of them are the people or the process. I would strongly recommend a visit if you are so inclined, and while they tell you to stay at the Castle I think it really depends on what type of trip you want – a private pool, close beach access, walk-able amenities, or to be carted everywhere on golf carts! The choice is yours.
We wake up early tomorrow to pack and prepare, maybe grab breakfast at the buffet or have a coffee, and head off to the airport. Here’s hoping it all goes smoothly!
