Punta Cana – What I Wore and More

The last week of July my husband, Len and I were able to have a dream vacation in Punta Cana.  It was kind of a big deal as we were able to celebrate his renewed health and healing.  Not only did he survive pancreatic cancer, Len also survived pancreatitis caused by his gallbladder and removal of his gallbladder shortly after.  His overall health was precarious from January through June.  During our 11 days in the hospital on the second stay, I visualized us laying on a beach soaking in the sun as this is the type of vacation we enjoy!  My heart was filled with gratitude that we were able to turn my visualization into reality!

Breathless:  Live Big Breath Deep

We stayed at an all inclusive adults only resort and spa.  How perfect is their motto:  Live Big Breath Deep?!  That’s exactly what we did for seven days!  The staff were amazing and dedicated to ensuring we had the best experience possible!  Emilio gave us the VIP treatment all week long.  Carmen Russell, our wedding planner, ensured that our vow renewal ceremony was picture perfect.  Vladamire caught the special moments of our ceremony and romantic dinner on the beach.  The E Team kept us entertained in the evening, got us up and dancing and had us all laughing!

Breathless Lobby:

Sofrita Restaurant (There are 11 restaurants.  This was one of my favorites!):

The Beach (My Happy Place!):

Our Room and Some of the Pools:

What I Wore:

Punta Cana in the summer is hot!  I mean really, really, really HOT!!!  I enjoy hot weather!  In fact the hotter, the better.  I was prepared to live in my swimsuits during the day and brought along what I consider resort, fun wear for the evenings.  Here are few of my “fun wear” ootn!

Rompers:

I might be romper obsessed this summer!  Rompers are cool and perfect for the tropical environment!  I couldn’t resist posing next to this amazing palm tree in my palm print romper! On this particular romper, I love the fringed detailing.  Easy on and easy off are also criteria especially when drinking and running to the bathroom!  LOL

The colors, flutter sleeves and fact that I could wear my regular bra were all pluses for this romper…and yes, it’s easy on and off!

We made big decisions every night…which restaurant to eat in (there are 11), what kind of umbrella drinks, martinis, etc. to try!  If you ever go, you must try the Mamawanna!

Hard Rock Resort Punta Cana:  

Since Len’s passion is music and he’s in a band, we always stop at the Hard Rock whenever we travel!  Although we weren’t staying at The Hard Rock, they did allow us to come onto the property to go to the casino.  I adore this outfit especially since I would have NEVER picked it out for myself nor would I have chosen the size of the pants as I thought they would have been too small.  I got this outfit when we were in California with our Fierce 50 sisters at the Chico’s in Santa Monica brunch.  I stated that I had no where to wear this outfit.  Cindy commented, “That has never stopped you before! Take it to Punta Cana!”  Boy do my friends know me!

VOW RENEWAL CELEBRATION:

Early in the week we met with our wedding planner.  Four things were important to us (well maybe mainly to me – Len is so easy going!):  renewing our vows on the beach, flowers, pictures and a romantic dinner that night on the beach.  They made it all happen and more!  Emilio made sure our room was decorated extra special and surprised us the day before.  We returned from the beach to find this…rose pedals led us through the entry hallway across the room and out onto the deck where the jacuzzi was filled and decorated.

Additionally, they brought us breakfast the day before our renewal as well as the day after…

Len and I enjoyed a couples massage (sorry no pictures!) HA!

THE DRESS and VOW RENEWAL:

As you recall from my previous post, I was out hunting for a dress!  Many of you commented on your favorite pick for me.  So drumroll please…the winner was:

I was unprepared for the flood of emotion, nervous excitement and overwhelming feelings of LOVE and GRATITUDE! This day was so special for so many reasons!  The road we’ve traveled together has had so many bumps.  Those bumps only drove us closer together.  I can’t imagine being on this adventure called life with anyone but Len by my side!  We may not have always liked each other but we’ve ALWAYS LOVED each other!  This trip was a blessing to be able to celebrate Len’s healing and health and the gift of 30+ years together.  We choose each other every day!  The ceremony was beautiful not only the words Carmen had us say but the words we wrote to each other!  This is now a cherished memory that will forever be priceless!

Love that they transported us in a Rolls Royce Golf Car!

Our romantic dinner on the beach!  Steak and Lobster – YUM!

Some details I thought worth sharing and of interest!

Barefoot Bling!

That evening I felt as though the entire resort was our wedding party guests.  So many people approached us with complimentary words and congratulations both men and woman!  They continued to greet us and celebrate us the day after!  What an amazing experience!

If you ever consider renewing your vows, I’d highly recommend it!  If you’re considering a trip to Punta Cana, you’re guaranteed a good time!  When asked, “How are you?”  Everyone at Breathless replied, “Magnifico!  Excelente!”  That about sums up our trip perfectly – MAGNIFICO!  EXCELENTE!