Postcards from the Holidays in Las Terrenas.
Multi-Generational Travel to the Beaches of the Dominican Republic.
A Thanksgiving meal of rice, beans, and chicken, garnished with ample helpings of freshly picked avocado? A pre-meal hike to a secluded waterfall instead of the traditional backyard football game? Recovering from the holiday gluttony on a lounger at an empty beach instead of dozing on the couch squeezed between wiggly toddlers and snoring grandpas? Some might scoff at this list of bastardized traditions, but for my family and me, it was the best Thanksgiving holiday we could remember.
Yes, my family finally took the leap this past year – to leave behind the late-fall shivers and move our Thanksgiving holiday to the beach in the Dominican Republic.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Getting the full family together to eat, laugh, be grateful, watch football, and eat some more – so many timeless and wholesome traditions all in one (and without as much of the overwhelming commercialism of the following month’s celebrations). But tradition sometimes needs a shake-up, so this year my family went a different route. To celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday, we decided to ditch the regular gathering in the cramped home of our childhood and move it to the beach. Adding the joys of the tropics to the other family traditions…the best holiday of the year stepped up to another level. All 17 of us – one set of grandparents, me, my siblings, and our spouses, and 10 grandkids (ages 2 to 21), made the trek down to the Caribbean for a long holiday weekend.
This isn’t the first time our family has rented a big house and gathered for some quality time together in a new place, but it was our first venture out of the country. Flights during the holiday were expensive, no doubt, but not much more than gathering somewhere stateside and the relative affordability and quality of accommodations and food compared to the options here at home more than offset that cost.
We could have opted for an all-inclusive resort, but we wanted to escape the crowds and actually experience a real place with real culture, so we rented a big house right on the beach. Granted, we did spend most of our time bouncing between the pool and the surf, but we added just enough fun excursions to create memories and get a taste for what the real Dominican Republic has to offer. We also saved the biggest adventure for the big day itself.
Here is brief overview of our itinerary – for any enterprising family trip planners who may want to replicate:
Tuesday: Getting Settled
Most of the family arrives, except for the two oldest grandkids who, living on their own now in different cities and needing to get themselves to the airport for a 6am flight, both managed to oversleep and miss it. To be honest, none of us were overly surprised! The rest of us settled into the house, hit the beach, and started the holiday fun.
Wednesday: Exploring the Beach or Town
The two delinquent grandkids finally arrived while the rest of us explored the beach, hunted for shells with the littles, tried to keep those same littles from getting pummeled by waves at the beach, and lounged by the pool. A few adults took some of the older grandkids into town to explore.
Thursday: The Big Day
On Thanksgiving day, we loaded the group into a large van driven by the most gentlemanly driver I’ve come across and took a 45 minute drive into the mountains, arriving at a trail head that led to a waterfall. I personally planned this part of the trip and assured everyone that it was a simple 30-45 minute hike on a flat trail, something young and old could all handle with ease. Well, I was wrong. It was a hike that will live in infamy and remain part of our family lore. After 1.5 hours of clambering across rocky river beds and trudging through a retired cacao farm (it was truly magical, but also very sweaty), we finally arrived at the waterfall – with the small children on our backs by that point. The surprise rigor of the hike, however, proved to be totally justified. All alone with just our family (and the guide) in the middle of a tropical forest, we encountered the most magnificent waterfall.
After an hour of swimming in the pool at the base of the falls, climbing up and jumping off the walls into refreshingly cool and clear water, and eating some snacks to re-energize, we set off to return to the van. But this was only the beginning, after the hike we had arranged to eat lunch at a small ecolodge in the hills overlooking the coast. Over heaping plates of organic local cuisine prepared by chefs from the nearby community, we gave thanks, recounted our adventures on the trail and marveled at the miles of coastline, villages, and forest below us. It was a Thanksgiving meal in paradise. There wasn’t any turkey to be found, but no one complained. It was perfect.
Friday: More Beach, More Celebrating
More beach and pool fun, and some necessary recovery time from our efforts the previous day. After a celebratory dinner to honor the 70-year-old birthday girl, the adult children and older grandkids headed into town for a few drinks and some bachata dancing (thanks mom and dad for staying with the small kids!).
Saturday: Saying Farewell
It was time for our trip to come to a close. Everyone prepared to head back to the airport for the sad trip home, but the chatter at the breakfast table made clear that this unique Thanksgiving treat would not be our last. We spent the final morning planning the next family beach trip. Happily dreaming together about our next multi-generational family adventure.
Oh yes, I would be remiss not to mention another key highlight of the trip. Being a trip to honor mom’s 70th birthday, and mom typically being the primary cook at family gatherings, we decided to hire a local chef to prepare most of our meals. This, according to most, was the highlight of the trip (much to the chagrin of the planner of the Thanksgiving Day hike). For a very reasonable cost, the chef constructed menus based on our feedback, purchased the groceries, prepared magnificent meals, set the table, and cleaned up the mess. We unanimously agreed that it was the best value for money we had ever spent on a vacation. Cheers to Pascuale the chef for keeping mom out of the kitchen and ensuring that we all could truly relax and enjoy this unique and memorable holiday/birthday trip!
To anyone out there who is inspired to take a multi-generational trip like this one in the Dominican Republic, you couldn’t find a better company to support than UnTours. We take the hassle out of planning, ensure you have local hosts to provide insights and support along the way, and open a window into the local culture, all while giving your family the space to move at your own pace. We’d love to help plan your next family adventure!