1 Week in Dominica

This year for our winter break, J and I chose to go to Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, which is where we went last year). Dominica is known as the nature island, which was immediately appealing to the both of us. We stayed at Secret Bay, which was pricey but worth it, and I highly recommend visiting this island (and hotel) if you get the chance.

There are no direct flights from NJ so we had to layover in San Juan, but it honestly wasn't too bad. We managed to get flights under $600 and scored a pretty nice deal with the hotel, where we got some resort credits, free shuttle to and from the airport, and a couple free dinners, amongst other awesome amenities.

We flew in right at the end of shoulder season so we got a bit of rain each day, but it was actually nice, as it kept the weather perfect temperature (for me at least) and there was still so much sunshine every day.

We were picked up from the airport by Randall, who was an awesome mini tour guide, pointing out noteworthy locations, sharing fun facts about Dominica (including the fact that it has 12 volcanoes, 9 of which are dormant and 3 of which are still active), and driving v. carefully around the swift bends and ups and downs of the roads on the island.

Secret Bay

We arrived at the hotel in the early evening and were greeted with a refreshing ginger mocktail. With just enough time to get acquainted with our villa (Ti-Fey hillside IV) and freshen up, we were whisked away (by golf cart) to a welcome dinner at Zing Zing.

The restaurant has no menu. The chef just makes whatever is fresh every day so we got to just sit back and enjoy dinner without any decision fatigue.

After dinner, we relaxed in our awesome villa. Since we'vd arrived so late, we didn't have time to have our orientation with our villa host (shoutout to Elena, who is the best!). So, we scheduled one for the net morning via the complimentary iPhone we were given to borrow for the duration of our stay.

The next day, we didn't have anything planned so we explored the hotel grounds. We kayaked and relaxed by the lap pool before heading back to our villa to lounge around our own private plunge pool.

Indian River Tour

Our first excursion was the Indian River tour with Fire. It was super cool to row around the river. We saw an iguana in a tree, some herons, crabs, and Calypso's house from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. We stopped at the Bush Bar for a libation partway through and enjoyed the tranquil vibes.

After we got back, it was a little rainy so I ended up reading a book in our hammock.

Keepin' It Real

For dinner most nights, we cooked in our villa (after all, why not take advantage of the stocked kitchen?). But on this particular evening, we went to Keepin' It Real. We got the conch and the lobster and then red velvet cake for dinner. It was delicious.

Emerald Pool, Jacko Falls, Spanny Falls

Our second excursion was to a bunch of easy-to-navigate waterfalls. All of them were gorgeous, though admittedly a bit repetitive. We ended up swimming in Spanny Falls, namely because it was the last one of the day. There were crowds at each of the falls we approached but they quickly dissipated and we ended up having the falls to ourselves for at least a few moments.

After our waterfall adventure, we headed back to the hotel. We ended up relaxing by the beach and the pool for the afternoon.

Fishing & Snorkeling

Our third excursion was supposed to be a lionfish hunt but we weren't feeling too confident in our ability so we ended up changing it to a normal fishing trip with some snorkeling. J caught us a silver mackerel fro dinner right off the bat. And then while we were snorkeling, our guide handed me the spear to give lionfish hunting a go. I didn't end up killing anything (I was too hesitant to do it) but she complimented my dive and said that I did great for my first time.

We cooked our silver mackerel in the oven at our villa and it was delicious. Mackerel can be fishy, since it's so oily, but because it was so fresh, it was awesome. We picked up some green plantains and sweet plantains on our way back to the villa to serve alongside.

Whale Watching

Our final excursion was a whale watching tour. We went out and started scouting around, using sonar and talking to other boats to try and locate some whales. We ended up seeing quite a few, in addition to getting some beautiful views of the island from the water.

After our time with the whales, we hung out by our pool, enjoying the lizards and birds living around our villa.

Gommier Spa

On our last day, we had a spa appointment for a couples' massage. It was so relaxing to hear the waves crashing in the ocean while getting an intense deep tissue massage next to my man.

The massage was so relaxing, we kept the rest of the day low key. We kayaked, snorkeled at Secret Beach, and then got some rum punch at the bar.

And then for our final dinner, we had an aphrodisiac dinner at Zing Zing in the private dining balcony. We were served a yummy lobster bisque, tender octopus, and a chocolate dessert.

The next morning, we had an early wake up call to take us to the airport. It was a full day of travel, but we made it back all in one piece. I loved Dominica so much, I would definitely go back in a heartbeat.

Here's my video diary: