Fall Break Blues--and yellows and greens

 Such was the caption of a photo I posted on my Facebook page during a wonderful getaway to TRS Turquesa in Punta Cana with my husband during his fall break.  We did see a beautiful array of colors and so many variations of blue - the sea, the pools the sky were all beautiful.  Just check out all the gorgeous colors seen in our view from our patio.  The first was taken late afternoon, the second early one morning.

We arrived to the resort mid-afternoon and were greeted at the reception area with coconuts and straws as a welcome refreshment.  We were checked in quickly and taken to our room by our butler.  The check in service was so friendly. Each morning for the rest of our stay, the agent who checked us in greeted me by name.  Our bags were delivered very soon afterwards.  Our room was on the third floor and as you can see had a great view of the pool and ocean.  (Caution though - no elevators in the building, stairs only. Thankfully my knees managed it just fine.)

In lieu of key cards we were given wristbands which would access our room.  Loved this!  Very convenient.  Bands were color coded for different levels of service but I never noticed differential treatment at any restaurants or pools.  Our black bands allowed us to access the spa pools without a fee.

Our room:

The first thing we noticed were the beautiful grounds on the resort with lush greenery, and then the pools.  Our room was near the main pool which was an all day party and very lively into the evening.  With our doors closed we didn't hear it at all but on our balcony we could enjoy the music.  You can see it in the photos above.  The other 2 pools were the pools on the other side of the resort with the swim up suites. Very sedate and quiet over there.  We enjoyed seeing them all lit up during our evening stroll.

Our favorite pool hangout was the "Secret Pool".  It was quieter and more peaceful when we wanted to relax and read poolside.  The main pool and the Secret Pool both had swim up bars.  The Secret Pool did liven up for the foam party one afternoon. That was a lot of fun!

We didn't spend all of our time at the pools but enjoyed some beach time as well.  Its a beautiful stretch of beach.  

We even saw some interesting characters along the way.  This man let his monkey jump on me but I had to pay to take a photo of myself with it so I just have his photo.  (#imcheap!)

 Between TRS Turquesa and the Grand Palladium Resort also available to TRS Turquesa guests, there is a large variety of dining options.

Our favorites are below:

The Healthy Habits Bar in the spa area offered delicious smoothies and healthy snack options.

Our favorite meal was at Rodizio - an Argentinian steak house

We enjoyed dinner and were entertained at Sumptuori

My favorite breakfast buffet was at Caprichos.  I enjoyed my Dominican Republic staple food Mangú”with my eggs and mimosa.

The resort offers several options of daily activities.  We didn't participate in all of them but I did take some photos to share so you can see a variety of options.

A casino at the Grand Palladium resort next door offers a casino that guests of TRS Turquesa can visit.

Also at the Grand Palladium resort is a theater which features shows nightly.  We went to the 80's music show one evening.  Other shows that week included a Michael Jackson tribute and a tropical show.

The resort offers a variety of yoga and exercise classes, including this spin class in the pool.

 We didn't stay on resort every day but went on an excursion one day.  We were picked up at our hotel and taken to the Marinarium Reef Explorer where we snorkeled, swam with sharks and stingrays and had lovely Tibetan head massages.  We also had the options to paddle board, kayak or just lie on the disks in the water but we spent most of our time enjoying the water activities. My husband even saw an octopus while snorkeling but it hid before I could get a glimpse.

Our morning at the Reef Explorer ended with a drop in temps and some serious downpours of rain.  When we got back to the resort it had cleared up so we headed to the beach to dry out and enjoy some beach time.  However, another storm was heading in and it quickly turned breezy and cold.  

One of the perks on TRS Turquesa is the butler service.  We had an amazing butler, Eury, who treated us like royalty.  On this particular day, he found us on the beach, and I told him I was cold and we'd be heading in soon.  When we got back to the room, this was awaiting us to warm me up.

Hot bubble bath and chilled champagne.

After such royal treatment, it was a shock to come back to real life, but we did return relaxed and refreshed, thankful for such a lovely vacation.