Packing List for One Week in Punta Cana

 

We are counting down the days until our June vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. My husband, Mike and I are going to be staying at an All Inclusive Resort for a week. So I thought I should start to get our packing list in order. While we won’t need to pack much more than a swimsuit and flip-flops, we will need dressy clothing for evenings.   Also, some casual clothing  will also be packed for some excursions and exploring.

Here is what I am planning:

Purse

• Passports –  needed at the airport, and for entering and exiting the countries
• Driver’s License
• Cash – for tips and off resort shopping. Especially $1 & $5’s, it may be hard to break $20 or larger bills.
• Credit/Debit Card – contacting bank and credit card companies to inform about travel dates
• Airline, hotel and transportation confirmations – on phone and paper
• Copies of all prescriptions/passport/ driver’s license – just in case
• Phone Numbers for airline, hotel, transportation, bank and credit cards – again just in case
• Smart Phone – downloaded with Music, Books, Games
• Gum – helps with ear pressure on flights
• Sunglasses – I am taking 3 Pairs of Cheap Sunglasses – the ocean always claims a pair from me each time we go to the beach.
• Prescription Glasses
• Prescription Medicines
• Ibuprofen – for overindulgence of sun and possibly drinks
• Chargers for Phones 
• Power Banks
• Ear Buds 
• Hairbrush
• Lots of Elastic Hair Ties – I never have enough
• Emery Board 

Carry On

Our Carry will also double as a beach bag during our stay. I will pack our toiletries bag, Camera Bag, and one day’s of clothing in the carry on. We have had the misfortune of dealing with delayed luggage, so we make sure we pack essential items in our carry on luggage.

Toiletries Bag (packed according to TSA liquids rule)

• Sunscreen – small bottle for use until can get into room our first day
• Contacts- I use dailies and they have a small amount of liquid
• Rewetting Drops – my contacts get really dry in planes
• Lotion 
• Lip balm with SPF – sun burnt 
• Perfume
• Hand Sanitizer 
• Face moisturizer

Camera Bag:

• Go Pro 
• Waterproof Case 
• Memory Cards – a few of these
• Rechargable batteries 
• Battery Charger
  
• Tripod Mount

Also:

• Empty Water Bottle – for filling up after security
• Swimsuit – we will be arriving before check in and will lounge by the pool until we can get into our rooms
• Coverup – for walking around resort and to throw on over swimsuit to go to lunch
• Flip Flops
• 1 full outfit – just in case our luggage is delayed
  • Dress (Me)
  • Shorts, Polo (Mike)
• Underwear – again just in case our luggage is delayed
• 3 Cable Combination Locks – for our luggage when we are out the hotel room
• Snacks – for the plane

Suitcase

Hopefully we can get everything into one suitcase, if not then we will use another one. Luckily, we are flying Southwest so we do have some luggage allowance.

My Clothing

• 2 Swimsuits – for a total of 3, so I always have a dry suit available
• 1 Coverup – for a total of 2;  to be able to head to the buffet or grill for lunch
• Flip Flops
• Dressy Sandals 
• Water Shoes – we are going to do some water excursions
• 5 Dresses
  
• 2 pairs of shorts
• 4 Tee Shirts
• Underwear
• Extra Bra
• Some inexpensive jewelry
• Pajamas

Mike’s Clothing

• Swim Trunks – for a total of 2
• 5 Tee Shirts
• 3 Shorts
• 2 Pants
• 4 Dress Shirts with Collars 
• 5 Pairs of Socks
• Slides
• Casual dress shoes
• Water shoes
•  Underwear
• Pajamas

Toiletries 

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Dental Floss
• Shower Gel
• Deodorant
• Sunscreen 
• Shampoo – The little ones that hotels provide is never enough with long hair
• Conditioner – same as the shampoo
• Dry Shampoo 
• Hairspray
• Leave in Conditioner
• Frizz Serum – To keep my curly hair in control
• Sunscreen – sunscreen, sunscreen, and more sunscreen
• Aloe Vera – in case of too much sun
• Burn relief spray – if we really overdo our sun exposure
• Q-Tips
• First Aid Kit –
  
  • Band-aids
  • Benedryl or another Antihistamine
  • Antibiotic Ointment
  •  Pepto Bismol / Imodium – for stomach aliments
• Insect Repellent – Zika is a risk in the Dominican Republic
• Baby Powder – for easy sand removal
• Makeup – only humidity friendly basics
  • Foundation with sunscreen
  • Cream Eyeshadow
  • Lip Gloss
  • Gel Eyeliner
  • Waterproof mascara
• Razors
• Shaving Gel

Also:

• Inflatable Float Chairs – for pool lounging we are also gifting these to other guests of the resort when we leave.
• Reusable Insulated Mugs – to keep our drinks cold and the bartender won’t have to refill as often
• Beach Towels – our resort provides towels but from the reviews it seems that they tend to be only ready in the afternoon so we are bringing old beach towels and leaving them at the resort when we return home.
• Ziplock baggies – various sizes
• Wet Wipes – to throw in the beach bag
• Deck of Cards 
• Magazines
• Bandanas – for our dune buggy excursion

Outfits for the Plane Ride

Me

• Lightweight Cardigan
• Leggings or Capri Pants
• Shirt
• Casual Shoes – Tom’s or Keds
• Hat – easier to wear on the plane than to pack

Mike

• Pants
• Tee Shirt
• Long Sleeve Shirt
• Tennis Shoes
• Hat 

 

Anything else you would recommend adding to this packing list for the Dominican Republic? Please let me know! Happy Travels, Tava