I was taken aback by the size of the resort and all of the many restaurants that they had there. The toro steak house was amazing, as was the carribean restaurant by the beach and pool - isla. I had lobster dinners there twice as part of my romantic dinner for two package purchased with free resort credits. The only thing you pay for with this is the tax, but save your receipts because these are a tax deduction if you are from the states. I scuba diving for the first time in a protected pool, and floated on an inner tube on a lazy river. The beach was the best with a strong soothing trade winds that kept sweat off of you, and waves that inexorably lapped against the shore. Every night was at a different restaurant. The Japanese Hibachi with the dinner show by master chefs performing culinary acrobatics while they cook your meal was entertaining. as was the wandering mariachis in the Mexican restaurant while we feasted on red snapper veracruz style. with a nice upgraded bottle of wine paid for with resort credits which made the night. The next day at poolside in an exclusive zone and away from the madding crowd... we were relaxing pool side with waiters attending to us hand and foot. No need to get up...charbroiled cheeseburgers and nachos together with whatever drink you could imagine where only a raise your hand for service away...whatever drink we wanted as many times as we wanted all on the cuff, all while enjoying the pool side band playing renditions of rock and roll from the 90's (It was a young group, I would have preferred from the legendary 70's & 80's but quite good nevertheless) It was all quite an experience, and a day of days, but the best was yet to come. The casino was world class, and embedded within it was an elegant nightclub called oro. - (this means gold in spanish) There we enjoyed an electric laser light disco vibe with everything from dancing girls behind a glass wall behind the bar, to a fog machine and roving troubadors. We were treated to a bottle of champaign on ice which we enjoyed the night through on reserve for us and served to us by the bartender...also paid for with the free resort credits. Yes , it was a night of nights. THe spa also paid for with resort credits treated us to a champaign bath (they served us champaign) and a couples massage, afterwards we enjoyed the sauna and steamroom which was amazing. The steam had a richness to it. not too hot but it envelopes you. you could not see a person standing a few feet in front of you and the aroma was embued with a hint of eucalyptus, the decor of the rooom was in a neon blue light but not bright, subdued. Oriental rithyms played in the background completely taking you far and away. I could stay all day in there. You really felt like some Incan prince in a Palace. So this trip to the Hard Rock Resort in Punta cana was in a word... Exotic. Well worth the money and considering all of the extras, the best bargain in town. I wanted to prove that the drinks are top shelf and not watered down, so while down at the beach, at one of the many watering holes, I bellied up to the bar and ordered a double Chivas regal straight up. Immediately out came a bottle and filled my cup to overflowing. To commerorate the occassion as I had been on the wagon for quite some time, I quaffed down the elixer in one gulp. Feeling quite sated, I hopped on the next shuttle bus back to the room to get dressed (The grounds are so expansive they have these trollys that go around, so you can hop on and hop off, wherever you wanted to go and I needed to go back to the room and prepare for a prime rib steak dinner at Toro. with a nice chianti. (Actually I would have a robust chilean red wine - cabernet Savignion with hints of cherry and raisons). I could go on with my experiences, such as the party boat where we had a party in the ocean. The room was pretty amazin with a two person jacuzzi in the room. Well, I am getting a cramp writing about all of the experiences in this one week... There is much much more, so stay tuned for the next installment... I mean, how much enjoyment can you cram into one week? A LOT more...