It rained all night and morning. It sounded like one of those therapuetic cd’s that are played in spa’s, not that I’ve been to many spas, but the ones I have been in. I didn’t sleep very well, I’m not used to being in a place so big and open. Let’s be honest, I’m a chicken. I’m afraid of the dark and afraid of strangers. I get nightmares often about getting kidnapped (adult napped?) and I think it’s because my mom was always warning me as a child and scaring me into making smart decisions. So with the house being so open, the bedroom windows and doors leading to the backyard kept me waking up every hour.
I finally gave up sleeping around five am, pulled up my computer, and started working. I didn’t want to go out to the common area because the house was so large, any echo could wake someone up. I eventually headed out there around six when I heard someone else awake.
As I was walking down the hall, I had to stop and take a picture of the palms dripping with rain. They looked like a painting or one of those impossible 2000 piece puzzles.
SEA HORSE RANCH VILLA
I sat down at the dining table with a couple of the girls and worked on some blogs, checked my emails, and relaxed a little. We were hoping for the rain to stop so we could go to monkey jungle to zip line and feed the monkeys.
The housekeeper, which I feel really bad for not getting her name, bought us some coffee. It was absolutely delicious, creamy, and smooth. I ended up bringing back so much coffee in my suitcase from the gift shops.
I mention the fresh squeezed orange juice in a previous post, but here is a photo of this magical juice! Store bought orange juice will never taste as good as fresh orange juice! Store bought oranges turned into juice will never taste as good plant fresh oranges turned into juice. I’m sure you get it…
I’d actually love to have the housekeepers job. Cooking meals in this luxurious kitchen, cleaning, and making beds in the villa seems very therapeutic to me.
This was the view from the kitchen. Doesn’t it look like a painting? I could get used to cooking and looking at that view.
This was another sitting area by the kitchen that I loved. All the furniture in the villa was rustic and had a lot of character.
Around seven, we had breakfast.
We had fresh orange juice, mangu, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, fresh fruit, and bread.
This was my first time trying mangu and my first time trying plantains (for all I know) Plantains are very healthy. They have a lot of vitamins, fiber, magnesium, low in fat, low in cholesterol, and low in sodium.
I’m glad she made mangu because it’s one of the most popular traditional breakfast in the Domincan. It can easily be considered the official breakfast dish of the D.
The traditional way to prepare mangu is very simple. It’s made up of mostly plantains with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, and water. The onions are cooked with a little oil and vingar. I’m sure if mangu was prepared in the U.S. it would be flavored with so many additives to cover up the flavor of the plantain. Plantain is a little bitter, but weirdly enjoyably bitter. We’re used to seasonings and marinades that cover up the real flavor of our foods. We coat our chicken in sauces, our potatoes in gravy or cream, and our yogurt in sugar. It’s what our palates are used to. I enjoyed the mangu and the way it was cooked because you could actually taste the plantain. I’ve noticed a lot of simplicity in recipes over there and it’s very inspiring to see the way they eat and live.
I don’t know what she did to her eggs, but dear lord they were yummy!
Around noon, the rain stopped, and we were all ready to go zip line and hang out with the monkeys. In the villa, if you lock a door from the inside, it won’t unlock until you manually do it.
Sarah, accidentally left her phone in the bathroom and when she shut the door, it locked. We are so used to unlocking doors by pulling they handle, but not here. I locked myself out of my room like three times and had to walk to the pool to get through my room from the back. The only problem with the bathroom is that it didn’t have an alternative door. We tried all the lock picking techniques, searched the house for a key, and called anyone we knew who could help us. Finally, AJ, grabbed the pool stick, put a rubber glove on the end, and shoved it through the window to unlock the door. As soon as it unlocked we all screamed because we were so happy. It was one heck of an event, but hilarious.
We finally headed to Monkey Jungle!
Kristin C says
That kitchen really is fantastic! I would love to cook in there!
And as far as being scared, I’m right there with you. I actually stopped watching horror movies because they made it WAY WAY WAY worse!
Amber Anna says
That kitchen is beautiful, and I would love to live and cook there, but you should remember that for your anonymous housekeeper, it’s not a privilege – it’s her job. I can almost guarantee that the home she goes to, to cook for her own family, is not quite as luxurious. In the DR, the minimum wage is very low and many people, including locals working at luxury hotels, are incredibly poor. There is nothing inherently wrong with tourism, or hotels, or people with means taking wonderful trips, but talking about how you would like to be a housekeeper in the DR (or even in the US, where many domestic workers receive nothing close to a living wage) because cleaning and cooking in a nice kitchen would be fun, is incredibly insesitive. Having privilege is one thing – you can’t hel the socio-economic class you’re born into or grow up in – but not understanding when your privilege comes through as harmful is another. I like cleaning and having a nice kitchen too, but saying “oh I wish I was a housekeeper” is being ignorant of both your own position and the worldwide crisis that is poverty.
Taralynn McNitt says
I promise you I didn’t mean to offend anyone or her on that comment. I don’t think being a housekeeper necessarily means you live in poverty. She came in to talk to us after she changed into her clothes and was getting ready to leave. She was dressed beautifully and seemed very happy. I’m not sure how to make the comment sound better, but having a job as a housekeeper there would be a delight for me. This doesn’t take away the fact that the DR is a very poor country and there is a lot of poverty there. We saw it on a lot of our trips and it saddened me. I would never take my life for granted or wish that on anyone. They are very hard workers and it is very sad that a lot of them live the way they do.
Amber Anna says
No, I don’t think you did at all! But I would rather say something (and get a really nice reply in return!) than snark on you behind your back. Ignorance of something, or misstating something, is perfectly okay and forgivable and a thing ALL of us suffer – I’m ignorant of a lot of things! But if we don’t talk about those things, then we’re being ignorant AND not doing anything about it! 🙂
I’ve never been to the DR, but I stayed in a luxury hotel in Lisbon, Portugal once and, while the hotel was amazing and the conference I was at was very nice, I saw so much poverty in the city. It was very sad, and I think when we recognize that, even if we can’t do anything about it (I can’t fix anyone’s economic problems, even mine!), we make a difference. Because maybe we’ll tell someone who can – or at the very least, let people know we aren’t taking our privilege for granted!
goodbyeana says
@Amber–Slavery is rampant in the caribbean. Heck, even in my country, Canada, we have sadly found illegal immigrants enslaved for labour. =/ It is a very serious issue worldwide. So if you’re looking to make a difference, buy fair trade. More and more companies are importing goods like sugar and cocoa (common slave produced goods) from ethical co-operatives and farms. Individuals can make responsible choices which lead to positive change and greater prosperity for everyone. 🙂
@Tara–I worked at a historical B&B one summer while saving for school, and my sister worked at one all through high school. The ladies I worked with did it long-term because they really enjoyed it. I could totally see you being a natural at a B&B or boutique hotel, because of your attention to detail and artistic side.
Kimberly || Life Alluring ❤ says
I LOVE that kitchen!
Cassie says
I’ve always wanted to try plantains!!
heather says
Lol, I think you meant the locks were automatic, yes? Motels and hotels in the US do that too. It does take some time to adjust to it. These photos are fun and your trip sounds delightful; next time, absolutely feel free to get the staff members’ names and be sure to tell them you were pleased by their service. It’s not at all crossing boundaries; when my partner and I travel, we like to get to know who’s working hard to keep our spaces clean and, more importantly, we like to leave the tip personalized(it’s the least we can do!). 🙂
Laura says
Hey Tara Lynn, just want to say I hardly recognised you because you look so different! But you look good 🙂 much better than when you were slim 🙂 glad you had an awesome trip! xoxo
Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It Out says
Breakfast looks SO good!
LInda @ The Fitty says
Housekeepers have a tough job of keeping everything pristine and clean, I don’t think I’d have the patience to do laborious tasks like that!
Ashley @ AllAshleyMarie says
The breakfast of my dreams! And I love the entire inside of the house beautiful decor!
Lindsay says
When I read our post, I closed my eyes and could hear the rain falling. It must have been beautifully serene. Something about falling rain to me is so comforting.
This place is magical. I’m so glad you shared it with us.
Xo
Bradley says
You had the best photos out of everyone on the trip.