A fresh Perspective Of The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is being reimagined, if you can believe that. There’s a new company called Mint that has taken on a collection of boutique hotels to give guests a personal experience of the island. Forget Punta Cana and the all inclusive brash collection of excess and indulge yourself in a sensory experience of the island and some of the places you never knew you needed to discover. My journey began in Barahona, located on the south side of the island. I landed in Santo Domingo and was greeted by a VIP arrival host who breezed me through baggage claim, off to a side booth where I was the lone passenger with the immigrations officer and in what felt like thirty seconds, I was off in the VVIP (yes, two v’s) section of an arrivals lounge. This was the inner sanctum of Before Boarding’s exclusive lounge.
The ladies at Mint have thought of everything, partnering with the cream of the crop to start the experience from the moment of arrival. My awaiting black SUV was another perfect fit and made the three hour drive fly by. I was happy to see the reality of the destination. There were boys selling hats, windshield wipers, and cold water in the streets. Congested traffic with horns blowing throughout the dusty streets. I was an
