Just got back from Punta Cana. The "towel game" has gotten insane and I think the pool water made me sick.

Writing this from the airport lounge at PUJ while I wait for my flight (delayed 2 hours, classic).

Just finished 6 days at one of the big "Castle" vibe resorts in Cap Cana. I usually don't post stuff like this but I gotta warn you guys because nobody mentioned this in other forums I've read.

First, the chair situation is a total joke now. Unless you pay for the "Diamond/VIP" upgrade, you're basically a second class citizen. We woke up at 6:30am on day 2 and every single chair in the shade had a book or a clip on it. No people, just books. Ghost town. Hot tip: I eventually just tipped the towel hut guy $10 and he "reserved" spots for us the next day. It feels like the mafia but it's the only way to get a seat without fighting people.

Second... be careful with the swim-up bars. The water in the main pool looked kinda murky/oily by the afternoon but I didn't think much of it. Big mistake. I spent yesterday hugging the toilet. The resort doctor (who charges $150 just to show up lol) told me it's "common" when the resort is at max capacity. Gross.

Anyway the beach was nice but the constant upsells for the vacation club and the tipping fatigue kinda killed the vibe.

Think I might do a smaller boutique hotel next year. Is Mexico this bad right now too or did we just get unlucky?