During my stay this month at the Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana for AIC Hotel Group's annual Showstopper Awards, I had a free morning, so I decided to head off-property, resisting the temptation to laze about the 1,790-room, all-inclusive resort.
After a stop at the tour desk, Adventure Boogies emerged as the most intriguing option. "Let's Have a Blast!" read the pamphlet's front cover, which pictured a helmeted, bandanna-masked duo in a bare-bones, two-seat dune buggy (or "Boogie," in Adventure Boogies parlance).
"We visit an organic co-op farm where we learn about coconut oil, tobacco, rum, coffee, chocolate and our world famous chocolate tea," promised the pamphlet's blurb, which also mentioned stops at the beach and an "Indian cave" with a cenote. Sold.
An open-air, safari-style vehicle picked us up outside the hotel lobby at about a quarter to 9. It was a short ride to Adventure Boogies HQ, where about three dozen eager adventurers filed into a reception/orientation area. Instructions were brief. One, stay in line; no passing. Two, don't zigzag; you might get booted off the tour, no refunds.
I'm not sure how long we'd been driving along the dusty trail to our first stop before the vehicle in front of me began wildly zigzagging. Maybe 10 seconds. A staffer riding alongside our caravan indeed admonished the driver, and on we went.
I was glad. This wasn't the most confidence-inspiring vehicle. The steering wheel was a little hard to reach for this 5-foot-7 driver and the seat wasn't adjustable, so hands on 3 and 9 wasn't going to happen; luckily, one-handed operation was pretty easy. Brakes, on the other hand, had stopping power somewhere between a tricycle and my high school buddy's Chevette. Part of the fun, for sure, but I kept my distance all the same.
The four-hour excursion includes a stop at Macao Beach, where vendors sell coconut drinks, jewelry and souvenirs. Photo Credit: TW photo by Eric Moya
Our first stop, Macao Beach, was a beautiful stretch of sand, and the water looked tempting, but we'd be there for only about 15 minutes. Vendors of coconut drinks, jewelry and other souvenirs were prolific but not especially pushy; they're likely aware of the Boogies' nonexistent cargo space.
The co-op farm stop didn't include much talk about farming per se, but guests were indeed able to sample locally produced tobacco, chocolate and more. Our fast-talking host touted bottles of mamajuana (rum, wine, honey and herbs): "Dominican Viagra."
A Taino Indian-themed dance on the co-op grounds included audience participation, and from there it was a short walk to the advertised "Indian cave." Again, it was a few minutes' stop, and the modest cenote filled quickly with dusty Boogie drivers and passengers. Outside the cave awaited photo ops with parrots and a capuchin and vendors selling souvenirs and cold beverages.
That basically marked the end of the tour. From there, we returned to Adventure Boogies HQ, where photographers who'd accompanied us offered their snaps for sale ($15, though I suspect that's negotiable).
Overall, I felt the stops were almost incidental to Adventure Boogies' central selling point: getting behind the wheel for some good, dirty fun along the dusty, sometimes muddy, backroads of Punta Cana. In that sense, count me as a satisfied customer.
The four-hour excursion costs $120 for two guests. See http://adventureboogies.com.