We recently returned from 14 days in paradise with my entire family and it was divine! My parents are incredibly generous and took all 16 of us to the Dominican Republic to celebrate Christmas and New Year's.

This is a tradition that was started years ago by my grandparents. About every other year, they would take the family on a big trip to explore this beautiful world and I'm so grateful for each and every moment and memory made with them. Much more precious than presents under a tree! I'm also grateful for my parents carrying on the tradition!

Villa Del Mar, Las Terrenas

This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic and we found the most amazing villa on the north side of the country in Las Terrenas. It's called Villa Del Mar and WOW! It was pretty amazing to say the least!

*I have a video at the bottom of this blog post showing the villa when we arrived. It is not professional by any means and was meant to create instagram stories. But I thought you might want to see it anyways 😉

 View from our second story suite 😍👆

Villa Del Mar is a 13 bedroom, beachfront villa that sleeps 28 people! We had 16 in our group so there were rooms that we never even slept in! It's the perfect space for a big group and has a huge lawn between the house and beach that can host a wedding or party.

The villa also has an infinity pool, hot tub, spa (with massage tables), game room with pool table and darts, and so much more. Truly, everything you could ever need on a vacation!

Villa Del Mar is staffed with a chef, bartender, and two maids, plus a driver to take you wherever you need to go. Martine, the house manager, was always available to help us with all of our requests and answer any questions we had. She's adorable and kind and manages several villas in the area. 

The staff was lovely and we really enjoyed our time with them. While Jose and Juan-Jose were two amazing bartenders. Jose bartended the first week and then Juan-Jose the second. They kept the piña coladas and mai-tais flowing so I was a happy girl!

Our chef, Omar, made us breakfast lunch and dinner and helped us create the menu. Some of our favorite meals were roasted pig (done right out on our lawn), fresh pizza from the outdoor pizza oven, grilled lobster and prawns, and the most beautiful delicious paella you've ever seen or eaten!

The beach was lovely and perfect for the kids to boogie board as the waves were never too big. And the water was crystal blue and warm! We walked the beach every day looking for seashells and sand dollars and checking out the other beautiful villas along the way.

While there is plenty to do like zip-lines, windsurfing, waterfalls, snorkeling, and more... we chose to just relax the entire time. It was the perfect way to end this crazy year and kick off 2021 feeling refreshed and inspired. I especially loved having lots of time with my kiddos and my honey 😍

We absolutely loved this trip. The location was beautiful, the home was amazing, and the people were lovely.  We hope to make it back some day and maybe check out some of the other villas in the area.

And now, my completely unprofessional, unedited, insta-story-style video for your viewing pleasure 😆  You can also check out my Las Terrenas Story Highlights on Instagram!