Maybe we should organize a club of Una Vida alumni to keep the fire burning.

I came to the DR depleted and spent - the pandemic, the isolation, the people becoming more aggressive and impatient. Tales of breakups and divorces, mental health issues in kids and adults, despair. I wasn’t in a great space in my private life either. The marriage was stale, the job boring, the kids almost grown.

I went to Cabarete because a friend mentioned how gorgeous it was and that she had some life-changing experiences with Una Vida. I didn’t do any due diligence. I just saw her transformation and it was enough.

Meeting Vica and Jerry was akin being thrown into a whirlpool of good vibes, contagious laughter, being open and silly, dancing on the sand and learning new things: surfing, taking all the raw energy in and discovering your own, and most importantly - for the first time in years - learning who you really are and what you want. I started writing again, I started laughing, I flirted and I ate whatever I wanted, slept as much or as little as my body required. I dreamt of magic lands and flying.

I returned to New York feeling 20 years younger, ready to live and love again, and I am. It’s been magical and it doesn’t go away. 

Maybe we should organize a club of Una Vida alumni to keep the fire burning. My huge thanks to Jerry and Vica, to the people I encountered and to the beauty and warmth of the Dominican Republic. Collectively, they gave me a new start on life. And who would have thought it was possible when the month before I was struggling through midlife crisis. No mas. Una Vida. No plan.

~ M.

I stopped being allergic.

I was pretty content and happy with my life and embarked on the Una Vida journey to enjoy the ride, meet new people and add some much needed excitement to my life post COVID. Once vaccinated, I went. 

Besides the freedom, fun and beauty I experienced that week, a very interesting thing happened: I stopped being allergic. No more runny nose in the morning, no sneezing or red eyes (pollen and cats are the culprits). 

El Encuentro (surfing) beach is teaming with cute cats, yet I had zero reaction. What an outstanding development.  And my allergist couldn’t cure me for years. No more Claritin or Zyrtec! Long live Una Vida! 

~ G.

Do this if you are adventurous; try this if you are in doubt; think about this if you are hesitant!

I love to be happy, feel light as if I am flying. I have to be surrounded by love, hear children’s laughter, hear the whispering sounds of lovers, music in the background…

When I feel exhausted, sad or under the weather I have to escape to the beach… Dominican Republic is one of my favorite destinations. Puerto Plata is the place where I may buy the property one day. Cabarete is the beach where I want to be right now.

My love with Dominican Republic started many years ago. In the dismal COVID times it grew stronger than ever. Just imagine that after seeing gloomy, almost constipated-looking, people in the streets of a big city you take a three-hour flight, and find yourself in a Paradise. The palm leaves are whispering: “happyhappylovelove”; then, you come to an amazing villa with your own swimming pool, your pour yourself a glass of bubbly and say to the world and to yourself: “I deserve it!”

You are too tired to go to the night of Bachata with your friends, expats and visitors, but you know, there is another night full of adventures.

You wake up in the morning, have your coffee and German pastries delivered to you by a concierge looking like an ancient God. Then, you are ready for your personal adventures. My favorite beach is Cabarete; the miles of sand, the waves that remind you that your life sometimes has ups and downs… You walk, you meet people; you smile; they smile back… You pet their dogs; you are having small talks… You are in love with the Universe and yourself.

You see kite surfers, and their bright sails make you even happier, although you think that you had it all, but you are for a surprise. The night can bring you even more surprises but I would leave it for a future gossip. Let’s say, I had the most amazing sunsets! When you leave this Paradise, children’s laughter, loves’s whispers, bachata tunes follow you up and continue making you happy!

Do this if you are adventurous; try this if you are in doubt; think about this if you are hesitant!

~ N.