Golfbreaks — Local services in Mount Pleasant

We had a GREAT Dominican Republic Golf Excursion and stay at Barceló Bavaro Beach resort and 3 rounds of golf at two local courses - La Cana Golf Course & The Lakes Barceló Golf Course. The booking process with GolfBreaks was awesome - they did a great job with all the details. I would highly recommend this trip and here's some Pro's and Con's to consider -

• Things we liked – o First of all the transportation set up to get us to and from the airport and to the second golf course was FABULOUS! They were always on time – and had very good communication with us. I would HIGHLY recommend them o The resort was beautiful – loved the views from our beachside rooms o Food & drinks were also very good o Beach & Pool areas were beautiful o Both golf courses were nice – NOT crowded at all and in good conditions. Loved the opportunity to work with a caddie at the La Cana Golf Course o The rooms were clean – and the cleaning crew that came daily did a GREAT job. o The bottle of rum was a nice touch o Our wives really enjoyed the Spa • Things we would change or recommend change – o Though the rooms were nice – it appeared that the “Adult Only” part of the resort that we were in was “older” than the other section – so the rooms needed some upgrading. o Also, the Family section of the resort offered more “on-sight” restaurants and shopping and spa – the pool area and activities were also better and it was closer to the golf course. If people don’t mind children or young people I would highly recommend the Family side vs the Adult Only. Not sure if there was a pricing difference for the rooms, but would be interested to see what the cost difference would be. o The last night we were there the resort had a private party on the beach for some people using the convention center – this happened right outside our rooms with very loud music going through 11 PM. o We did not find the “premier concierge” to be very helpful – especially when trying to make reservations for dinning. We ended up just showing up at the restaurants and “kindly asking” for them to fit us in – and in most cases they did. We did have a issue when one of the restaurants we visited was supposed to be “formal dress” (men wearing long pants & shoes – no shorts and sandals). When we arrived we saw that they were allowing anyone in, regardless of how you were dressed?? So when we went to another restaurant that supposedly had the same dress requirements – they would ONLY allow people who were formally dressed?? So it was very confusing.

Overall - it was a great trip - especially...

Our foursome used Golfbreaks to arrange a couples trip to Cabo San Lucas, MX. This was our first adventure with Golfbreaks and with our wives, so the risk was high.

We advised them of our overall desires and they offered Pebble Beach and Cabo as options. For a variety of reasons (price, weather, our February dates, etc), we chose Cabo. It was the right decision!

We were booked into the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Harbor in junior suites with ocean view. The property is very large and beautiful. The all-inclusive package was well worth the cost, but with a caution that we found the dinners less than gourmet. The breakfast and lunch options were more than adequate for us and the service was excellent everywhere. Motorize carts are used to shuttle you around the property; it is large and very hilly. The drivers are quick to arrive and are good sources of information on things to do.

The golf part of the trip was outstanding. We played Cabo Real, Cabo del Sol (Desert course), and Quivira (the course connected to the resort). Each was in fine condition and offered a good test as well as amazing views. We seemed to enjoy the layout of Cabo del Sol the best, but the highlight was clearly Quivira. OMG! The holes along the Pacific coast are unreal! And the golf cart ride from No. 5 to No.6 is unforgettable. Quivira even has 'comfort stations' on the course where drinks and freshly cooked snacks are provided.

We extended the trip by 1 day to go whale watching. This was our 2nd best decision and a "must-do". We used Whale Watch Cabo and they were great. Smaller boats (12 passengers) gave us real flexibility to maneuver. And the results were outstanding! We followed a pair of whales with a new born as they were teaching the new arrival how to breach. Over and over, we saw the mother, the baby, and then both breach, splash and play for us. And the tour guide, Lenka, even shared her expert photos with us afterwards.

A few tips: Arrange local transportation in advance. We used Cabo Airport Shuttle for all and they were great. Pay the upcharge and have dinner at the Quivira Steakhouse. Get a reservation around sunset time. And order a Mexican coffee to see a good show by the waiters. February is a great time to go. Whales are still in the area, temps are ok, courses are in good condition, etc. We underutilized the Marketplace as a place to eat at the resort. Lots of options there, so give it a try.

Bottom Line: Thank you, Golfbreaks, for a wonderful recommendation, plan and execution. We strongly...

Golfbreaks made what I thought was an impossible dream of a trip possible and fantastic. Eight of us golfers along with four of our spouses spent a week this past May (May ‘25) golfing and touring Southwest Ireland. We played Lahinch, Ballybunion, Dingle, Waterville and Tralee. We stayed in Lahinch at Vaughan Lodge (fantastic hotel and great town) and at Killarney Plaza Hotel (another great hotel and a very fun lively town). The courses were fantastic. Our driver Paddy was amazing. He was very personable and engaging. He helped get our non golfers to the places they wanted to see and hooked them up with tours like a Ring of Kerry bus tour while we drove to Waterville.

But we didnt just see Southwest Ireland. We started and ended in Dublin, mainly because there were more flight options in May in and out of Dublin, but also because we all wanted to see Dublin.

I will always remember the morning Paddy pulled up to our Dublin hotel to pick us up. The bus was a midsize deluxe moror coach with plenty of room for the twelve of us, our clubs and our luggage. We knew it was going to be a great trip, and it was.

Going back to working with Golfbreaks and setting up our trip. Both George and Chris were vert pleasant to work with, very helpful and very flexible. They were patient and knowledgable as we built our itinerary working around course restrictions, bank holidays and hotel changes.

We each had our favorite course, but we were all glad we played every course we played. We were glad to have had caddies at Lahinch and Ballybunion. The golfers who didnt have their own caddy liked the available electric carts. Most guys felt they could have played Tralee without a caddie. We all enjoyed the riding carts (buggies) with GPS at Waterville as a respite from walking.

I would definitely use Golfbreaks again. As my group’s organizer/planner I liked their website and payment platform that allowed each golfer to pay their share directly to Golfbreaks.

Thanks George,...