Dominican Republic
Properly exploring Live Aqua Punta Cana started with the lunch buffet. Saw some of the same grilled veggies as last night, a larger fruit spread, more grilled meats, fresh cooked fish, and a fajita bar. Went for some beef fajitas (not bad) and some filet mignon; the latter was quite chewy for what was supposedly filet mignon, sigh. Explored the outdoor pathways after lunch; several pools for sunbathing/wading, one large main covered walkway with a central semi-outdoor bar, and then a large building immediately adjacent to the beach with a wading pool/bar on the ground level and a Mediterranean restaurant above.
The beach was nice enough, although a bit rough, even with the floating breakwater in-place. And from far enough away, the beach-side building was decidedly stylish. The various pools and stuff were nice if you slathered yourself in sunscreen, and the beach side pool/bar was busy pretty much all the time, complete with live music all afternoon.
Somewhere in the lazy Sunday was a sweaty outdoor run, made tolerable by running late enough in the afternoon that the sun wasn't quite as bad, then off to the Japanese restaurant for dinner, Seishin. The wait for the indoor tables, which looked like a Benihana-style menu and presentation, complete with chefs and a grill surrounded by diners at each table, was considerable... so instead opted to sit outside and order off the menu. The salmon sashimi was terrible and the rest not much better. Ordered a salad as well that never showed up, so eventually I gave up and went back to the grill, which was right next door, for more food.
Can't say the grill had gotten any better compared to the say before, but at least the beef was a bit less chewy tonight.