Re-defining

va·ca·tion/vāˈkāSHən/. Noun.

• A time of respite.
  
  

  

  
  
• A scheduled period during which activity or work is suspended.
  
  

  

  
  
  
• A period spent away from home in travel or recreation.

The Richards Dictionary further defines vacation according to distinct categories:

• Travel 
• Family Vacation 
• RelaxingVacation 

Having experienced the first two categories numerous times, Jason and I decided to revisit the third category: a vacation completely focused on relaxation in the Dominican Republic. 

We were greeted at the plane (the plane, not the terminal) by our private transportation and zipped past the lines through customs. Tortuga Bay is a small resort compromised solely of villas with a private beach. It is part of a larger resort complex, and we were issued our own golf cart and cell phone to use while visiting other restaurants and ameninites of Punta Cana. 

Villa

Tortuga (Turtle) Welcoming Committee

Our Wheels!

We left to explore after unpacking and were greeted with a monsoon.

Then we met our new friend Beddy and the rain didn't seem to matter anymore.  

Drinks...

Guess who had the tall, blue one?

An umbrella (thoughtfully provided by the resort)...

and some dinner music in an assortment of languages helped lull us into the spirit of the island, even if the beach remained elusive.

We soon got busy with the business of defining what makes a vacation relaxing:

A beautiful place?

Sunning?

Reading?

Enjoying the views?

Our personal concierge kept encouraging us to try some of the activities like snorkeling, windsurfing, and garden tours, but we would not be distracted from our quest to precisely refine the definition. Thus, we adhered strictly to our schedule:

Swim

Drink

Eat

Repeat

Naturally, we were missing our babies, so we found a few reminders in the village....

Dominican Car Cart

Dino!

Seaweed crew and truck

And somehow we managed to overcome our sadness.

The best part of the vacation - besides excessive sleeping and napping, reading four books in five days, eating with two hands, and being responsible solely for my own sunblock - was spending time with my favorite husband. 

This was one definition of relaxing vacation we could both agree on!