Resort Life: Beach or Pool?

“Pool or pond … pond is good for you.” (Bonus points for anyone that can name the movie that is from) Honestly that quote is something that I ponder each time I go to a resort. While traveling for work, I get to see so many amazing destinations, but I often find that my toes don’t hit the sand. I would guess that many other suppliers can relate. The schedule is usually quite full and when we aren’t participating in the schedule, we are playing catchup for being out of the office. I’m certainly not complaining, just sharing the reality. My most recent work trip to the Dominican Republic was no exception; however, I’m working to find a bit more balance and at the very least walk around the properties that I am blessed to be able to visit.

When I do take time to explore, my first stop is always the beach. The beach at Secrets Royal Beach in Punta Cana was lovely with beautiful aqua clear water, soft white sand and very little sargassum. The reason this is my first stop is to really listen to and feel the waves. If you’ve read any of ‘Buzzes’, you may already know, but the water speaks to and calms my soul. I could stand with my feet in the water, feeling the waves, hearing the rhythmic crashes and soak it in for hours. As I did this last week, I observed few people swimming in the ocean. When I looked back at the pool it was much more active with people lounging or swimming. This made wonder, why is the beach such an important factor in resort selection when the percentage of people in it is lower than the pool.

This is honestly something that I have discovered in most destinations I’ve traveled. Turks and Caicos is really the only destination where I observed many more people enjoying the ocean, really in the ocean, rather than the pool.

When it comes to swimming, or being in the water, I must admit that I prefer a pool. The perfect situation for me would be an infinity pool that overlooks the ocean to enjoy the waves and yet the clear, unsalted water.

What is your choice, and why? What do you hear from your clients?

About the Author

Beth Kitzman is the business development manager for Trisept Solutions' Agency Channel for VAX VacationAccess. Beth focuses on nurturing business relationships and finding exciting, unique ways for VAX to support travel agencies. With over 20 years of experience in the travel industry, beginning with Walt Disney World then working for airlines and now focusing on travel technology, Beth loves using her education degree to find ways to educate and empower travel agents to grow their leisure travel business.