Christine Kaufman Bet on a Resort Mid-Renovation in Punta Cana. Her Group of 19 Is Glad She Did.

Nineteen people. Crystal-clear Caribbean water. Hours spent riding gentle waves on some of the smoothest white sand in the Dominican Republic. And a resort deal that most travelers, without the right advisor in their corner, would never have found. This is the story of how Christine Kaufman turned a calculated gamble into a group trip that nobody in her party will stop talking about.

Kaufman, a travel advisor with a reputation for doing the research others skip, organized and led a group of 19 travelers to Punta Cana's Palladium Bavaro Select, flying with Transat from Canada. The trip was a self-designed group experience, not a fam trip, not a pre-packaged tour. Every detail, from coordinated seating on the Transat flight to resort room selection, was handled by Kaufman herself. "Transit is an excellent flight," she notes. "We were able to all sit close to one another, and those that wanted to be together were, while others chose to be by themselves." Everyone arrived on time. The tone was set before the plane even landed.

The Beach That Changed Everything

For many in the group, the true revelation came the moment they stepped onto Bavaro Beach. The water, Kaufman says, was unlike anything she had encountered at other destinations. Clear, calm, and entirely free of rocks or sharp edges, it invited guests to simply stay, and so they did. "Bavaro beach was the only beach that we've gone in the water for and stayed in for multiple hours, in every day of our trip," Kaufman says. "It was absolutely phenomenal. So incredibly clean." The group returned to the shoreline each day without question. There was no debate, no scouting for alternatives. Bavaro had won them over completely.

For Kaufman, who has now visited both Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, the comparison is clear and useful for clients weighing their Dominican Republic options. Punta Cana, she explains, offers calmer water, smoother sand, and the convenience of being relatively close to the airport. Puerto Plata, while beautiful, tends to be more spread out, and its beaches can carry rougher surf and rockier terrain. It is a nuanced distinction that only comes from having stood on both shores.

The Excursion Nobody Saw Coming

Even Kaufman was surprised by what the resort itself had to offer beyond its shoreline. The group booked an excursion directly through the property, something she had not anticipated being a highlight of the week. "I didn't expect to have an amazing excursion from the resort," she says. "We were able to take a boat, go out and snorkel, as well as go to a different area and go in the beach. It was absolutely phenomenal and wonderful." The fact that the entire group could book it together, as a unit, directly through the resort, made the logistics seamless and the experience all the more cohesive. It was the kind of discovery that only surfaces when an advisor is physically present, asking the right questions and paying attention to what the brochures leave out.

The Risk That Paid Off

Here is where Kaufman's story shifts from enjoyable travel narrative to genuine advisor proof point. The Palladium Bavaro Select had been preparing to close for renovations when Kaufman made her booking. Rumors suggested the work would wrap up roughly six weeks before her group's arrival date. Most advisors, and certainly most travelers, would have quietly moved on to a safer option. Kaufman held her ground. "We took a risk with this trip," she explains. "We booked it at a time when it was getting ready to close down and go under renovations, and the risk panned out really well for us. We were able to take advantage of upgraded rooms and suites and pool areas and service overall." There were traces of renovation activity in parts of the property, but none of it touched the areas where her group lived for the week. The staff, freshly trained and attentive, delivered service that Kaufman describes as absolutely phenomenal. The meals were great and everyone enjoyed their time. The gamble, calculated and researched, paid off in full.

Who Belongs at Palladium Bavaro Select

Kaufman does not hesitate when asked which travelers would thrive at this resort. Couples and families are the clear fit, and the group itself reflected that range, from paired couples to solo adults traveling together. For families specifically, she recommends upgrading to the Family Select tier, which unlocks a separate check-in area, dedicated pools, children's games, and youth-centered programming. It is a tier designed to make arrival feel immediately welcoming for kids, with video game systems, TVs, and snacks ready the moment families step into their own lobby. For adults traveling without children, the TRS property within the same complex merits serious consideration. Its swim-up rooms, Kaufman says, are absolutely beautiful, and its adults-only environment offers a distinct experience worth pricing out when the budget allows.

The Principle Behind the Practice

Kaufman draws a wider lesson from this trip, one that applies across the Caribbean and beyond. Going in with an open mind matters, she says, but so does going in with accurate information. The renovation risk her group embraced worked because she understood the variables, had done the research, and was transparent with her travelers about what they might encounter. That transparency, she believes, is the foundation of the advisor relationship. "Use someone who is transparent about what's going on and can really give you a balanced view so you can feel informed about the decisions that you need to make for your family," she says. It is a principle that positions her not as a salesperson pushing product, but as a guide who has already walked the path and is handing her clients a map with the honest notes written in.

What Comes Next

For Kaufman, this trip is already behind her in the rearview mirror of a very full itinerary. A cruise with Virgin Voyages is on the calendar for September 2026, followed by a group sailing with Princess in February 2027, an all-inclusive in Mexico in 2028, and, further out, a transatlantic crossing from Iceland to Greenland and down the eastern coast of Canada, likely ending in Boston. Safari, Asia, and Hawaii are also on the list, described only as the beginning. For the clients who travel with her, that means every journey Kaufman takes is field research, another destination understood firsthand, another set of insights ready to be passed on. Punta Cana is no longer a destination she recommends. It is one she has lived, wave by wave, day by day, with 19 people who trusted her to get it right.