dominican republic
Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean Sea, between Cuba and Puerto Rico. It occupies eastern half of island Hispaniola. The first settlement of Columbus was on the island, but on the north coast, around Puerto Plata. We have stayed in Punta Cana, a resort town on the east coast of Dominican Republic. The general tourism area is called Bavaro. The combination of white sandy beaches, low all-inclusive prices, and generally high standards (for all-inclusive type) of the resorts makes Punta Cana/Bavaro a hot vacation spot. The white sand and beaches are the same as in Cuba, however Dominican Republic is not limited in resources and imports as Cuba. In our opinion, food is generally better with more variety than in Cuba. We, personally found that resorts in Dominican Republic represent a very good value and price-quality balance for all-inclusive type of vacations.
- Beach vacation is the main reason to come to Dominican Republic. If you get tired of doing nothing the resorts provide continuous schedules of organized activities during daytime and entertainment shows after dinner. Some resorts also have a disco. If you are interested in disco, the rule of thumb is that the larger the resort the more chances it will be bustling.
- Horse riding on a beach. We had an OK ride on the beach but we felt that the horses were not well cared for. May depend on a company, you may have a different experience.
- Day trips including to La Romana and Catalina island. We did this day trip. It was a busy but enjoyable day. It included some local sightseeing and then a ferry ride to Catalina island. There was an opportunity for snorkeling at the island which may be the only chance for decent snorkeling as snorkeling at the resort was not exciting. It was plain sandy bottom as you need to go further from the shore to get to the coral.
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SCUBA diving is a popular activity as anywhere else in the Caribbean. If you are a diver, please check that there is a dive shop on site. The same rule of thumb applies, the larger the resort the more chance that there is a dive center on site. Diving in Punta Cana is easy and suitable for a total novice. It would be a good place to either try it first time or do you the basic certification. The dive sites are shallow and there is no current. It could be boring if you dived the world already, but generally is OK for the Caribbean. There was one wreck in front of our resort and few spots of coral. It is not a prime SCUBA destination for an experienced diver, but if you happen to be there I would not miss an opportunity to jump in warm clear water which is not a pool.
When to go
Climate in Dominican Republic is similar to Cancun and Cuba. It is warm all year round, but December through March gets chillier. We felt a bit cold in the pool in February. Summer months, May through October bring rains and risks of hurricanes. March is month of spring break in the schools, but it does not affect adults-only resorts. So, March - April are probably best months either for a family or couples/singles. You can check for more information here.
There are direct flights from major cities in Europe and East Coast of North America. There are also flights of specialized vacation airlines. The most common scenario is booking the whole trip as a package, with flights, resort stay and all-inclusive meal plan. You are likely to get a better deal buying a package. It takes about 4 hrs from Toronto and 9 hours from London by direct flights. The Punta Cana Internation airport (PUJ) is within short distance from the resorts. Many resorts are are 20 or less kilometres away.
The Bavaro beach stretches over 25 miles (30 km) and has a continuous line of waterfront resorts. There are plenty of choices. You may follow advice of a travel agent, recommendation of a friend, or personal good experience at a resort chain. Another way to choose can be to filter resorts by higher stars with moderate price and higher rating at tripadvisor. Our personal preference is for complex resorts that include several sections, one usually of higher class or adults-only status. Guests at these complex resorts have access to a larger selection of a la carte restaurants, entertainment and other facilities. If you are staying at the higher class section you have access to all facilities while number of people in your section is limited.
