After visiting Jamaica earlier this year, I was already itching to head back to the Caribbean for another island getaway. And Im so excited that I got to visit beautiful Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic recently to cure my itch! Since DR is huge, we just stayed over in the Punta Cana region as we only had 5 days. In this post I will be sharing my tips on planning a trip to the Dominican, if you are headed to Punta Cana.
WHERE TO STAY :
Punta Cana is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean and hence there are tons of beautiful resorts to choose from in and around this region. I loved splitting my time across Barceló Bávaro Grand Resort and Occidental Punta Cana. Both hotels were very different in their vibe; yet both had the amazing Barcelo hospitality.
HOW TO GET AROUND :
We stayed in the resorts for the most part but on the days we wanted to explore around we organized for private transport with the tour operators. From my research reading online, I think the best and safest way to explore around is with a taxi/ private car + driver or with an organized tour company.
THINGS TO DO IN PUNTA CANA :
1 ) BEACH ALL DAY
Obviously listing this out as the no 1 thing to do. Your hotel will most likely have a private beach, which is where we spent most of our beach time. We especially loved beautiful Bavaro Beach where Barceló Bávaro Grand Resort is located, it is simply stunning.
2 ) SCAPE PARK AT CAP CANA :
A beautiful eco park at Cap Cana, which has tons of nature activities to choose from. Perfect place to spend a few hours to a full day. Read more of our cenote and waterfall chasing adventures at Scape Park
3 ) DAYTRIP TO SAONA ISLAND :
A must do if you ever visit Punta Cana is to visit one of the islands part of the Del Este National Park – Catalina or Saona island. We chose to do a day trip to Saona Island and I think this was undoubtedly the highlight of my trip!
4 ) COCO BONGO SHOW :
We didn’t have the time to do this but it was very high on my itinerary. The Coco Bongo show happens in many Caribbean islands and is supposed to be a highly entertaining nightshow, that has been given incredible reviews by press! Add this on your if you are ever visiting Punta Cana.
5 ) OTHER EXCURSIONS :
We did the Saona Island with Vacaciones Barcelo. Vacaciones Barcelo is part of the Barcelo group of hotels and basically they are the go to for planning all your island transfers, activities and other fun excursions. They have a bunch of various options to choose from based on the time you have and what you are most interested in.
