Punta Cana

steffiel · February 2011

Has anyone been? Would you recommend it? Where did you stay?

J & I are looking to book our November-ish vacation soon and this is at the top of our list, mainly because their AI's are the most affordable I've found - we're considering the Hotel Catalonia Royal Bavaro.

LauraT25 · February 2011

I haven't been, but two of my co-workers have. I will ask them where they stayed, but I don't think it's the hotel you mentioned because it doesn't ring a bell. They both went with their SOs and loved it. They said the beaches were beautiful and that the employees at the resorts (they stayed at different places) were really friendly.

Both mentioned that there's nothing to do off-resort and that it's not a very good idea to wander outside the resort because the area is very poor and dirty, not built up for tourists. One even said that when he and his girlfriend wandered out, he felt pretty unsafe. That being said, if you're staying at an all-inclusive there's usually no reason to leave, so unless you were hoping for off-resort excursions or trying different restaurants, it's not a big deal IMO. Personally, when we left our resort at Cabo I always sort of felt like we were wasting our money since we could get everything for free at the hotel!

LauraT25 · February 2011

As an aside, I think it's funny that the word 'punta' is blocked on TK but not TN.

steffiel · February 2011

Thanks for this! I've heard mostly good things, and we definitely wouldn't plan to leave the resort. J & I have never even left the East coast, let alone the country, so we're a little apprehensive to go out of our norm to begin with

QueenofAnything · February 2011

Definitely go all inclusive if you're already going out of your comfort zone. H and I did AI with Sandals in St Lucia and it was amazing! It was so nice to not have to worry about money. And we enjoyed our week of laying in the sun, doing nothing.

lovethebeach16 · February 2011

My aunt went a few years ago and stayed at some place....Ocean Blue, Blue Ocean...something like that. They had a really good time but she said that if she ever went back to the DR she would go to La Romana instead. It supposedly has better beaches, is less crowded and the all-inclusives are just overall better. I think it might also be closer to the airport.

sunshine_day_dreams · February 2011

Yes! We went to Punta Cana four years ago. We stayed in an AI called Sirenis Cocotal. It's not adult-only, but we had a great time and it was more affordable than adult-only AIs. They also had a casino and nightly entertainment (that was less cheesy than most I've seen), which was important since there's not much night life in the area. The food was decent and the rooms were nice. If you're interested in the review, let me know and I'll PM you the link to my Trip Advisor review.

In general, there isn't much to do in Punta Cana. The resorts are pretty far from the airport and it's a long, bumpy ride to where the resorts are. They're pretty well removed from everything - not much to do off resort unless you take another long ride back into town. In terms of excursions, though, there are a lot of water based excursions - just not the "go into town and shop" types of things. I think there also may have been ATV rides.

The beaches are beautiful, and if you're content to just sit at the pool bar and sip on fruity drinks and relax, it'll be a perfect place.

If you want to look into adults-only, three of my friends have been to Excellence in PC and loved it. Not sure what the price difference is, though.

sunshine_day_dreams · February 2011

Also - I think I might have some pics on FB of our resort and trip to PC. I'll go look and let you know.

steffiel · February 2011

And this is why I knew you girls were the right ones to ask.

klm195 · February 2011

We were there the end of November/beginning of December for a 'delayed' honeymoon and a family wedding. We stayed at the Melia Caribe.

It was an awesome resort, but it's HUGE!! You really do need to take the trains they have there for transportation around the resort for a few days while you are getting used to where your room is and where the lobby, etc. is. Other than the size, the only other complaint I have is with the time share guys. ALL.THE.TIME!! They stop you with the promise of getting you into one of the reservations only restaurants - but first you have to go to a presentation. By the second day we kept telling them we were leaving the next day. They left us alone after that.

But the food was good, the room was awesome, the staff we friendly, beach and pool was clean. Bars were great. I say go if you don't mind going to a large resort with a lot of people.

Hope this helps!

Punta Cana

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