Punta Cana – Dominican Republic – Hotels and info

Punta Cana

Punta Cana

Punta Cana (located in the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic, La Alatagracia) is the most famous destination for vacationers visiting the Dominican Republic. with a coastline that expands over 60 miles of beautiful clear beach (which face both the Caribbean and Atlantic), and hotels that offer all inclusive packages at very reasonable prices its no wonder that Punta Cana International Airport is the busiest airport of the island.

Did you know? Punta Cana international airport is the first privately owned international airport in the world, created in 1984 by Grupo Puntacana as a means to facilitate tourism to the area.

As of 2010, Punta Cana has an estimated population of 120,000 with a growth rate of 6% (Source). To the north, it borders the village and beach of Cabeza de Toro, and then the Bávaro and El Cortecito beaches. About an hour from Punta Cana is the nearest city, the capital of the Province Higüey (28 miles).

North to South in the province, the main beaches are: (north of the cape) Uvero Alto, Macao, Arena Gorda, Bávaro, El Cortecito (south of the cape) Cabeza de Toro, Cabo Engaño, Punta Cana, Juanillo

punta canaThe most famous or better yet, sought after resorts in Punta Cana are the Excellence, Dreams, Majestic Elegance and Majestic Colonial brands (No, they did not pay me to say that, this really is true as per google search rank). Europeans, mainly Spanish hotel chains, own all but two of the 50+ mega-resorts in the Punta Cana tourist locations.

I’ve never stayed there myself (as I come from humbler origins and cannot yet afford those places) I have however stayed at some of the RIU resorts with great success in the past, (Riu Hotels official web site), they have all sorts of chains there. Check out the deals they got going on, they usually got some kind of sale going on by season. Riu Hotels Offers and Promotions Another popular spot, rated among the Top All Inclusive Resorts: #3. Barcelo Bavaro Beach Hotel All Inclusive – Punta Cana, DO

Climate

The averag temperature in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic is 86°F, and remains fairly constant trough the year. During the day the temperature may reach mid to high 90′s (35°C) in the hot season (may-October). The cooler season (November to March), may yield temperatures of around 20 °C (68 °F) during the evenings. Because of its location (mostly flat landscape and savannas) Very little rain falls around the area, so you will find that just about any time is a good time to vacation in these lands. For actual forecast, check out our Dominican Republic weather page.

Activities

horseback ridingYou can find anything you can think of to keep you occupied if this is what you desire. Horseback riding trough the beach or perhaps the hidden path? No problem, ATV’s, got em’, beach sports and games, pshh.. second Nature. But aside from that Punta Cana also has 12 professional golf courses that have been built since 1991, along with Teeth of the Dog in Casa de Campo they rank among the top 50 golf courses int he world. And designed by greats like Jack Nicklaus, P.B. Dye, Tom Fazio, Nick Faldo and Nick Price what else would you expect?

If you are into water sports, boating and so on, due to the interest generated for those amenities Punta Cana offers many options that will cater to your needs. Of you enjoy Scuba diving try the Saona Island tour (also known as Adamanai in Taino), it is about 100 kilometers West of Punta Cana and popular with the divers.

punta canaAnother great thing to see, is the Basilica Catholic Monument, designed by French architects and built in 1962, it is located in Higuey (about 1 hr drive from Punta Cana).