Why choose Punta Cana?
The Punta Cana destination is made up of the areas from south to north of Juanillo, Punta Cana, Cabeza de Toro, Bavaro, El Cortecito, Macao and Uvero Alto.

Today, the East Coast beach strip is one of the best choices for those seeking the perfect beach and R&R (rest and relaxation) vacation. Bill and Hillary Clinton in April 2001 chose Punta Cana for their first sojourn after leaving the White House. Punta Cana is that perfect place for a honeymoon – first or second.

This is a place for vegging out miles of silky white sand, deserted beaches with coconut palms. Unless you rent a car or purchase an excursion, don’t expect much sightseeing or outstanding shopping opportunities nearby.

This area is made up almost completely of large all-inclusive resorts populated mostly by couples or families. Some resorts in the area cater to sports-minded people, others are couples only. But most resorts focus on family entertainment. The exception is spring break time when groups of university students fly down from Canada and the US. The better hotels for this crowd are the larger complexes, where night time entertainment is more lively.

Punta Cana can also be for explorers. If you rent a 4x4, venture out to discover a magnificent world of caves, mangroves, private beaches in the nearby Hato Mayor and El Seibo provinces. Or drive west on to Altos de Chavon, Bayahibe, and even to Saona near La Romana. These are at least two hour’s drive away.

What else is nearby
The Punta Cana area lends itself more to those looking for the type of vacation where the resort has everything and one never has to go outside the gates. Note the nearest city, Higuey, is about a 40 minute drive away. Beyond the resorts is mostly empty countryside. You can literally walk for miles along the beach without seeing anything but an occasional unfinished construction project or the next hotel.

El Cortecito, located between Punta Cana-Bavaro and Macao, is the closest thing to a little beach town in the area. Juanillo is a perfect swimming pool of a beach south of Punta Cana. Nearby is Manatee Park, a wildlife ecological/adventure site, and the Ponce de Leon house is near Boca de Yuma. Bavaro Plaza is the largest shopping complex in the area.

Port of Entry/How to get there
The best airport to land at is the Punta Cana International Airport, at most a half hour drive from the hotels. Some resorts are barely 10 minutes away from the thatch-roofed airport. The second best airport for this destination is the La Romana Airport, which is about 1-1/2 to 2 hours drive away from your hotel. If you land at Las Americas International (Santo Domingo) you will be a four hour drive away. From Santo Domingo, a taxi cab trip can be negotiated for about US$100, the domestic air flight is around US$60 per person. The cheapest way to get to and from Santo Domingo is by commuter minibus. This will cost about US$8 but could take you almost a whole day as you make numerous bus changes.

Getting around
Tourists arriving to Punta Cana will spend most of their vacation at their hotel. The easiest way to visit the other hotels is to take a stroll along the beach. Or take the beach taxi to El Cortecito, or Juanillo, a beach south of Punta Cana. To visit the Basilica in Higuey, you can take either a taxi or public bus.