Punta Cana

For our third weekend in the Dominican Republic, we decided to head all the way east to Punta Cana. Driving on the highway from Santo Domingo took us about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Arguable the most internationally known area of the Dominican Republic, we were curious to see what the area has to offer. Since we wanted to explore various beaches, we decided against staying at an all-inclusive resort and instead chose the Four Points by Sheraton, Punta Cana. It was a modern, large hotel with a free hourly shuttle to Playa Blanca, La Cana Golf and Beach Resort, and the airport. The hotel is directly across the street from a cute little village of restaurants and shops. We can specifically recommend El Burrito Mexican restaurant for good fajitas and tacos and Brot Bagels for breakfast sandwiches. As Punta Cana is geared mostly toward the all-inclusive crowd, there are only a limited number of restaurants in the area.

We spent a long weekend in Punta Cana, which meant we were able to take the free shuttle on two of the days to visit beaches close to the Four Points. On the third day, we drove up the coast a bit to explore other beaches in Bavaro, including the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel (which we hear is the largest hotel in the Dominican Republic). 

I love how this mangrove tree leans out into the turquoise water.

Playa Blanca. It is free to use the lawn chairs and cabanas at the resort, so long as you purchase from the restaurant. We had freshly barbecued ribs and chicken wings which were delicious.

Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca. One downside of this beach is the sea grass. When you look out into the ocean, there are large sections of grass growing on the ocean floor. The grass also floats to shore of course, leaving the beach covered in decaying grass. The hotel didn't seem to clean this up. Also, the water is very shallow. You have to walk several hundred feet out before the water becomes chest high.

We walked south from Playa Blanca to an area with some very expensive private homes. It was so charming to see scenes like these two fishermen.

One of the must-see attractions of this area are the Ojos Indígenes, which are freshwater pools hidden away in a protected private reserve. The reserve costs $10 to enter for non-hotel guests, but we were given free entry with our Four Points key card. There are also guided tours of the reserve for US$99 per person, but since it takes one hour total to see everything we're not sure what would be included in that tour. There are about a half-dozen pools, four of which are large enough to swim in. The water is chilly, but what an experience to swim among tropical freshwater fish and turtles in crystal clear water.

This beach was a short walk from Playa Blanca, and was part of the La Cana Golf Club.

La Cana Golf Club, Punta Cana. The pool has a beautiful setting overlooking the water. There is a club house just behind, which had very elegant styling. This had the feel of a very classy beach getaway.

The golf course at La Cana Golf Resort.

On our second day, we drove to the Jellyfish Cafe in Bavaro. It is located down a long dusty road that leads from the main road through Bavaro. There is a sign from the road that is hard to miss. Once at the Jellyfish Cafe, there was guarded parking and free use of beach chairs and cabanas with purchase from the restaurant.

We managed to snag a bed on the beach!

The view of the ocean from Jellyfish Cafe. The water was absolutely gorgeous. It's also a fun place to people-watch, as lots of tourists walk the entire beach between all of the resorts. Right next to Jellyfish Cafe was a local market with some souvenir stalls and a small bar.

Freshly grilled grouper with lots of garlic! 

We decided to drive up to the upper reach of Bavaro to visit the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel, Punta Cana. We were able to park and walk around the grounds without being guests. The grounds are huge; the place is so large that three shuttle routes ferry guests around. The main hotel building has the feel of a large Las Vegas casino complete with shops and restaurants. We noticed in the gift shop that a can of Pringles runs US$8, so eat up at the included buffet!

The beach here was one of the more beautiful we've seen in DR.

There are no rocks and no sea grass. This was the most beautiful beach we saw in Punta Cana.

The grounds of the Hard Rock feature lots of pools and natural waterways.