Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PUNTA CANA TO SABANA DE LA MAR
TOP OF CHAPTER
Bávaro & Punta Cana
It wouldn't be out of line to equate the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic as a sort of
sea and sun Disneyland - after all, it is here where the megalomaniacal all-inclusive resorts
snatch up broad swaths of cinematic beaches faster than the real estate agents can get the
sun-soaked sands on the market. There are more than 40,000 hotel rooms from Punta Cana
to El Macao, with more on the way, and for good reason: its beaches do rival those any-
where else in the Caribbean, both in terms of their soft, white texture and their warm aqua-
marine waters. Despite a lack of restraint on development in the area, the resorts and
beaches here still manage to offer an idyllic Caribbean seascape for a seemingly endless
crowd of sunseekers. But it's not all resorts and condos - the municipality has done a com-
mendable job recently in either re-doing or paving all the main roads and adding sidewalks
as well.
Punta Cana, shorthand for the region as a whole, is actually somewhat of a misnomer.
The majority of resorts are scattered around the beaches of Bávaro, really nothing more
than a series of small commercial plazas, and El Cortecito, a short strip of shops along a
'town beach'. Punta Cana (Grey-Haired Point), the easternmost tip of the country and
where the airport is located, has some of the more luxurious resorts and Caribbean-hugging
golf courses.
