If you read my last post, you know I loved Punta Cana! It has already secured a spot on my “must visit” list for the Caribbean (you already know Jamaica is clearly numero uno!).
Now that you know everything you need to plan your perfect Punta Cana vacay, I’m here to tell you how to make the most of your trip. This is the ultimate guide on what to do, where to go, what/where to eat and what to wear (or really, what I wore).
WHAT TO DO
GO TO THE BEACH As someone who lives on an island, you’d be surprised how infrequently I visit the beach (it really is a shame!). Whether you stay at a hotel or a villa, there’s bound to be a private beach somewhere.
We enjoyed our time at Juanillo Beach! The beach itself was clean, the water was clear and the staff was polite. Unlike some beach spots, chairs/loungers were free of cost once you can get one (the staff will assist in this). There’s also a restaurant right there on the beach, but I’ll get into that later on…
Some other great beaches to check out include Macao Beach, Playa Esmeraldo, Montaña Redonda and Bavaro Beach.
GET A MASSAGE! Punta Cana is well known for their top notch spas! Take full advantage of your vacation and get a little rest and relaxation in a calming, beautiful atmosphere. Some recommended spots are Sanctuary Salon & Spa, Secrets Spa by Pevonia, SM Wellness, solaya-spa, and Tiara Cap Cana Barbor Spa
DAY TRIP TO SAONA ISLAND If you checked out the PDF document I posted in my last blog, you’ll see that this day trip was listed as one of the activities. I’m going to try not to scandal the company that pretty much screwed us over didn’t allow us to book this excursion, but whenever I go back to DR, this is a must-do!
https://bestvacationstours.com/en/producto/isla-saona-punta-cana-bavaro/
You can pre-book the excursion online (check TripAdvisor or Expedia), through your hotel or at various shops in Bavaro. They usually include transportation from your hotel to the catamaran. The catamaran then takes you to one of the largest Dominican islands, where you can relax on the white sand beach, swim in crystal clear water and feast your eyes on the various flora and fauna on the island. The trip will also include a Dominican buffet lunch on the island.
I feel like I need to hurry and plan my next trip just to experience this.
SCAPE PARK AT CAP CANA
http://puntacananow.com/juanillo-vip-cap-cana-day-by-scape-park-juanillo-vip-cap-cana-day
Scape Park is Punta Cana’s natural theme park with various adventures, activities and entertaining experiences. For $149 USD (includes transportation), you can experience the Hoyo Azul Eco Tour, Zip line, Saltos Azules, Cultural Route, Cave Swim, Iguabonita Cave, Iguanaland, a Domincan buffet and so much more!
This was such an amazing experience! You can stay there all day, but we really only needed a few hours to get our money’s worth. We visited Iguanaland (omg I touched an iguana! See below), did the ziplining from a cliff (this is a whole workout – you have to literally hike up a hill – but it was my first time zip lining and such an awesome experience), zip line eco splash, the cultural route (learn about the discovery of DR and check out some cultural artefacts), and the cave swim (the water was freezing but it felt so good – such a relief after all that physical activity). We also saw some tropical birds and monkeys!
The only downside is that you have to pay for all your pictures. Despite the warnings, we were allowed to take our cameras in and snap some pictures, but pictures with the monkeys and on the zip lines must be purchased (for ridiculous prices!)
Be sure to carry cash to tip the tour guides and to purchase fresh fruit popsicles. Those were so yummy and refreshing in the heat.
COCO BONGO We didn’t have space for this on our itinerary but I regret not fitting it in. After already having locations in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, Coco Bongo can now be found in Punta Cana. It is a mix of a night club experience and a variety show production that provides entertainment to a wide range of audiences. You can buy the tickets in advance from their website, which gives you options for seating, inclusive drinks and area access.
https://www.puntacanatickets.com/product/coco-bongo-disco/
IMAGINE NIGHTCLUBThis club did make it to our itinerary, however, it seems we overestimated our youth lol. We opted to go to sleep instead of clubbing after dinner but from what I’ve heard, this is definitely a hotspot in Punta Cana – it’s a night club in a cave for goodness sake! They’re open Thursday to Sunday with a different musical theme for each night and various drinks-inclusive options. Be sure to check it out!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147293-d1448068-Reviews-Imagine_Punta_Cana_Disco-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html
INDIGENOUS EYES ECOLOGICAL PARK AND RESERVEThis is another spot that didn’t fit into our schedule, but is a must-visit if you love nature or just enjoy swimming in fresh-water lagoons (they have 5 you can swim in!). You can learn a lot about the reserve’s various projects, explore the exhibits and take a rejuvenating dip in the gorgeous, clear water. For more info, check out their website.
WHERE TO EAT
As a foodie, I’m always scouring websites trying to figure out where has great menus before going to a new spot. I love Hispanic food so I was very excited to see what DR had to offer. I can safely say they love pasta dishes with pink sauce, plantains and sushi – we saw these items on almost every menu.
I had a ridiculous list of places to try out that I narrowed down for my itinerary, so I’ll list and give my feedback on the ones we actually went to, and suggest some others that didn’t make the cut.
VALE VALENTINA
This was the first restaurant we tried (literally out of buck-ups because we were too tired to go elsewhere after a day of traveling) and it was so good we went back for breakfast on our last day. Found in Punta Cana Village, it is a great spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The service was great, the food was delicious and the ambiance is lovely! For dinner, we tried the Crispy Shrimps (appetiser), hot chicken vodka pasta, pepperoni pizza, bacon roasted chicken pesto pizza and the Valentina roll. Everything was delicious – especially the Valentina roll! Sweet plantain on a sushi roll?! Everywhere should do this! We also had huge glasses of sangria that were super yummy.
The portions are big and the prices are pretty affordable too – all that food and cocktails came to about $120USD! And we all went home with leftovers 😁. You can check out the menu here.
On our last day, we wanted to experience real Dominican breakfast, and it was clearly destined for us to return to Vale, because as we walked around the village, another tourist highly recommended we check them out for breakfast. We definitely didn’t regret it!
Traditional Dominican breakfast, El Criollito, consists of mangù de plátanos verdes y guineítos (Dominican mashed green plantains with butter topped with sautéed pickled red onions), fried cheese and Dominican salami. It was a bit salty for me (a lot of Dominican food seems salt-heavy, especially the cured meats – saltiest bacon I’ve ever had), but it was still delicious.
We also got great cappuccinos that come with a cute heart-shaped sugar cookie – highly recommend. They also offer continental breakfast options such as avocado toast, pancakes, eggs and bagels. We each got the same thing (el criollito, a side of bacon and a cappuccino) and the total was about $60USD. Once again, be sure to check this spot out!
TACO’S TRUCK
I love tacos, like loveeee tacos, but this place is no bueno! While it wasn’t on the itinerary, we chose the stop there after scape park for something to tie us over until dinner time (it’s located at Sanctuary Cap Cana in Juanillo Beach) and we really could’ve missed this. First of all, dem tief they are ridiculously overpriced – $25USD for 6 small tacos! Secondly, both the chicken and beef tacos were so bland, I was wondering if they forgot to add seasoning. The only good thing was the salsa they serve with a little chips on the side – and we had to fight over that because they give you a half a teaspoon of salsa 😠. This is definitely an overpriced, overrated tourist trap – 2/10, would not recommend.
CITRUS RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE
First of all, Justine-Renee and I are still waiting on our pumpkin bisque to come…
After reading great reviews about this place, I chose it for our Friday night dinner spot despite being a whole 40 minutes away from Cap Cana (it’s in Bavaro). Upon entering the restaurant, which was cute – live music going and a great ambiance, we were blatantly stared down like this isn’t a tourist area (but I understand everyone ain’t ready for the staycation vibe). To start, we ordered soup – Christine and Tami got the pumpkin bisque; JRJ and I ketch hype ordered the lobster bisque. The lobster bisque smelled awful (think of that raw scent out by backroad Portmore) and if that taste had a smell – it was in the bowl in front of me. Usually I can just suck it up and eat it but no – this soup was bad. We sent the soup back and it was apparently the worst thing we could’ve ever done. Even the chef came out to ask what the problem was and tried to tell us “it’s a man’s soup” – whatever that means. We then had to deal with other staff inquiring as to why the soup was sent back – one big fuss. We then ordered the pumpkin bisque to replace the lobster mess: the chef even gave us tiny spoons to try the pumpkin bisque at the table. Listen… ALL NOW THE SOUP CANNOT REACH. It’s like they said “screw y’all” and threw the whole soup order away. We waited and waited until all that was brought to us was our entrees. No bueno. Anywho, I had the chicken breast stuffed with plantains and cheese, and a sushi roll topped with plantain (still delicious). The food was meh – not bad but not a must-try, and the service was not good at all (except our clearly frighten waiter – he was sweet). The cost isn’t bad – food and cocktails came to about $110USD. 6/10 from me!
API BEACH
This spot was actually recommended by our host, Carlos, and I’m so glad it was. We went for my birthday brunch 🎉 instead of the spot on the itinerary because it’s actually in Cap Cana and the other place was 45 minutes away.
First of all, the view of the beach is beautiful to look at hile you eat. The staff were also really pleasant and helpful, and the food and cocktails were delicious! For appetisers, we had the crispy shrimp, api fingers and arepas. For entrees, we had the API burger, the Monty burger and the Bondi burger. I started drinking before we even got there (birthday lituation) so I can’t remember what cocktails we had but they were also wonderful! Everything here was great! It’s a little pricy (the bill was like $250), but it is a touristy spot so we weren’t surprised. You can check out their menu here.
MONTSERRAT MANOR
Found at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, this was our fine dining splurge restaurant for the trip. We celebrated my birthday with dinner at this beautiful Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant. The restaurant is very chic and stylish, and the staff were amazing! We loved every second of this dining experience! For starters, we had crispy shrimp and beef tacos – hello! delicious! For the main course, I had the lamb chops with pumpkin puree and vegetable fried rice.
Like all fine dining restaurants, the portions were relatively small (but filling) and pricey $$$$. Their cocktail menu was a bit too much for me (the drinks are overwhelming mixes with peppers and plantain syrup – too much for me), but you can order any regular cocktail despite it not being listed – I had a mojito. They also brought out a little birthday treat with chocolates and sang me happy birthday in Spanish and English. 10/10 – would highly recommend!
LITTLE JOHN AT JUANILLO BEACH One perk of going to Juanillo Beach is this delicious restaurant. I actually wish I went there on an empty stomach to have been able to try more things on the menu. The staff is friendly, the food is reasonably priced and it’s delicious! We had great pizza and chicken fingers here. The only issue I had here was the Pina colada – it was a bit too sweet for me. Definitely recommend checking this place out!
JELLYFISH RESTAURANT I would love to tell you about the delicious seafood we had here and the beautiful view of the ocean, however, despite making a reservation before we even left Jamaica, and driving 40 minutes to this place, we were informed at the gate that they couldn’t let us in because there was a private function – thank you, NEXT.
BALICANA ASIAN CUISINE
After being denied entry by Jellyfish Restaurant, this Asian, Thai, Indonesian restaurant came to save the day. The atmosphere is great there – nice lil’ island vibe. Our servers were welcoming and the food was affordable and tasty. To start, we had an appetiser platter with chicken satay, vegetable spring rolls, shrimp spring rolls and tempura vegetables.
For the mains, we had sesame garlic chicken, beef oyster, Malaysian coconut curry fish and pineapple fried rice.
Just a heads up, this is not like Jamaican Asian food – the dishes are actually individual, not large plates to share, so keep that in mind. And just like most Asian foods, we were hungry again by bed time 😭.
EL BURRITO Because of proximity, we spent a lot of time at Punta Cana Village. After drinking way too much tequila and rum, I decided I wanted to get tacos before dinner. I did not regret checking this place out! We got take-out, so I can’t comment too much on the staff or atmosphere, but it all seemed great. The food was delicious! I had the spicy shrimp tacos (three tacos with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, pico de Gallo, guacamole and sour cream) and refried beans and rice. Everything was so yummy and perfect to soak up the alcohol 😂. I definitely recommend this place.
LA CASITA DE YEYA
For our last meal, our host recommended we check out the authentic Dominican food at this place (yes, back to Punta Cana Village for the third time in one day). The food was okay, but we were a little disappointed. The prices were moderate and the servings were huge. We tried the arepas, empanadas, nachos, fish in coconut sauce, steak salad, pork chops and plantain stuffed chicken breast.
The atmosphere is nice and the waiter was pleasant but the food was so-so. We all woke up with stomach issues the next morning- so just a heads up 🙃.
OTHER RESTAURANTS TO TRY…
BREAKERS (breakfast/brunch)
DELICES FRANCAIS (breakfast)
SAFFRON
LA YOLA
LA PALAPA
ISABELLA STEAK & BISTRO
TOC BEACH BAR
LA CAVA KITCHEN
BACHATA ROSA
WHAT I WORE
Finally, here are my slaycation outfit details…
Airport outfit – Fashion Nova Remedy For Everything Romper (Black), Fashion Nova On the Prowl Hooded Jacket (Mauve), Nike Free RN (Black)
Scape Park outfit – Fashion Nova Calling all Angels Bikini (Emerald), Denim shorts (Style Savvy), Custom white T-shirt, DESIXQUAY HIGH KEY Aviators (Blk/Fade)
Dinner outfit – Hot Miami Styles Wine Long Sleeve Knotted Skirt Two Piece Set
Birthday brunch outfit – Miss Lola Venetian Dress (Yellow), Miss Lola Adventuress (Nude)
Birthday swimsuit – Jae Jolly ”Paraque” Tropical
Birthday dress – Fashion Nova Open Up to Me Dress (Green)
Beach outfit – Fashion Nova Calling all Angels Bikini (Black), Bon Voyage Tunic (Black/White), DESIXQUAY HIGH KEY Mini Aviators (Rose/CPRFD)
Dinner outfit – Fashion Nova Brighten My Day Skirt Set (Neon Pink)
Poolside swimsuit – Fashion Nova Party At My Cabana Swimsuit (Red)
Sightseeing outfit – Grass-Fields White Off Shoulder Shirt, Miss Lola Press Your Luck Skirt (Nude)
ALL EARRINGS WERE FROM TCG & MORE!
Enjoy Punta Cana!!!!
If you have any questions about planning your trip, check out my previous post here.
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Travel Guide: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic If you read my last post, you know I loved Punta Cana! It has already secured a spot on my "must visit" list for the Caribbean (you already know Jamaica is clearly numero uno!).