1 destination · 10 things to do

Dominican Republic

Punta Cana is the Caribbean’s great all-inclusive escape, a long ribbon of palm-backed white sand on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic where Bávaro, Cap Cana, Macao and Uvero Alto line up beside calm, reef-sheltered turquoise water. Most visitors fly straight into Punta Cana International Airport and settle into a resort, but the best trips mix lazy beach days with the excursions that make the island unforgettable: a speedboat run to Saona Island and its starfish sandbars, a long day in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City, the oldest European city in the Americas, a small-group catamaran over the reef, a swim in the blue cenote of Hoyo Azul and the squirrel monkeys of Monkeyland. Evenings mean resort dinners, a night at Coco Bongo’s acrobatic show-and-club, or a sunset walk on Bávaro Beach. This guide books the excursions worth booking, tells you how long each day really runs, and matches five resorts, from an adults-only splurge in Uvero Alto to a value all-inclusive on El Cortecito beach, to the trip you have in mind.