Paradise beaches, usually with calm waters and thousands of coconut trees on the fine sand, accompanied by drinks and food (all, of all types) and with a concierge taking care of everything.
This is the routine of tourists who stay at resorts in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, a destination that allows guests to leave the resort for nothing — for nothing at all, as they can even find a casino and cabaret on site.
Don’t want peace and tired of seeing waiters and waiters all the time? Alright too. Go to Isla Saona by the Caribbean Sea, or venture out on more radical walks on Bávaro beach itself, which concentrates the gigantic hotel developments of the trendy city.
The fact is that, regardless of the choice, the biggest difficulty that visitors to Punta Cana will have when staying in its luxury resorts is choosing what they will want to eat or drink, from breakfast to bedtime. And yet, to resolve the issue, just access the resort’s app and define, if you choose an a la carte.
Perhaps choosing your preferred pool or which lounge chair around it or on the sand will be used is also on the “difficulties” list.
Resorts like the all-inclusive Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa serve guests even on the sand. The fridge is always replenished and some restaurant will always be open.
When this journalist told the hotel employee at the door of the room that he would just like a soda and water to refill the minibar, he was astonished and replied: “Just?”. “Are you sure, that’s all?” he insisted.
Punta Cana concentrates more than half of the hotels in the Dominican Republic, a country with around 10 million inhabitants in Central America, and it even sells itself as an all-inclusive destination, not least because the surroundings of the resorts have few options compared to what you see in the hotels.
It is on an island shared with poor Haiti and, in February, it began building a wall that intends to cover almost half of the 392 kilometers of border with the neighboring country. The claim is to curb illegal immigration.
The country expects to receive 7 million foreign tourists this year, which represents an increase of 9% compared to 2019, the last year without the impacts of the pandemic on world tourism.
That year, 107,000 Brazilians were in the country, mainly from January to March and from November to December, according to the Dominican Republic Tourism Office in Brazil. Twenty years ago, there were 4,000 Brazilian tourists.
The dates with the highest tourist flow are not random and follow the hurricane calendar, which can normally hit the region from June to October.
The average stay for Brazilians is six to seven days in the country, more than the four or five for North American tourists. Distance explains.
The pandemic caused the number of Brazilians to plummet to 41,000 in 2021, but large hotels such as the Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa have already returned to pre-pandemic levels in terms of guest profile, with a predominance of US tourists, Canada and Europeans, followed by South Americans — as well as Brazilians, Argentines and Uruguayans.
In it, guests can take their chances in a casino or enjoy the night at Chic, a cabaret with a tasting menu and musical shows lasting more than two hours. They are one of the few options that pay separately (from US$35 to US$135, depending on the resort you are at) and the customer can taste dishes with scallops, duck and short rib, among others.
Punta Cana, however, is more than the hype resorts. The attractions outside the hotels have the natural scenery as a highlight, but invariably they are not cheap tours due to the current exchange rate.
An example is Isla Saona, which is home to just 300 residents, and which is reached after almost two hours on a catamaran that takes tourists to the place across the Caribbean Sea, in the midst of Latin music and lots of rum.
The $100 tour includes drinks and lunch on the island. Unlike resorts, food at Saona is very simple, unsophisticated, served with cutlery and disposable plastic.
That doesn’t stop you from enjoying the main itinerary offered in the destination, which lasts all day and just for the blue of the waters you would already be paid. The sea tour, with tourists already tired (very tired), is done on speedboats, with a stop at Caribbean natural pools.
Another option is parasailing, in which the tourist, with a kind of parachute, is towed by a speedboat into the ocean and gets to stay 80 m from the water. The cost can vary from US$ 60 to US$ 100 (two people), for a ride of about 15 minutes.
Coco Bongo, an open bar in the city center, offers nightlife for about five hours, with an average of 50 artists, such as musicians and acrobats, taking turns on stage.
Although it is not necessary to spend money during your stay, it is recommended to bring Dominican pesos, as tourists will hardly receive change in dollars. On tours, care with the price of souvenirs is also important.
And, after a day of rest on the beach or adventures at sea, you can still be lucky enough to see a wedding in the sand, common at the Grand Palladium, which has four resorts in the same area – one of them, TRS Turquesa, exclusively for adults.
The venue has 15 restaurants, 25 bars and has hot tubs in all 1,993 suites. Each of the restaurants has its own chef and two others are responsible for the general coordination of the place, according to Antonio Parrado, the hotels’ general director.
The most sought after by families are dedicated to meat and Italian and Mexican cuisine.
The cost of lodging at resorts varies by category and time of year. Seven days at the Grand Palladium Bávaro, one of the complexes, can cost BRL 8,500 for two adults. It is possible to buy airline tickets on Copa Airlines for US$ 606 per person.
