Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
Regardless of whether you go with a travel agency or on your own, to travel to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic There are decisions you have to make and information you need to know, all of which will mark the final result of your trip.
Hotels, visa, what to do in Punta Cana, what to see, what to carry in your suitcase, excursions and many other questions are those that come to mind before each new trip, and in this article we will help you with all of them.
The first thing to say about Punta Cana, is that it is one of those destinations that do not have too many organizational complications, as we have just seen on our recent trip to this Caribbean paradise.
Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
Mainly, because most travelers who they visit Punta Cana barely move from the big ones resorts where do you have the famous bracelet of all-inclusive hotel (or all inclusive as they say there) that gives you access to unlimited food and drink.
10 tips for traveling to Punta Cana
Therefore, whether this is your type of trip, or if you have thought about doing some activitys not to spend all week at the hotel, we will give you the 10 tips that summarize the main concerns or doubts that you have asked us through our social networks.
1. Punta Cana with agency or on my own?
Despite how extremely easy it is to organize a trip to Punta Cana, we have to say that most of the travelers that we met during our recent stay came with the same contracted through travel agency.
In fact, for this type of trip there are also many who choose to hire their trips through internet comparators typeBooking orDestinia, which offer the flight offers more hotel to Punta Cana.
Foam party at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
And we realized already on the plane, where we saw all the tourists that surrounded us with the envelope with all the information that travel agencies or flight comparators give you in writing.
I think we were one of the few that didn't go with any agency.
And all this despite travel to Punta Cana It only requires hiring the plane, the hotel, he travel insurance and the Transportation from the airport to the hotel.
Because excursions are not usually included in travel agencies, and just like we did, you have to hire them there, either at hotels or by Internet before travelling.
further Punta Cana It has a huge advantage when traveling and that is the language spoken in the Dominican Republic It is Spanish, so for those who speak English with difficulty, in this destination you will have no problems in this regard.
Beach at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
This preference for agencies has two explanations:
Obviously the most comfortable thing is that you organize the trip, because we don't always have time for it.
And on the other hand, in certain cases travel agencies can offer cheaper special prices Due to its volume of hiring, which you can find on your own.
Therefore, we do not want to convince you that one option is better than another, but if we are going to show you the aspects in which you need to look regardless of whether you prefer an agency, comparator or organize it yourself.
How to choose a trip and hotel in Punta Cana
First look for the flight on your own without hiring it (we travel with Air Europe), as well as a selection of two or three hotels, with the type of room that would interest you, and write down the prices.
Villa at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
It is important that you look for it by opening a new incognito window so that the search engines do not locate your computer and do not raise the price after making a new search.
This search is just a first survey to find out what it would cost us to hire it on our own depending on the hotel.
Already with that information, ask price in travel agencies, having clear in advance which hotels interest you, because not all hotels are in the Punta Cana travel deals that agencies offer, and by default they will offer you the ones that interest them most.
When we have gone on an agency trip, we have looked in depth at the catalog of accommodations they offer, to choose one of the hotels we had previously looked at.
Many agencies to advertise the lowest possible price on advertising signs neglect the quality of the accommodations and then there are surprises that you did not expect.
And I think that few things can spoil this type of trip more than the hotel, where you will have lunch, dinner and spend a large part of the day.
There is a great offer of hotels but with a lot of difference in the qualities, and in this respect you have to take into account thatDominican Republic It is a very cheap country, in which to go from a standard quality to an absolutely VIP It means very little price difference.
Room at TRS Turquesa hotel in Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
That is why we recommend you first search on your own, then look in the search engines for flight + hotel offers, and, finally, ask in agency about the hotels that we have previously selected.
In this way you can compare the different options and choose the most economically appropriate.
Do not be surprised to find much price difference regardless of the option, because we have come to see hotels booking.com with a much more expensive price than if you hire them in a travel agency offer, and also the opposite.
In any case, here is the link to search for hotel in Punta Cana in booking.com, our favorite hotel search engine.
Search, compare and choose!
2. What hotel to choose in Punta Cana
I would dare to say that the choice of hotel and room is the most important decision that can make your trip to Punta Cana, like ours, be a real trip to paradise.
Room at TRS Turquesa hotel in Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
In Punta Cana there are all kinds of all-inclusive hotels or without him, adults-only hotels (adults only), hotels to go with children, with better beaches, with more or less swimming pools, with water parks, with discos, even hotels with casino and theaters.
This is where our first point takes more strength.
Because also, like you choose the resort, there is so much hotel offer that it is also important choose the type of room and the area of beaches in which it is located.
Let's not forget that hotels have their private beaches, which is where you will spend most of the time.
The resorts in Punta Cana It has a huge variety of rooms, it's not like other destinations where hotels have all their rooms the same.
That is why even when traveling with an agency, they will give you hotel options to choose with the corresponding prices for each type of room, and if they do not offer it, ask for it.
Indian restaurant at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
Is it worthwhile to hire an all-inclusive hotel in Punta Cana?
The first decision is if you want to stay in a all-inclusive hotel or in one without everything included.
As surprising as it may seem, not all hotels are all inclusive or all inclusive, which was the idea we had before organizing our trip to Punta Cana
To be honest, and after our experience, we believe that the price offered by wristband hotels They are incomparable considering what they offer.
In fact, and as a curiosity, the Dominicans themselves are the first who on their vacations choose this option to go to a resort Where you get everything done.
It is important to look at the prices offered in the packs or in the internet offers to travel to Punta Cana, because they are closely linked to the room you choose and the area of the hotel where you are staying.
You have to assess well the types of rooms that offer you because for a small price difference, you can have rooms that go directly to the pool or with Jacuzzis inside the room or on its terrace.
Reception at TRS Turquesa hotel at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
How is an all-inclusive 5-star hotel in Punta Cana
For example, in our case we were staying in the resort Grand Palladium hotels & Resorts in Punta Canain full Bavaro beach, which is actually made up of four different hotels, which offered different levels of quality in their services.
To continue with the example of our hotel, which serves perfectly as a sample, within the resort we were staying in theTRS Turquesa Hotel, which was the resort VIP area,
We could only access those who were staying there, while we could move through the remains of hotels and facilities mentioned resort.
Having an exclusive area, we did not have crowds at any time, since in our hotel we had restaurants and swimming pools, in addition to the quality in the restaurants and the treatment in thisVIP zone It is absolutely superior.
Study it well because there are rooms that are impressive at incredible prices, and you can enjoy them just by looking for a bit and not choosing the first thing you see or offer.
Here we leave you a video in which we tell you in more detail how is an all-inclusive 5-star hotel in Punta Cana Based on the experience of our recent trip.
As for this, though Punta Cana It is one of the safest areas of the Dominican Republic by far, we cannot ignore that, in general, it is an insecure country, although luckily every day less.
Ten years ago in some hotels the security personnel were armed, something that today is not necessary in Punta Cana.
And with this we do not mean that anything will happen, but for this reason the big resorts They have a great point in favor, as they guarantee tranquility and security.
Especially when you do not have to leave the hotel to wander through areas that you do not know, looking for where to eat or especially where to dine, since when the sun goes down is when it is something more dangerous.
They usually recommend that if you move around the country at your leisure, do not carry valuables in sight, especially mobile phones.
Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
Keep in mind that the average salary in the Dominican Republic It is just over $ 250 a month and the minimum wage is $ 130, so a next-generation mobile whose price is around $ 1,000 is very succulent for thieves.
In our case we left little of the hotel, but when we did and went to walk around, we had no problem, even taking the camera in sight.
Here the key is to keep in mind where you are, since it is not the same to be in Punta Cana in the zone of Bavaro beach wave Marina of Cap Cana, which are safe areas, that move around some neighborhoods of the capital, Santo Domingo.
4. How to choose insurance to travel to Punta Cana
He travel insurance It is one of those things that you just have to have before traveling when we leave our country, and especially considering that for between 30 and 60 euros, which is what insurance costs for a week, you are covered with expenses that can Be very high if something happens to you.
Of course, nobody can guarantee that nothing will happen to you, but if this happens, you will regret it if you do not have good travel insurance.
Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
So that you orient yourself a bit with the prices and clauses, we will explain what you have to have a safe to travel to Punta Cana, so then you will have no problem when choosing yours.
We always travel with him IATI annual insuranceWell, we make many trips throughout the year.
It is the insurance in which it is easier to see their coverage, because many companies are not entirely clear when explaining them and much less when using them.
We can think that by hiring the cheapest insurance, it is worth it, and on certain occasions you may find yourself with a surprise.
And we tell you because there are many of you who write to us outraged with the insurance you had hired and have not given you everything you expected.
That's why here we leave you this article talking more in depth about how to hire good insurance Travel much more in depth, in case you have doubts after reading what we are going to tell you.
A basic insurance for a week in Punta Cana It costs about 30 euros, which covers 30,000 euros of medical expenses, and 60 euros insurance Star and Premium with up to 500,000 euros of medical assistance, which is the one that carries the maximum coverage and compensation of money.
Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
Travel insurance coverage to Punta Cana
It is very important that the insurance has several coverages.
It is key that the insurance covers 100% of all expenses related to any accident and we do not refer only to traffic accidents, which also (often the insurance does not cover traffic accidents, but that of IATI does).
You never know where something can happen to us, we do not plan to break a leg or an arm, or have a fatal accident during the trip, but that is unpredictable, so it is essential that the insurance includes the repatriation in case of death or accident.
Just as it is key to have a family member's death coverageWell, if something happens to a family member in your city of origin, they cover the expenses that come with returning before the time of our trip.
Many times the problem of insurance is that although they cover medical expenses, they do not cover the expenses of the companions, nor the collateral expenses that come with having a person admitted.
According to our own experience, since we have lived an important hospitalization abroad, it is very important that we cover the companion expenses during the period of hospital stay.
Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
You have to think that one hospitalization for a while it can mean very high expenses, and that without needing to be repatriated by medicalized plane, in which these expenses soar ...
In our case we live an operation that meant we were admitted for 1 day with the expenses that it entails, apart from the extra expenses of new tickets and the companion's hotel.
Many times we do not think about certain needs that arise, such as if you break a leg and you have to go back with your leg stretched, which can lead to need to travel first class if it is a long distance flight like that of Punta Cana.
Many times the major inconveniences that are usually more common in travel are related to the lost or delayed luggage, or also with the flight cancellations.
These insurances give you compensation for all this type of unforeseen travel, and depending on the type of insurance you hire, the compensation will be greater.
Well, it may be the case, for example, that they lose your suitcase in a transfer and need to buy clothes to use until your luggage arrives.
You should also know that there are clauses that are not included in the standard insurance and that you should hire only if your trip requires it, such as clauses for risk sports.
Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
And here I give you an example
This winter we were in Boston on a trip on which we went skiing, and if the health in the United States is already very expensive, but if we had an incident in the mountains, we could ruin.
That's why we took the Premium insurance with the extra adventure sports clause, which covered us 250,000 euros.
Another one of the things that usually worries most is who is paying the bills.
In the most basic insurance you have to be the one who advances the money, while as you have more coverage, it is the company that puts the money.
In the case of telephone support, IATI has a number that you can call at any time, regardless of where in the world you are, and they also serve you in Spanish.
In short, it is key take out good travel insurance.
Beach party at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
5. What to see and do in Punta Cana
Most travelers who visit Punta Cana they do looking for the sun and the beach, and there are many who in a week do not leave the hotel.
The hotels have their own private beach and several swimming pools to relax and drink and eat while sunbathing, which for many is the perfect plan.
The big ones resort as, for example, the aforementioned Grand Palladium hotels & Resorts Punta CanaThey also have soccer fields, tennis, paddle and basketball courts, casino, spa or theaters, as well as bars, clubs and restaurants.
Even hotels organize activities within the resorts, like the foam parties or spining in the pools, as well as activities for the little ones.
But for those who can't spend so many days without leaving the hotel, there are several activities and excursions that can be done leaving from Punta Cana.
Water bike activity at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
Excursions from Punta Cana
If what you are looking for is culture and history, perhaps the most important visit you can do tour the city of Santo Domingo with its characteristic colonial buildings.
The capital of the country was the first European city in America, since that's where he got Christopher Columbus on his first trip through the Americas in 1492.
The Spanish, as it was known in its day, had a great importance in the naval development of Spain since here they founded the first church, the first university and many other buildings in which they considered new continent.
Other of the most requested excursions are theSaona Island visit, a true Caribbean paradise or the catamaran excursion to Samana.
For those looking for adrenaline activities, there are many options for speedboats, buggies between coffee plantations, swimming with dolphins, sighting whales or the most spectacular of all, the helicopter ride through Punta Cana.
If we talk about nature or unique places, without a doubt the Los Haitises National Park is that perfect nature reserve with its mangroves.
Children's castle at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
There are also some coral reserves for lovers of marine life where you can live the experience of doing Snorkeling and diving
In the interior of the country there are several places where you visit traditional villages and activities like to ride a horse or visit beautiful caves inside the jungle.
When hiring excursions, you can do it right there in the hotels, or even on the beach you find locals offering you all kinds of excursions.
But if you prefer to be a forecaster and choose the excursions with peace of mind, we leave you the link to our preferred page to book in advance the excursions in Punta Cana.
6. Do I need a visa to travel to Punta Cana?
For most countries it is not necessary to request any type of visa to travel to Punta Cana.
Of course, for enter Dominican Republic It is necessary to fill in two forms that deliver you on the plane during the journey to the country.
Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
They will ask you for information about your trip, with information such as how many days you will be and where you are going to stay.
There are two forms, because one is delivered upon arrival in the country and passed customs control, and the other is to be delivered before leaving the Dominican Republic.
In the event that you do not know where you have saved the return form, you can always fill it out at the airport before passing customs, because they will ask you at the first Security control that you are after checking your luggage.
We recommend carrying a pen by hand to fill in the information during the flight, although if you do not carry it, someone can always leave you during the 8 hours of flight from Spain to Punta Cana, for example.
As for the money to be paid before entering the country, we had read that upon arrival in the country they charged you 10 dollars per person, but despite taking the money prepared, they did not charge us anything.
We simply deliver the passports and the form we fill out on the plane, they sealed the passport and we entered the country.
Beach at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
7. What currency is used in Punta Cana?
The currency that is used in Punta Cana is the Dominican peso, although if you do not move from the hotel, do not worry about it, because there are people who do not need or change the currency throughout the trip.
In our, as our currency is the euro, we do not change currency in the 7 days we were in the country.
In practice, as in many countries of the world, you can pay with both dollars and euros, since they accept these two currencies almost anywhere.
In addition you can always pay with card in most establishments, especially restaurants.
In case you want to change before your trip, you will have to request it from your bank a few days in advance because they probably do not have Dominican pesos in the branch.
Of course you can also change when you arrive in the country, at the airport or even at the hotels themselves; This is the most expensive option although the most comfortable.
Zentropía Spa at Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
If you want specifically change local currency being already in Punta Cana, what we usually recommend is to get the money from a local ATM (ATM), which usually apply a better change, and depending on the bank, with minimum commissions.
8. Best time to travel to Punta Cana
When considering what time of the year is bettertravel to Punta Cana, you should know has a tropical climate, with a constant temperature, so any time of the year is good to visit.
You could say that it is high season all year round, but there are some nuances and differences depending on the month of the year that vary the price.
Another important issue and why you ask us a lot is the issue of hurricanes, with the classic question of what is the time of hurricanes in Punta Cana.
That is why we leave you here a specific article that we have prepared with important topics related to the best time to travel to Punta Cana, in which we talk about the weather, hurricanes, the months where more people travel and much more.
Bavaro beach in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic
9. What to take for a trip to Punta Cana
The issue of suitcases and what things to take It is one of the questions you ask us most when you are going to travel.
To go to Punta Cana there are three things that cannot be missing in your suitcase and that they are absolutely essential.
Of course swimsuit, a lot sunscreen that is biodegradable so as not to contaminate the sea, because the sun hits very hard in Punta Cana Y mosquito repellent if you go out of the resorts, especially if you are going to make an excursion to natural reserve areas.
In the 7 days we were in the country we do not need to wear any sweatshirts or any warm clothes despite having coincided with the remains of a hurricane that reached the coast of the United States and sent us clouds continuously.
We had a temperature between 28 and 30 degrees, with a fairly high humidity, so the feeling is hot even if there are clouds.
Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana
If it is advisable to take some Warm clothing, even just for the plane ride.
If you go to a great resort it is necessary to take some of more formal clothes, especially for dinner time.
The plugs They are not the same as in Europe, but it happens as in Asia, that all the chargers work, so despite taking adapters we did not have to use them.
In the big resorts There are no electricity problems, but if you move around other areas, it is convenient to take portable batteries Because power failures are quite common and it is very common to run out of electricity in the rest of the country.
10. Vaccines needed to travel to Punta Cana
In principle to make a trip to Punta Cana where you will move little of the resort, no vaccine is necessary.
In spite of that, the ideal thing is to consult with the organism of your country specialized in vaccines for trips, so that you make sure that when you are traveling, you do not need anything special.
