nancyyogi

Hi all..

I have four?s for you about Punta cana. We are going in Nov to Paradisus Palma Reserve

1.) is the water relatively calm and what is the deal with the seagrass/seaweed? is it that bad? pictures make the beach look calm, clean and gorgeous.. are they photoshopped?

2.) I'd like to do stand up paddle boarding. Anyone know if the resorts offer this or if there are SUP folks nearby to rent boards/paddles from?

3.) what about going off resort. Is there any reason to? we've never done all inclusive before so just curious.

4.) resort said to contact them to arrange aiport transfers but I cannot manage to get in touch with any person. Do we need to do this or can we take cabs?

Thanks

virginia

maybe this page can help you. you can look at lots of travelers pics & read reviews. i read through 2 pages of favorable reviews but noticed no one even mentions the beach.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._.html#REVIEWS

schmerl

This site specializes in the Dominican Republic:
http://debsdrtravels.proboards.com/

suze

Sure, there's an entire island to see outside your resort. Whether there is "reason" just depends on your interests I think.

doug_stallings

Whether the water is calm depends on where you're staying and the weather. But generally Punta Cana (especially on the Caribbean side) is calm; a reef protects the beach around the Bavaro area, where your resort is located, but that's a long long beach.

There's seaweed, but the resorts rake it in the morning. And I can't say from resort to resort where it's a bigger issue, but the seafloor around Bavaro is fairly sandy.

I can't tell you about stand-up paddleboarding. It's not something I've ever seen in the DR, but it's a growing sport, so I suspect the bigger resorts may offer it.

The difficulty in Punta Cana is that the area is isolated, and most of the "sights" around there aren't very interesting, though if you are willing to take a daylong excursion, you can easily go as far as Bayahibe. I think Santo Domingo is a stretch. If you get bored at the resort, then look for excursions. You don't have to book anything far in advance, and every resort has tour companies represented.

As far as taxis go, they tend to be overpriced, but they are there. The difficulty is that Punta Cana is set up with the idea that everyone is coming through a big tour company. Relatively few people make their own independent arrangements. The plus side of this is that you can get to the airport when it suits you rather than having to arrive with the buses. The downside is that it generally costs more both to and from the airport.

suze

<The difficulty is that Punta Cana is set up with the idea that everyone is coming through a big tour company.>

AND the assumption you will stick to the resort property. If you want to explore an island, there are better islands to choose than the DR. Or at least better locations to pick than Punta Cana. Its whole existance is based on people coming in and staying at the mega-resorts.

Go to Puerto Plata or Sosua or Santo Domingo if you are wanting to see and participate in actual island life.