Punta Cana, Dominican Republic- BEACHES WITH SEA WEED?
 

I am thrilled to find an area that is so tropical looking, everything at the Excellence Resort sounds fantastic. BUT this is the Atlantic Ocean and the waves are rough. Sometimes so much there is a red flag and you cannot swim in it???

I've looked up and down the Island at the resorts looking for the true clear caribbean water, white sand, warm water AND NO SEA WEED!!

My family has been to enough beaches to find sea weed on the beach and especially around your legs in the water, gross.. and totally undesirable..

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY RESORT THAT THEY CAN VOUCH HAS NO WEEDS IN THE WATER?? THAT YOU CAN SWIM IN THE OCEAN WITHOUT IT BEING TOO ROUGH???

I can't find any answers anywhere! Thanks very much for your help!

When we went to Excellence Punta Cana we swam and played in the ocean every day. Some seaweed may wash up on the beach in the AM , but it is quickly removed. No seagrass in the water there.

I don't know about the Dominican Republic specifically, but, there has been problems with Sargassum (a type of seaweed) in the Caribbean over the past couple of years. I'm not sure anyone can guarantee that there won't be seaweed at any given time.

When were you at the Excellence Resort?

I was at the Majestic Elegance this past February. I too was concerned with sea weed and how rough the water would be. The water was on the wavy side, yet, crystal clear...we could walk in past the breakers and wade - it was lovely.

One day, we could see the seaweed coming, it was so strange.....it moved left to right....started around 3pm.....by the next morning it was gone. Yet while there, it was so thick there was no way I was going to go in....

Most Punta Cana beaches face the Atlantic, not the Caribbean. Only two resorts are on the Caribbean side: Puntacana Resort and Club Med. most DR beaches, while beautiful, aren't the same kind of white sand you find in parts of the Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, or even Antigua. But they are quite nice. Resorts do their best to clear away sea weed every morning, but there are no guarantees.

We were there two years ago in June.

I am on the same search. We are looking to go in mid-Sept of next year, is this a good time or bad time of year for seaweed? Is Punta Cana or Jamaica better? Are certain sides of the islands better? Do Turks and Antigua have All-Inclusives? We are open to other areas in the same budget range and would like AI, white sand beaches and snorkeling right from the resort.

The Turks and Caicos has exactly one all-inclusive on Provo, the Beaches resort (more, albeit very expensive, ones are on nearby private islands and are not what you are probably thinking of when you think of all-inclusive).

Antigua is chock full of AIs, some really bad and downscale, others lovely.

I just can't tell you much about seaweed and its seasonality. It washes ashore all the time on every island. It's really a matter of whether the resorts clean and groom their beaches daily. But a sandy bottom tends to deter sea weed, so you'll find more clean strands on islands like Anguilla.

Turks and Caicos has 3 all inclusives

Beaches Resort- what most people think of when they think AI, it is on the expensive side, and is extremely family (kid) friendly. They have a water park and 19 restaurants, activities all day, etc.

Veranda- like an upscale Four Seasons that happens to include food (2. Restaurants, and a beach bar, limited hours) and top shelf alcohol. It's quiet and elegant, and quite frankly, a bargain for the price. (usually rooms that luxurious command those prices without food and drinks)

Club Med- adults only, very active. Rooms quite frankly could use an iverhall, no balconies or patios, but it's all about mingling and being outdoors. Definitely the cheapest option.

All 3 are on the best beach in the world.

Antigua has a Sandals, which is a couples upscale resort.

FYI, when weather gets crazy (Nor Easter on East Coast, hurricanes brewing) any island you pick can end up with seaweed.

BUT, most of the time Grace Bay is pristine and weed free, which is why so many praise it. it has an outer protective reef that most of the time keeps it away.

DR is prone to always having at least a little bit of seaweed

I've been to punta cana twice. The first time in May. I didn't like it at all. I went in the rainy season and every day at 2 or 3, the clouds would roll in and it would rain for hours. The beach was loaded with sea weed. Every morning, they would have trucks with huge rakes like you'd see on a ski slope (groomers), rake the beach..but it didn't matter, there was thick sea weed where the waves came in....once you got beyond the seaweed, it was gorgeous. I just wouldn't wade throught the seaweed.....

Last February, I went to the Majestic Elegance...the beach was beautiful...then one afternoon, we saw this thick wide of patch of seaweed rolling through...it did...just like the 1st time...but it only lasted the one evening and then it was gone. WEIRD. The beach is like flour, the waves bigger because you are on the atlantic side...the water was really nice.

I should clarify..when I said May, it was years ago....like 2005(ish)

My husband and I went to Punta Cana many years ago. It was the only beach that had constant seaweed as I recall. They had to clean it off the beaches every a.m. This was in March I believe--we did not return there. It is not one of my favorite destinations but it seems to still be one of the least expensive islands to travel. It is a mixed bag when it comes to reviews. I have been to Aruba many times and have not encountered sea weed.

Sad but true, the algae has affected many beaches in the Caribbean. The North coast of Dominican Republic has no algae, specially Cabarete and Sosua.