PUNTA CANA: YES OR NO?
 

thinking about Apple (yes, i've heard a few things) to punta cana - new sol de plata resort?is it open? anyone been? can u move between resort to resort for nightlife activities? beaches good? lots of karaoke? do u get bored at all if u don't leave resort, or can't afford to?? thank you very much*!

Cici: Recently returned from Punta Cana (via Apple) and had a great time. However did not stay at the resort you mentioned. Try www.debbiesdominicantravel.com for reviews on virtually all the resorts from people who've been. If you have any general questions about Punta Cana or Apple, I'd be happy to help as best I can.

I've been reading the reviews at debbiesdominicantravel.com and haven't seen Sol de Punta mentioned. I am also researching island getaways, for August, and would like as much ambiance for as little money as possible (a pipe dream?) Anybody out there with the "real" lowdown on Dominica/Punta Cana?

Dominica is a small island in the Caribbean that is quite lush, has good diving but if you are looking for a beach vacation they really don't have beaches. Punta Cana is on the southeast of the Domincan Republic..AWESOME beach and some nice hotels.

Cici, we've just returned from Punta Cana on an Apple Vacation. We had no problems with Apple, my only minor complaint is that they took us to the airport in Punta Cana knowing the flight would be delayed so we waited at the airport for an extra 2 hours. Other than that, the service was fine. <BR> <BR>I think we picked people up at the Sol de Plata/Punta Cana Beach resort. It looked like an OK place to stay but I think it might have been a bit isolated but its kind of hard to tell from the bus. I think it's important to pick a hotel with several choices for meals as there doesn't seem to be anyway to get meals outside the resorts and you'd probably be taking a chance anyway. We stayed at the Iberostar Punta Cana which has a sister property next door, the Iberostar Dominicana. You can use the facilities/restaurants for both. We thought the resort was great (although I still don't understand the restaurant reservation system), with lots to do if you wanted to stay there for the whole vacation-catamarans, wind surfing, kayaks, pools and a beach you can swim from plus nightly entertainment and a casino. <BR> <BR>Here are a couple of my thoughts on the Dominican Republic. If you are looking for beautiful beaches, warm water and looking to stay at an all-inclusive resort, this is a great place for you. If you are looking to get out and see stuff and go on excursions, I think that part of their tourism industry is still under development. Americans haven't been going there for that long and the European travelers seem to be content to stay at the resorts and sunbathe. The snorkeling was OK, not nearly as good as Belize or Cancun. The only snorkeling trip offered through Apple was the Kontiki party raft where the emphasis was on party, not on snorkeling. <BR> <BR>Oh and if you're staying at an all-inclusive, you don't really want to move from resort to resort as you'd end up paying for your drinks. Better to stay at one of the larger resorts, in my opinion.

Punta Cana has great afforable all inclusive resorts. I have booked several clients after going there myself. I recently had a client I thought was going to be a complainer and would find everthing wrong he could. Well! They returned and called me to thank me for the recomendation and said they would go there again in a minute. The property was the Barcello Bavaro Palace.