Punta Cana: Bavaro Beach, Cap Cana Luxury, Saona Island, Championship Golf, and the Hoyo Azul Cenote
Punta Cana, the most visited beach resort destination in the Caribbean, combines the extraordinary 25-kilometer Bavaro beach with the luxury enclaves of Cap Cana, the Saona Island catamaran excursion, championship golf courses, and the adventure park cave cenotes that offer an alternative to pure beach relaxation.
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Bavaro Beach: The All-Inclusive Paradise
Bavaro Beach, the 25-kilometer arc of white coral sand and turquoise water that forms the eastern face of the Punta Cana peninsula, is the backbone of the most commercially successful beach resort complex in the Caribbean, where more than 60,000 hotel rooms in the international all-inclusive brand properties of Barcelo, Iberostar, Excellence, Hard Rock, and dozens of others have created a resort landscape of extraordinary scale. The beach itself, buffered by the offshore reef that keeps the water calm, is genuinely exceptional.
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Cap Cana: The Luxury Enclave
Cap Cana, the private luxury resort enclave in the southern part of the Punta Cana peninsula developed by the Hazoury family from the 2000s, is the Caribbean equivalent of the Mediterranean private resort development, with marina, golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, luxury villa properties, and the Scape Park adventure park in an integrated resort development that represents the premium tier of Caribbean hospitality above the standard all-inclusive formula.
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Saona Island: The Catamaran Excursion
Saona Island in the Cotubanamá national park, accessible by speedboat or catamaran from Bayahibe, is the most popular single excursion from the Punta Cana resort area, combining the snorkeling in the coral gardens, the shallow water starfish pools of the Mano Juan sandbar, and the beach time on the uninhabited island in a package that is repeated by hundreds of boats daily in what is simultaneously the finest natural environment accessible from the resort area and the most touristically overloaded.
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Golf: The Punta Cana Championship Courses
Punta Cana has become one of the premier golf resort destinations in the Caribbean, with the Punta Espada, La Cana, and Corales courses designed by Jack Nicklaus providing championship-caliber layouts in settings that combine the Caribbean sea view with the tropical landscape in a resort golf experience comparable to the finest in the world. The Punta Espada course at Cap Cana is consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the Caribbean.
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Scape Park: Adventure in the Cave System
Scape Park in Cap Cana, one of the largest adventure park facilities in the Caribbean, provides zip lining, cenote swimming in the Haytises natural pool cave system, ATV rides, and the Hoyo Azul cenote turquoise lagoon in a comprehensive activity menu that represents the transition of the Punta Cana experience from pure beach relaxation to adventure tourism. The Hoyo Azul cenote, a perfectly circular turquoise pool in a vertical limestone sinkhole, is the most photogenic single location in the Punta Cana area.
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Bucerias de Punta Cana: The Reef Diving
The reef system offshore from the Punta Cana coast, while not as pristine as the deeper reef systems of the southeast Dominican Republic at Bayahibe, provides accessible snorkeling and diving for the resort visitors who want to explore the coral ecosystem without traveling to the dedicated dive centers. The Catalina Island and La Caleta marine park offer the finest underwater environments accessible from the resort area on day excursion.