8 dream beaches in Punta Cana

Uvero Alto is the most northerly beach in the Punta Cana area, nestling in the middle of nature in a region far removed from the resorts. It is not protected by a coral reef, but has currents and waves, making it ideal for surfing and bodyboarding. It's a superb beach of fine, sugar-blond sand, shaded by tall coconut palms. The mountains of the Cordillera Central can be seen in the distance.

Uvero Alto is home to a number of water sports centres (banana boat, kayak, parasailing, windsurfing, catamaran and diving) and, as you stroll around, you'll notice massage huts with palm-leaf roofs, snack bars with barbecue grills, mini-clubs, as well as beach soccer and beach volleyball courts. You can also see the blue flag, a sign of cleanliness.

👉 Beware, in some places there are really too many rocks, and swimming is prohibited.

Our favourite hotel in Uvero Alto

⭐ Le Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort 5*

The Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort is a huge complex that will suit families wanting to keep an eye on their budget (without skimping on their comfort). This luxury all-inclusive resort offers no fewer than nine restaurants! Its main attraction is its superb 12,000 m² water park: 17 thrill slides, seven of which are reserved for adults, and pirate-themed water games.

Macao Beach is located to the very north of the Punta Cana resort area. It is a superb public beach of golden sand, the only one in the Punta Cana area that is home to just one resort: Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana. It is Punta Cana's most famous beach for surfing and kite surfing. You can admire the horsemen who like to ride around on their horses, as well as the quads and buggies.

Many locals come here to swim and eat in the small, typical seafood restaurants. Street vendors sell trinkets on the beach. The cliffs to the right mark the border with Arena Gorda, where there are many hotels, but which cannot be seen from the beach in Macau.

Our favourite hotel in Macau

⭐ Le Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana 5*

On Macau's beautiful golden beach, it's not complicated, there's only one hotel: the Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana. It's a huge top-of-the-range hotel complex in a haven of greenery. With its water park, children's and teenagers' clubs, nine restaurants and four swimming pools, this is no small holiday club, but an XXL resort, just like its rooms. An all-inclusive, 24-hour address for couples and families.

Located to the north of the Punta Cana area, but before Macao and Uvero Alto, Arena Gorda beach is a wide strip of fine, soft, white sand. The waters are transparent at 28°C and fringed with coconut palms that act as natural parasols. Offshore, you can see a rusty wreck washed up on the coral reef after a cyclone. It is said to have been a pirate ship!

Like most of Punta Cana's beaches, there are beach soccer and beach volleyball courts, massage cabanas, sun loungers, showers, a water sports base and beach bars. Things can get noisy in front of the big resorts that have sprung up in Arena Gorda.

Our favourite hotel in Arena Gorda

⭐ The Riu Naiboa 4*

Arena Gorda is home to many of Punta Cana's must-see giant resorts, some of which you can find in our top Punta Cana hotels. For families and those on a tighter budget, we recommend the Riu Naiboa, one of five hotels in the huge Riu resort offering 24-hour all-inclusive packages. Unlike the other hotels in the resort, the Riu Naiboa is set back (300 metres) from the beach. Its human scale and superb water park are much appreciated.

Bavaro is a truly exceptional 2 km beach, THE picture postcard of Punta Cana. Protected by the coral reef, this veritable turquoise blue lagoon is a paradise with transparent water at 28°C all year round, flour-white sand and coconut palms. A few pelicans fly over the beach and sometimes dive into the water to catch fish. Showers, sun loungers and parasols are available to guests of the many luxury resorts that have taken up residence opposite this beach.

It may be a paradise, but Bavaro is a bit of a victim of its own success. The sunbeds are crowded, and between helicopter flights, speedboats, banana boat rides and parasailing, it's hard to find serenity! There are even discos on the beaches of some hotels, where beach parties are organised. Offshore, a pontoon serves as a starting point for diving. There is also a place to swim with dolphins, sharks and rays.

Our favourite hotel in Bavaro

⭐ The Barceló Bávaro Beach 5*

Reserved for adults, the Barceló Bavaro Beach is just one link in the immense Barceló Bavaro Beach resort. With a casino, an 18-hole golf course, a nightclub, a spa, multi-sports pitches, endless bars and restaurants, there is nothing lacking in this veritable city: an Eldorado for those who love large, secure, all-inclusive structures. It is also the only establishment in the country to offer duty free in its huge shopping centres. A small train serves the whole of this gigantic resort, whose size can be disconcerting.

Playa Los Corales is part of Bavaro, to the north of the site. It's quiet and uncrowded: no messy, overbooked sunbeds here, but a welcome degree of tranquillity. As well as the cana leaf parasols, the Uva, a beautiful local fruit tree, provides welcome shade. The peace and quiet is only disturbed by the occasional helicopter overhead.

Playa Los Corales is home to the famous Huracan Café, where you can enjoy excellent grilled fish. This is also the departure point for the Ocean Adventure spa excursions, which offer an original pirate-themed excursion and a floating spa on board a catamaran. On the beach, a sign indicates that Paris is 7,069 km away!

Our favourite hotel in Playa de los Corales

⭐ The whala!bávaro 4*

Far from the large resorts for which the Dominican Republic is famous, this human-sized establishment nevertheless houses five swimming pools! The whala!bávaro is ideally located by the sea and close to the village of Corales and El Cortecito, where you can enjoy a lobster for half the price of the resorts. It boasts a rooftop terrace with an infinity pool overlooking the beach, as well as a Sky bar and Japanese restaurant. Good value for money in Punta Cana.

Still in Bavaro, but a little further north of Playa Corales, the beach in the Dominican village of El Cortecito also has an authentic feel. You can feel that you're not on a resort beach, with all the deckchairs upside down. You can appreciate the local atmosphere, with villagers coming to swim, play beach soccer or beach volleyball. On the other hand, the beach is not cleaned and does not have the cleanliness of the beaches bordering the resorts.

Feeling peckish? The Captain Cook restaurant is famous for its lobster, as is the seafood restaurant Jelly Fish.

Our favourite hotel in Playa El Cortecito

⭐ The TRS Turquesa Hotel 5*

The TRS Turquesa Hotel is the exclusive, upmarket part of a huge hotel complex bordering the magnificent beach of Bavaro. For adults only, the establishment offers a 24-hour all-inclusive package with butler service. There is no entertainment and the atmosphere is very quiet (you can always go to other parts of the complex for that). We appreciate the spa, free internet access and choice of restaurants.

Cabeza de Toro is a fishing village situated to the south of the Punta Cana tourist zone, a little to the north of the airport and Cap Cana. There are plenty of colourful boats and fishermen's huts where the fish are dried, a more authentic setting than Bavaro, with far fewer tourists. Of course, there's no shortage of bars and restaurants serving fresh fish and lobster!

You can breathe in the scent of the sea. Offshore, you can swim with dolphins at the Dolphin Explorer Park. In the evening, the resorts organise beach parties and film screenings under the stars. And for party-goers, there are two not-to-be-missed venues just a stone's throw away: the Kviar nightclub, right on the premises of the Be Live Punta Cana hotel, and Coco Bongo, Punta Cana's must-see nightclub, just 14 km away.

Our favourite hotel in Cabeza de Toro

⭐ The Be Live Collection Punta Cana 5*

It's impossible to get bored at the Be Live Collection Punta Cana, a gigantic complex with a 24-hour all-inclusive formula with its spa, its lovely casino, its nine swimming pools, its eleven restaurants, and its superb two-level Kviar nightclub, renowned throughout the region. The airport is just a 15-minute drive away.

Playa Blanca is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Dominican Republic, situated between Club Med Punta Cana and the Punta Cana Hotel, which is also home to Tortuga Bay and The Westin Punta Cana. In short, we're talking about the pioneers of Punta Cana here, so it's easy to see why they chose the most beautiful beach in the whole area!

Fortunately, it's not as well known as Bavaro, so it's much quieter! It's a paradise lagoon protected by the coral reef. You can go kite-surfing, play beach volleyball and beach soccer and, above all, enjoy tasty grilled dishes at the beach restaurant under an airy palapa facing the sea. Of course, we recommend the grilled fish, the catch of the day - it's delicious!

Our favourite hotel in Playa Blanca

⭐ The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club 5*

Just a stone's throw from the airport, The Westin Punta Cana is set on the most beautiful beach on the country's east coast, next to Club Med. This top-of-the-range resort boasts six restaurants, two of which are gourmet, a spa by the prestigious Six Senses brand, and two 27-hole golf courses, all set in a 600-hectare ecological park with natural pools and rhinoceros iguanas.