The Dominican Republic offers the Caribbean's most compelling value proposition for UK visitors: a vast country of extraordinary natural beauty (mountains, rivers, rainforest, desert and over 1,400km of coastline), an established all-inclusive resort infrastructure that delivers excellent quality at significantly lower prices than other Caribbean destinations, and the genuine energy of a Spanish-speaking culture that has a passionate identity in merengue, bachata music and a fierce national pride.
Punta Cana, on the island's eastern tip, is the all-inclusive capital of the Caribbean — 48km of palm-fringed white sand beach lined with world-class resort hotels competing intensively for business. The result is consistently excellent quality at prices that make a week in Punta Cana significantly cheaper than a week in Barbados or Turks & Caicos. Beyond Punta Cana, the Samaná Peninsula in the northeast is one of the Caribbean's finest natural areas — a dramatic peninsula of jungle-covered mountains, isolated beaches and the famous Samaná Bay where humpback whales breed from January to March.
Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resorts
The Punta Cana hotel zone stretches from Bávaro in the north to Cap Cana in the south — a 48km strip where resorts of every category compete for the British, North American and European package market. The all-inclusive model (unlimited food, drink and most activities included in the room rate) works particularly well here: the resort beaches are excellent (fine white sand, warm turquoise water, plentiful sun loungers), the food is abundant, and the entertainment programmes are comprehensive. Hard Rock Hotel, Excellence Punta Cana, Dreams, Iberostar and Club Med all operate in the area.
Samaná Peninsula
Three hours from Punta Cana, the Samaná Peninsula feels like a completely different country — lush, mountainous, largely undeveloped and spectacularly beautiful. Los Haitises National Park, accessible by boat from Samaná Bay, has extraordinary mangrove channels, caves with pre-Columbian Taíno rock art and an exceptional birdlife. Playa Rincón — a 3km beach accessible only by boat from Las Galeras village — is consistently rated among the Caribbean's finest, visited by day-trippers from a handful of small hotels.
Between January and March, the Samaná Bay fills with humpback whales — this is one of the world's most important breeding grounds, with up to 3,000 whales in the bay during peak season. Whale-watching trips from the town of Samaná are excellent and responsibly operated.
Santo Domingo & Culture
Santo Domingo, the capital, has the oldest European city in the Americas — the colonial Zona Colonial (UNESCO World Heritage Site) contains the hemisphere's first cathedral, first university and first hospital, all preserved in a compact grid of cobbled streets. Beyond history, Santo Domingo has excellent restaurants, vibrant nightlife and the country's best museums. A day trip from Punta Cana (3 hours by road) is worthwhile for those with cultural appetite beyond the resort gate.
