Punta Cana, translating to, ‘the place of the white cane’, is an extremely popular tourist destination in the Dominican Republic.
Despite attracting thousands of visitors every year, there are still many miles of unspoiled and secluded beaches to which those looking to travel to DR can escape.
The unique feature that makes Punta Cana such a draw is its position at the point where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. The 62 miles of coastline has mostly shallow water, with several natural marine pools, offering safe bathing all year round. Add to this the mild climate and you can see why Punta Cana is a favoured destination.
The busier beaches
Bavaro beach has been voted the best beach in Punta Cana by numerous visitors. With a number of high-end hotels on it, the beach itself is salubrious. Snorkelling is a favourite activity, as the crystal clear, shallow waters make it ideal for all levels of swimmer.
El Cortecito is a great beach for the independent traveller, who just wants to lay a towel down and people watch. The public part of the beach is always busy, but the private hotel beaches offer clean, well-kept and secluded spots from which to watch the world go by.
Peaceful paradise
Uvero Alto is a well-hidden beach area and, unless you are staying in a resort near it, you may never find it – certainly not by accident. Set at the end of a narrow road and, apart from the rare person on horseback, you might well be the only person on the ivory white sands there. This beautiful and isolated beach is very wide, with a lush green coconut forest leaning onto it.
Juanillo is another beautiful secluded beach toward the south end of Punta Cana, in the Cap Cana area. It can be found next to the Sanctuary Cap Cana Resorts.
Where Uvero Alto is undeveloped, Juanillo caters for luxury-seeking visitors and has an opulent feel to it. There is a beautiful beach restaurant with cabanas and beach lounge sofas. Although Juanillo remains relatively secluded when compared to some of the busier resorts, there are opportunities for water sports and the local fishermen do a brisk trade with visitors.
A short boat trip to seclusion
If you want to leave the tourist scene of Punta Cana behind for a few hours, then take a 45 minute boat trip to Isla Saona. Reckoned by many to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, Saona is a tropical island located on the southeast tip of the Dominican Republic and is part of the Parque Nacional del Este.
The island has no hotel, although there is a small local community, called Mano Juan, which has a population of 300.
The main beach on the island is Canto de la Playa, an often deserted beach with coconut trees lining the white sands, and shallow azure water is clear up to 200 meters into the sea.
Visitors to Punta Cana are spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches. The hotel resorts keep their sandy fronts immaculate and, if you are prepared to travel a little further afield, then beautiful beaches combined with unique local colour and vibrancy makes this little corner of the Dominican Republic a traveller’s veritable paradise. We hope you check out some of these awesome secluded beaches in Punta Cana that will be sure to leave you with plenty of memories!