Sprawling Resort with Beach Cottages Overlooking the Caribbean Sea

Puntacana Resort & Club is a world unto itself. Spread across the 15,000-acre property are three golf courses, six clay tennis courts, a shopping village, ecological reserve, and several restaurants. The resort’s Puntacana Hotel sites on a prized piece of real estate along 3 miles of private beach, where cabana-style cottages overlook the Caribbean Sea.

Guests staying in the casitas have access to all of the resort's attractions, which range from a petting zoo to the most popular draw, the golf courses. There are three courses to choose from, including the beachside La Cana Golf Course, which measures a whopping 7,152 yards, making it one of the longest courses in the Caribbean. Apart from golfing, you can reenact the cover of a romance novel during one- or two-hour horseback rides along the beach, or take a scuba tour of a sunken ship ($70/dive). Other watersport activities include deep-sea fishing excursions ($140/person for a half-day trip) and Hobie Cat sailing ($35–$45/hour). For a break from the bustle, meander through the resort’s ecological reserve, where 15 natural-spring-water lagoons shimmer in the sun.

Puntacana Hotel's two-bedroom casitas are nestled among a grove of coconut trees, overlooking the beach. You can start the day off with a meal on your own private terrace or go for a buffet-style breakfast at La Cana restaurant, one of eight onsite eateries. At La Yola, diners are treated to Mediterranean fare beneath the thatched roof of a building modeled after a fisherman's boat. The more upscale Bamboo was designed by Puntacana resident Oscar de la Renta.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: Miles of White-Sand Beaches

When Christopher Columbus landed on the Dominican Republic more than five centuries ago, he described it as “a beautiful island paradise.” Punta Cana—located on the island’s easternmost tip—lays a legitimate claim to that description. The coast stretches for more than 20 miles, dotted with coconut palms, chaise lounges, and laid-back bars. But a few of the beaches, including Playa El Cortecito, which is about a 30-mintue drive up the coast, hark back to earlier times. The small village has retained a charming flavor of the past, as evidenced by the local fisherman who bring their boats to shore each afternoon with the day’s catch.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.