For safety-sake, our best advice is to stay on your resort property at night. Do not even go on the beach after sundown!

There are many fun day-time tours and activities that you can purchase at your resort ranging from horseback riding to monster truck expeditions to snorkle trips, and everything else in-between! There are also beach-side flea markets a short walk away from virtually every resort.

Our opinion is that Punta Cana is best enjoyed under a coconut palm with drink-in-hand! It is not a destination for one to find fabulous duty-free shopping or chic nightclubs in town!

Hope this helps!

Agree with previous poster.

Punta Cana is a place to go to relax.

Don't expect night clubs (not safe to leave resort, anyway) and chic shopping centers. The casinos at the various resorts are small on average - don't expect Las Vegas. If you all go with realistic expectations (no five star dining for example) and plan to just relax by the pool and ocean you will have a great time. Your TA or specific resort where you are staying can suggest day trips.

Susan M.

Sankie Scam

local guy meets tourist lady travelling alone or with other girlfriends (easy prey), whirlwind romance develops, girl goes back home keeping in constant communication with her foreign lover, a tragedy happens in his family or the like, and girl offers to send him the money to help out etc. He makes a nice pay hanging out at the Western Union counter receiving money from many tourist lovers.

Once you know of the scam, you can see it coming.

Two major public discos Mangu and Areito

Larger casino -- Tower Casino

Corner Bar - Steve's

all near Plaza Bavaro Area.

The area can be fun, and is not dangerous if using regular street smarts. don't go out alone at night, take taxi, limit amount of money you have on you, leave the flashy jewelry at home etc.

depending where your hotel is,

El Cortecito is a cute little village with shopping, grocery store, a couple restaurants, grills, bars, money exchange, payphone, pharmacy, cigar shop etc. If you have to buy souvenirs, Los Pinos market had no hassle shopping without the agressiveness (you'll see what I mean)

Most of the time, when shopping around or at the plaza, cut their price by at least half and even more in most cases. Pay about 1/3 rd of what they ask.

TravelPro should change it's name,

because on that kind of advice is absolutely nothing Pro.

the worst post i read since a while.

it is absolutely no problem to leave the resorts in the Punta cana area and hang out at local noghtclubs, or take a stroll over the beaches or go shopping, daytime and nighttime. just use your common sense like you would do at home and leave crap like the rolex at hime.

to advise people not to leave their resort would come very close to advise them to stay home and save their money.

Mike

thank you Mike, very well said! I have been to PC twice and my wife and I have strolled the beach @ night dozens of times. That was terrible advice.

TravelPro has yet to enlighten us as to which resorts in the D.R. they have "vacationed" at and share their first-hand knowledge of what they speak of when dispensing "advice". The resorts are desgined to keep strays out not to keep you in.

Thanks to Mike for correcting ANOTHER incorrect post by "TravelPro"..

As in all our travels we should always use caution and be aware of our surroundings. I would NOT hang out or walk the roads late at night, but most of us would not do that at home either.

Go and enjoy this beautiful island and all it has to offer…

Peace

Lea

Inspite of the hostile comments to the contrary, our best advice to a group of solo females that we previously posted, is supported by the U.S. State Department Travel Advisory, which may be accessed by the following link:

…state.gov/travel/…cis_1103.html.