We spent twelve days relaxing and mostly lounging around our Airbnb pool in Punta Cana Dominican Republic.  Many days we never left the apartment…enjoying the sun, reading and just kicking back. That was really what we wanted to do.

We were staying in the wonderful residential community of Puntacana Village, a gated, friendly and

Playa Blanca

beautiful neighborhood.  We loved the neighborhood for running (nice and flat and beautiful) and for the easy walk to restaurants and shopping.  We didn’t need much more than that.  But during our visit we also discovered some fun businesses to patronize and places see in the general area, both with and without a car.

So if you are thinking about visiting Punta Cana, and are considering the less expensive option of not staying in a beachfront resort, we can recommend Puntacana Village and the following;

1. Puntacana Village Shuttle – we used this shuttle several times from the Four Point Hotel at Puntacana Village.  The shuttle goes into to the beachfront gated resort area with several stops including the Westin Resort and Playa Blanca.  It’s free and runs every 30 minutes.
2. Playa Blanca – using the shuttle to arrive at this beachfront restaurant and bar is the perfect start
   

   Altos de Chavon

   to a great day at the beach.  Playa Blanca has lounge chairs available for guests.  Just order a drink or two, maybe lunch, and the lounge chairs are free.  We enjoyed this beach three times and recommend it over the higher priced Westin.

3. Altos de Chavon – renting a car one day we drove the hour and a half to the La Ramana region and Altos de Chavon. Altos de Chavón is a re-creation of a Mediterranean style European village located atop the Chavón River in La Romana, Dominican Republic. It is the most popular attraction in the city and hosts a cultural center, an archeological museum, and an amphitheater.  It was really beautiful and we enjoyed just walking around and having lunch.
4. La Yola Restaurant – hands down the best meal we had in the DR and actually in all of the time we were in Central America and the Caribbean.  La Yola situated right on the water was superb in
   

   La Yola

   every way – beautiful waterside setting in a spectacularly designed open-air beach-themed building.  The service was impeccable.  The roving quartet a nice touch. The prices were reasonable.  But the best part – the delicious, locally sourced and freshly prepared food.  My red snapper was the best I have ever had.

5. La Casita de Yeya Restaurant – not fancy but oh so delicious, this locally owned restaurant in Punta Cana Village gave us the opportunity to taste several authentic Caribbean/Dominican Republic dishes including Mofo, pork, stew and plantains.
   

   La Casita de Yeya

6. Nadia’s Bike Tour/ Garota Tours – we met Nadia in the village and spent two hours riding around on bikes she provided us for our tour.  She showed us all over Punta Cana, giving us a peek into places, and resorts and neighborhoods we would not have even known were there.  We enjoyed this activity very much.
7. Ananda Yoga – During our visit I took yoga classes on four morning at Ananada Yoga studio, right in Punta Cana Village.  The classes were excellent andprofessionally led by a bi-lingual instructor.  The tiny and very personal studio requires advance reservations.

We enjoyed the small part of the Dominican Republic we were able to see.  I hope we can return again when we can travel farther afield on the island nation and enjoy a bit more diverse and authentic

Our bike tour with Nadia

Dominican Republic.

Muchos Gracias!

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