10 Best Beaches in Punta Cana

Playa Palmera is a Royal Beach Resort, a luxurious private residential retreat where you and your group can rent villas or apartments, all on the shores of a stunning beach. If you and yours are looking for a true, high-end holiday experience, a stay here can really up your game. You'll enjoy posh surroundings with palm-tree-lined avenues and beach parties in the evenings. The beach itself is absolutely pristine with soft white sand and endless azure waters.

This is a place where you can party the night away in sheer comfort and feel like royalty the whole time. It's centrally located in the heart of Punta Cana.

Playa Bavaro is amongst the most popular beaches in Punta Cana, offering nearby shops, resorts, boat trips, snorkelling excursions, and tonnes of beachfront adventure. This stretch of white sand and clear water is the launch point for many trips to other nearby islands, so if you're looking to take a day trip to Isla Saona, this is the place to be. You can go surfing, swimming, and sunbathing, and between beach adventures walk the local small town of Bavaro with its wealth of independent small shops to find that ideal souvenir.

This white sand beach is just a 20-minute drive north from city centre Punta Cana. It's also just minutes away from a championship golf course.

Cap Cana Republicana Dominicana is a beach and town that's famous for its golfing and stretch of beach at the point where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean. Even if golf isn't your thing, the beach here is outstanding with clean white sand, a surf that's great for swimming or watersports, and plenty of space to relax or build sandcastles with the kids. Also found here are high-end luxury resorts. Just a few of the activities visitors here love include kayaking, kitesurfing, and snorkelling.

You'll also find a cluster of fantastic restaurants, cigar lounges, and independent shops within walking distance. It's only 13 minutes north of Cap Cana.

Playa Blanca is in many ways the king of white sand beaches, with calm waters great for swimming or snorkelling, and is accessible by dune buggy. You can stroll along the shore and see groves of coconut palms, gorgeous dark blue waters, and soft sands. Wear your sunglasses; some say the sand is so white it reflects the sun and can be blinding. You can also eat at the restaurant right next to the beach, with a casual menu and an elegant menu.

If you're looking to head abroad from here, it's just 3 miles from Los Ojos Indigenas nature reserve with serene lagoons and hiking trails. The beach is only 6 minutes from city centre Punta Cana.

Playa Juanillo offers beach clubs, clear waters, stunning photo opportunities, shallow waters for wading, and tropical surroundings for sipping cocktails while the sun sets. Many consider this beach to be ideal for a quick getaway in the middle of seeing the sights. While the shallow waters may not be great for snorkelling or swimming, they are great to wade into so you can just cool off and relax. The photo ops here include a natural jetty and a creative, painted van that's set up just for this purpose.

The beachfront is lined with clubs where you can have a cocktail and party with others. It's 22 minutes to the south of Punta Cana.

Playa Arena Gorda is the home of the Hard Rock Punta Cana and offers a long stretch of white sand with secluded access and picture-perfect vistas for relaxation and swimming. This beach is at the end of Punta Cana's Hotel Zone, which makes it less crowded than many of the other beaches in the area and offers a nearby beach club, plenty of hotels, and coconut groves where you can relax in the shade.

The biggest trick to Playa Arena Gorda is that it has limited access, and is best arrived at by staying in a local hotel. It's just 28 minutes away from Punta Cana, to the north.

Playa Macao is something of a hidden gem of Punta Cana beaches, being relatively untouched with clean sands, watersports opportunities, and an escape from the city crowds. Some of the more popular activities on this one include parasailing excursions or renting a beach buggy for an adventure bouncing over the sands. It's also highly popular with surfers due to the great pipes that form here. It's a favourite amongst locals, and a nearby all-inclusive resort lets you be pampered between beach excursions.

Playa Macao is about a 35-minute drive to the north of city centre Punta Cana. It's worth the trip to see a beach the locals like to frequent.

Playa del Cortecito is known as the beach with local bars, and it does offer many bars and clubs amongst its white palm trees with craft cocktails and music. Here, you can have a margarita with sea salt straight from the ocean lining your glass. You can head for hip clubs pounding the latest dance hits to party the night away. Local seafood restaurants here are famed even amongst the locals because of the quality of their fresh, seasonal menus. This is also a hangout spot that enables you to connect with local culture.

This beach is known as the spot to start a long beach walk. It's located only 31 minutes to the north of Punta Cana.

Playa de Arena Blanca is an all-inclusive beach with public access points amongst a string of resorts that will pamper you and offer everything from parties to spa treatments. You'll have your choice of resorts along this beach, but it's sparse on public amenities like restaurants and shops. The beach also doesn't have public access from the road and you'll need to walk here from other beaches or access it through your resort. While the beach technically is public, you get the most out of it from the resort experience.

Playa de Arena Blanca is about 45 minutes to the north of Punta Cana. It's worth the journey if you really want a luxurious beach holiday.

Playa Bibijagua is one of the most active beaches in the Punta Cana area with a massive shopping plaza, watersports, swimming, dining, and a whole holiday experience in one place. The beach has designated swimming areas to protect you from getting hurt in the regions where boats and windsurfers are adventuring. You can relax on the sand, of course, but the nearby shopping plaza has over 100 stalls with souvenirs, locally made arts and crafts, jewellery, floats, the famed Mamajuana liquor, and swimming gear.

If you get hungry or want to enjoy a cocktail, you'll find outstanding bars and restaurants within walking distance. It's only 22 minutes north of Punta Cana.