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BavaroOne of most popular hotels in Bavaro is the Sol Melia Caribe Tropical. Click here for the review
Bavaro Bavaro was where I first stayed when visiting the Dominican Republic. I was seduced by the intoxicating photo`s of white sands, palm trees, turquoise sea, warm weather and blue skies. Quite honestly I remain as `seduced` as I was when I first looked at those photo`s in the tourist literature. I had of course heard that the Dominican Republic was referred to by some as the `poor man`s Caribbean. That is probably coined by those who have not actually been to the DR, and particularly to this area.
Having been to St Lucia, and the Bahamas, these beaches and climate compete with the very best.
Coming from a cold country like England, quite simply it looked like the Caribbean paradise that I dreamed of when watching the old Robinson Crusoe movies!
Location
Bavaro is part of the the general Punta Cana area. If you check out the map above, you can can see that it is on the eastern tip of the country. Playa de Bavaro lies to the north of Punta Cana airport. Here, the Caribbean meets the Atlantic and many Dominicans refer to it as the `coast of the coconuts` due to the hundreds of coconut palms along 30 miles of beautiful white sand. Fundamentally Punta Cana comprises a large number of resorts each edging coral-reef protected waters. You get a flavour for this area by having a look at the video below.
History
They subsequently invested in about a hundred thousand hectares of land, and then built a small number of tourist bungalows and a landing strip. The International Airport of Punta Cana followed in 1984 which really opened up the area to tourists.
Key focus of a holiday in Bavaro
The key focus is really that of a beach holiday although there are excursions available, click here for more info on excursions and attractions.
The photo to the right is my step-son on the beach with a friend at the Catalonia Bavaro. He is very fair skinned but with factor 50 sun block he played in the sun for 2 weeks with no problems whatsoever! I was amazed!
If you are looking for lots of nightlife this isn`t really the place for you. The one exception is the Beach Resort disco which is the the main dance bar among the five large Barcelo hotels. The disco opens at 11pm and usually becomes packed after midnight. Entertainment for most people not staying there is within the confines of their resort although some adventurous people desperate to sample the local nightlife will need to get to Higuey, a drive of about 40 miles. Beaches Many people holidaying here will probably be staying in an all-inclusive and will be happy staying on the hotel beach. Afterall, you need to be fairly close to the beach bar to get your refreshing Caribbean cocktail! If you are not lucky enough to be at an all-inclusive there are public beaches which you can enjoy. Click here for more on Bavaro and the surrounding public beaches.
Like many well intentioned laws there can be practical issues either of the terrain itself and the fact that you are not allowed to wander around the private grounds of a private hotel. This can hamper anyone with the intention to completely walk around the DR coastline!
The map below may give some perspective to where you are staying on the "Coast of conconuts".
Bavaro Golf
There are some excellent golf courses which are in or drivable from this area.Cocotal is over the road from the Melia Tropical Caribe all inclusive.Click here for more on Cocotal golf club. The Barcelo resort has its own course as well. Click here for more on the Barcelo golf course. Currently this course is being re-designed and only 9 holes are open. If you want a better quality course go to the Cocotal. If you are taking a partner who wants to have a `swish`, go to the Barcelo! If you have plenty of cash and want real quality, head south to Cap Cana which features 3 golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Getting around The easiest way to visit the other hotels is to take a stroll along the beach. Or take the beach taxi to El Cortecito or to the Cabeza de Toro area. Dining outside the hotel Outside of the resorts, dining establishments can be found in the Bavaro commercial areas, in Cabeza de Toro, El Cortecito and Punta Cana shopping mall, as well as at the Punta Cana Resort and Club's La Yola and Cocoloba restaurants (reservations required).
There are bars in Plaza Bavaro (near Barcelo and Melia hotels). At the Punta Cana shopping centre is the Marant disco-lounge-bar. Shows The only big show in town is Tropicalissimo, staged at the Barcelo Bavaro Casino in the style of the old Tropicana of Cuba. Beach party Live entertainment is provided on full moon nights at the Jelly Fish Restaurant on Bavaro Beach. Bavaro Plaza -the place to shop Is the largest shopping area in Punta Cana, albeit some items are higher priced. Each hotel features stores where arts and crafts can be purchased and handicraft vendors rotate at the hotels bringing their wares from the creators right to the tourist. Some hotels will have an evening `market` when local vendors bring in their products. You should always barter for your purchases. This is an accepted mode of purchase in the DR, and the vendors will expect you to haggle. A good rule of thumb is to go in at a quarter of the original asking price, and then attempt to acquire the item at between a third and a half of the asking price. Recognised jewellers and of course the hotel shops themselves will be more difficult to knock down. Casino`s There are four casinos in the area: Riu Palace, Barcelo Bavaro Casino, Paradisus Casino, the Catalonia Casino and the newest and largest Bavaro Princess casino.
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Ever thought about creating your own web based business? Below- Play some of these videos. They will give you a flavour of the Dominican Republic
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2008. dominican-republic-holiday.com
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Punta Cana was `discovered` in 1969 by a group of North American`s who flew over the area whilst search for a location
to set up a Marine and Merchant school.
This area is made up of mainly large all-inclusive resorts and mainly caters for couples or families.
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