No, I'm just visiting. I just wanted to know how the beaches and general social atmosphere were different from the ones up north.
I've never been to an all inclusive resort, but I'm willing to keep an open mind. Cabarete had some good, cheap hotels. I'm wondering if I could find something similar in PC.
I've been there a number of times over the last 6 years as I had a girlfriend who lived in Higuey. It has changed some since I was first there, well a lot, as many many condo developments have occurred and now there are a bunch of new shopping plazas to accomodate the more regular residents of all those condos.
That being said I don't see it changed my opinion all that much. May sound negative to some, sorry in advance, just my two cents.
My opinion is that there is no comparison Punta Cana to North coast or other coast parts. Because there is no there there. Punta Cana is a geographic region, not an actual city or town. Not much interesting there. Yes, a few day trips worth taking from that location. Yes, some gorgeous beaches. But all-inclusives are generally boring as hell and have you isolated as can be if what you really want is some more native feel to your time spent.
Also, as I say there's no real there there, yes there's a few nightclubs that can be reached, and there is the town of Cortecito that is 20-30 minutes away (depending on what resort you are at, give or take). You'd be better off staying in Cortecito if you want to be among the locals so to speak, but that beach is not so nice, not like the gorgeous ones of the resorts.
Higuey itself has the landmark of the cathedral, but that's it. Higuey otherwise is a noisy dirty dusty/muddy place (depending on the flow or rain or stretch of hot baked days) without much charm, as I say I spent many days there with the girlfriend off at work and I was hanging around choking on noise and dust
. But if you like the native/natural feel (I'm being serious) you sure can get it by spending a few days there.
Just in general having spent time both up and down the north coast and in Punta Cana, I'd never choose to spend much time in Punta Cana, a week at a resort because that's what I wanted for a week, all-inclusive isolation and/or because the people I was travelling with for a week were going there and I'd be in their company or a family member/friend wedding taking place there or whatever.
I mean, it's worth visiting once for the experience, you'll see what I mean. In fact, I couldn't believe how congested the area roads of the Punta Cana resort stretch had become and how chock full of shopping plaza after shopping plaza, in a strange way reminds me of the stretches of Route 9 in west of Boston suburbs or Route 1 in north of Boston. Lots of slow traffic, shopping plazas or condo buildings as far as the eye can see. If eating in DR shopping plazas at chain style restaurants that cater to tourists/foreign condo owners is your cup of tea you'll love it.
But as I say, all that said still worth checking out once for yourself, the beaches in the all-inclusives are worth visiting/seeing once, the gorgeous long stretches of white sand and sun (if you get to a spot where it's not one all-inclusive on top of another on top of another on the beachfront; you might have to walk a little to get beyond those to see a clear stretch of that beach I mention, but also be warned that don't walk too far away from people, again others more native at the moment can update you on this part, walking way away from civilization along the beach-leaving all sights of other hotels/people behind can be dangerous as banditos can be lurking just waiting for dumb tourists to show up all alone, just a general warning).
Crow
