The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

It will probably take a day or two to get your bearings at this sprawling Bahia Principe resort – Esmeralda hides away among five other Bahia properties. But once you’ve done your exploring, you’ll realize that everything you need – the two pools, the kids’ playground and spa area – is all within walking distance. Not to mention stacks of restaurants, from Indian to Greek and Mexican to Italian. The bar shuts just before midnight, but if you’ve brought your dancing shoes – and you don’t want to hole up in your plush caramel-colored suite – the free shuttle will whisk you off to the disco at the other side of the resort.

The Meliá Caribe Beach Resort has gone all out to nurture a tropical paradise: the grounds are a delight to wander, past exotic plants, over a pretty bridge and towards the central water display. This is the Caribbean on steroids – in a very good way. Unfussy rooms are clad in expanses of practical dark wood, in whitewashed buildings that top out at three stories. All give you a pool or garden view – specify on booking. Adults can always get a spot to sunbathe around the pools, while the Splash Island Water Park keeps the little ones occupied for hours.

The head-turner here is the unique reproduction town center, cleverly modeled on a textbook Caribbean town – as the centerpiece of the Ocean Blue and Sand, it buzzes with activity, and here you’ll find Punta Cana’s only bowling alley. There are numerous dining spaces (we stopped counting at nine – having tallied 10 bars). Or how about a flutter at the casino? Elsewhere in this-laid back Eden, it’s all about lazing in the sunshine. There are two lagoon-style pools: one plays drifty dance music, so head there while the kids socialize in the staffed kids center, with no fear of you cramping their style.

So super-powered is the wifi connection throughout the property (not always the case in the Dom Rep), you’ll have no excuse not to document your vacay on social media. There are endless photo opportunities, from the awesome lobby with its thatched roof and lounge-awhile seating, to the central plaza, where island artisans sell the photogenic things they’ve made. If you want to selfie in swimwear, great shots await at the beachside bar with its romantic swinging seats, where you can trail your toes in the turquoise water, a vivid contrast to the white-sandy shore.

Modeled, unbelievably enough, after a medieval castle, the Occidental Caribe by Barceló is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for families and groups of friends. The lush grounds burst with tropical plants and mango trees, and the long, flour-soft sandy beach is as good as it gets. After a hard day’s tanning, join the other sun-kissed bodies clad in party gear as the volume rises for the pool and foam parties. They’re not for early-to-bed types: DJs entertain merry revelers until the early hours.

Hotel Riu is part of the gated Riu complex, where five resorts each offer an individual level of service. The impressive buildings are inspired by time-warped tropical Caribbean architecture, which you’ll notice in the spacious and tastefully decorated rooms, finished with stained-glass windows. You won’t have to jostle for a dip in a pool, as the resort has three. Better still, as it’s part of a group, guests at Hotel Riu have access to most amenities and many restaurants at sister properties.

The Bahia Principe Bavaro is not just an all-inclusive break – it manages to pack in loads of added extras, such as Olympic games contests, karaoke, a water park, themed nights and one hour of free paddleboarding, kayaking and snorkeling every day. Two pools have that magic addition any self-respecting resort needs: swim-up bars where you can sip merrily all day. After dark, there’s a late-night disco on the other side of the resort, easily accessed thanks to a shuttle bus. If you’re an early riser, the sunrise is a stunner – well worth the trek to the beach before the crowds arrive.