Bávaro Beach: The Best Free Thing in Punta Cana

Bávaro is the reason the resorts are here. It is a long, almost uninterrupted run of powder-white sand backed by coconut palms, with water that shifts from pale turquoise to deep blue within a few hundred metres of the shore. Most visitors see only the fifty metres in front of their hotel, which is a waste — the beach is public and walking it is the single best free thing to do in Punta Cana.

Where the beach gets interesting

Head north towards El Cortecito and the beach stops being a resort frontage and starts being a place people actually live and work. Fishing boats pulled up on the sand, beach bars that are genuinely local, vendors, and music from about mid-afternoon onwards. This is where the beach turns into an evening: the transition from swimming to drinking to dancing happens without anybody announcing it.

Practical notes

The sun here is stronger than it feels with a sea breeze on you — reapply sunscreen far more often than instinct suggests. Sargassum washes up seasonally and the picture-perfect version is not guaranteed every day. Vendors on the public stretches will approach you; a polite no works fine. Keep small change for beach bars and do not leave valuables on a towel while you swim.