Congratulations- you’re engaged! Now it’s time to dive into one of the most exciting parts of your engagement- planning your honeymoon!
Deciding where you want to go on your honeymoon can be incredibly fun, but it can also feel stressful if you aren’t sure where to go, feel overwhelmed with options, or are constrained by a tight budget. My husband and I went back and forth with our options for a few months before ultimately deciding to go to Punta Cana for our honeymoon. If Punta Cana has come across your radar, you may be wondering, “is Punta Cana a good place for a honeymoon?” After spending a blissful and romantic two weeks basking in Punta Cana, I can confidently say that Punta Cana is an excellent place to go for a honeymoon! However, it might not be for everyone. Read on to learn why I think Punta Cana is a good place for a honeymoon, as well as the reasons why it might not be the right honeymoon destination for you. And make sure to check out my post on my best tips for having an amazing honeymoon, regardless of where you go!
Why Punta Cana is a good place for a honeymoon
1. It’s a short flight if you’re in the United States
If you live in the US, especially in the southeast, Punta Cana is a great place for a honeymoon because it’s not far away at all. It was a direct 3.5-hour flight for us from Atlanta, which was a shorter flight than going to the west coast! The flight was a total breeze. In my opinion, Punta Cana is such a great vacation destination because it is beautiful and tropical and feels like a far-away land, but you don’t have to spend two days traveling to get there.
If you’re like most of us, you can only take so much time off work and probably have limited days for your honeymoon. It was important to us to not spend too much of our limited vacation days traveling to and from our destination. Some of the places we wanted to go to would have taken a full day to get to, and we just weren’t keen on sacrificing our precious vacation days. Not to mention, when you’re traveling for that long, it can take a few days to unwind and recover from the long journey. With this simple 3.5-hour flight, we were able to immediately settle into relaxation mode when we arrived.
2. It’s a beach lover’s paradise
It is very common to want a relaxing, beach-centric honeymoon in a beautiful place, and Punta Cana is just that. The beaches are stunning, the waves are small, the water is warm, and the sand is white and soft. The weather is perfect all year round. Punta Cana is a great place for swimming, snorkeling, boating, and laying out. The one thing that we didn’t like about the beaches is that they accumulated a lot of seaweed, but if you’re staying at a nice resort, your hotel will actively be working to clear that out for its guests.
3. It’s not the most expensive place on earth
I’m going to be honest, Punta Cana isn’t cheap, but it’s far from the most expensive location you could go to either. I would say Punta Cana is in the middle in terms of pricing for luxury vacation destinations. It’s cheaper than places like Hawaii or Greece, but more expensive than Mexico or Bali. You can stay in a five-star all-inclusive resort starting at $450 a night, which you would be hard-pressed to find in the United States.
4. The culture and the people are wonderful
My husband and I were blown away by how incredible the Dominican people are! They are some of the friendliest and most genuine people we have ever met, and we had so much fun getting to know them. We made lifelong Dominican friends and had several people calling us family and inviting us into their homes. That just doesn’t happen very often in the US, so that was special and eye-opening to experience. Dominican culture is rich and inviting, the food is fantastic, and don’t even get me started on the coffee! If experiencing new cultures is important to you when you travel, then you will absolutely love the Dominican Republic.
5. It’s SO relaxing
This is probably true of all-inclusive resorts in general, and Punta Cana is known for its incredible accommodations. This was our first time staying in an all-inclusive resort, and we absolutely loved it. Once you’re there, you truly don’t have to think about a thing. You could theoretically not even bring your wallet and live like royalty the whole time while you’re there (of course, it’s always nice to have cash for tipping!) Because our accommodations were so wonderful, we were able to just unwind and enjoy each other. We spent most days swimming, tanning on the beach, eating great food, drinking cocktails, playing tennis, and socializing with the workers and other guests. Everything was taken care of for us, which felt unbelievably luxurious. Just imagine how nice it will feel to simply relax after months of chaotic wedding planning!
Of course, it’s important to note that when you’re staying at an all-inclusive resort, you’re spending the majority of your vacation there. This makes it even more imperative that you do a LOT of research to make sure you’re choosing excellent accommodations. If your hotel ends up being subpar, you’re probably not going to have a very good time. You don’t want to take this decision lightly.
Who might not enjoy a honeymoon to Punta Cana?
Like I said, I thought Punta Cana was an absolute dream, but I recognize that not everyone will feel that way. Punta Cana is absolutely marketed as a place for a tranquil and slow-paced vacation. If you’re craving adventure, excitement, and the ability to go out and explore a lot, then Punta Cana might not be for you. I personally love an action-packed vacation, but after the hectic wedding-planning season, a peaceful two-week stay in Punta Cana was just what the doctor ordered.
Punta Cana is not a big city with exciting nightlife whatsoever. It consists primarily of all-inclusive resorts, and the resort you stay at will be the center of your vacation. If you’re the type of person who gets bored laying on the beach, you should consider a different type of honeymoon destination. But if five-star service, incredible swimming pools, and unlimited cocktails on the beach sound like heaven on earth to you, then Punta Cana may be just the place to make all of your honeymoon dreams come true!
Still have doubts or more questions? Regardless of whether you end up choosing Punta Cana, make sure to check out my post on my six tips on how to have an amazing honeymoon!