What resort do you recommend??

[AstridWilson]

My family will be traveling together next June. We chose the Dominican Republic as it is affordable. That being said, I have just started our trip planning and usually start here on Trip Advisor.

Interests are:
All Inclusive
Scuba Diving on site or Dive shop on site or very near. (Not really interested in having to rent a car to catch a boat to dive, but will do if necessary.)
Awesome beach
Relaxing atmosphere.
Snorkeling on site.

Cost is not an issue as the DR is better priced than other All-Inclusive locations.

Family is:
My husband and I (late 50s)
My daughter and her female partner (late 30s)
My grandson (15)
My son and his female partner. (Mid 30s)

 

[SCRedWolf]

My family will be traveling together next June. We chose the Dominican Republic as it is affordable. That being said, I have just started our trip planning and usually start here on Trip Advisor.

Interests are:
All Inclusive
Scuba Diving on site or Dive shop on site or very near. (Not really interested in having to rent a car to catch a boat to dive, but will do if necessary.)
Awesome beach
Relaxing atmosphere.
Snorkeling on site.

Cost is not an issue as the DR is better priced than other All-Inclusive locations.

Family is:
My husband and I (late 50s)
My daughter and her female partner (late 30s)
My grandson (15)
My son and his female partner. (Mid 30s)

My family stayed at the Punta Cana Tropical-Caribe 2 years ago. When we got there we upped ourselves (negotiated) to The Level (told them my son was 18, he was close enough for the adults-only section, lol). Really awesome experience. Very relaxed environment. I will say that Bavaro Beach is utterly beautiful and the sand was soft & white - never got hot. That said some of the best diving is 2 hours away out of La Romana / Bayahibe. Isla Catalina and Isla Saona are awesome. In Punta Cana the dive shops pick up at just about every resort. The snorkeling was okay in front of the resort. A lot of seagrasses but we saw puffers, cowfish, barracuda, and some other small fish. From my experiences in the Caribbean great beaches don't translate into great snorkeling. And bring your own snorkeling/dive gear. A friend of mine stayed at the Hard Rock resort further down the beach. His vacation was not relaxing at that resort - go figure. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[jonhall]

From my own research and what I've read and heard from friends who have gone is that Bayahibe is the place to dive. Punta Cana has the beautiful sand beaches but is not known for diving. Because of it's location on the island it can have rougher water.

With our timeshare we have several options (DR is always available) but decided on staying at Paradise Beach Club in Playa Dorada, just outside Puerto Plata. It is a part of the Grand Paradise, but believe it to be mainly for use by timeshare owners. It is actually in a complex of resorts. The reviews are good and it has everything on-site. Can't really speak to snorkeling, as being a resort beach, you can snorkel, but can't imagine you would see much in the way of reef or life.

Although there is a dive shop (Sea Pro Divers), another reason we chose this area was that Dressel Divers will pick up at our resort, as well as many others, and they dive a lot of areas, including Sosua Bay, which has had some good diving reviews. So at least I know I have some options.

Hope you get some good advice. We're going in April and it will be our first visit to DR.

 

[bamafan]

I had a buddy who used VIP Divers and was very happy with them.

Diving in Punta Cana - Bavaro, Dominican Republic. VIP Divers international scuba diving school for PADI and SSI certification from Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver all the way to Dive Master and Instructor.

 

[tattooedjeeper]

We've stayed at Iberostar in both Puerto Plata and Cozumel twice and have really enjoyed the stays. There's an Iberostar in Bayahibe and they have an on site scuba shop as well, we've looked into that hotel and are looking forward to giving it a try soon.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

You will want to stay on the south side of Dominican as it faces Caribbean Sea. The north side (Puerto Plata) and east side (Punta Cana) face the Atlantic ocean. You will have a lot clearer, calmer and warmer water on the Caribbean side. We stayed at Dreams La Romana which is a 10 min walk from the village of Bayahibe. There is also an Iberostar and a new Dreams in Dominicus which is about a 10 minute cab ride east of Bayahibe. The diving in Bayahibe is really under rated. There is reef dives, wreck dives, wall dives and even cave dives if you are so certified. I dove with SCUBAFUN PADI Dive Center - Bayahibe, Dominican Republic and will highly recommend John.They will pick you up and drop you off or you can walk if you stay at DLR. Another shop that gets really good reviews is www.divingdr.com They are private diving, so they are more expensive because of that. We are looking at going back to Bayahibe this coming spring and will dive with Scuba fun again.

 

[Petr Sharky's Crew]

In matter of diving vacation in the Dominican Republic, the location should be Bayahibe-Dominicus, a small village on the south coast of Dominican Republic. A place that offers some of the best dive spots in Dominican Republic. Sharky's Crew private operation is highly recommended. There is not such a price difference and the services are higher level. Just check the website and Tripadvisor. The pickup and drive back to the hotel is standard in area Bayahibe-Dominicus.
I can recommend Dreams La Romana Hotel Resort in walk distance from Bayahibe or Bayahibe GuestHouse which is right in the village.

 

[Thook]

How is the diving there??? Recently a diver in Bonaire told us the reefs were in bad shape and bleached out. Is this true??? Thanks

 

[Bri123]

Just got back from Bayhibe Jan. 2, 2017. The reefs closest to the town were not in the best of shape. If you went out to Penon, the diving was pretty good. If you get a chance, dive the St. George wreck. The wheel house got twisted a bit and can make for an interesting visual.

 

[AstridWilson]

How would you compare Sharkys to the onsite scubacaribe while staying at LaRomana? My husband does not handle sea sickness well so I am worried about the small boat that Sharkys has??