You have finally arrived. The long flight is over, you have checked into your beautiful oceanfront room, and the tropical relaxation instantly starts to take over. Punta Cana resorts are massive, highly secure properties designed specifically to make you completely forget about the stress of the real world. While these mega resorts are incredibly safe and the vast majority of travelers enjoy their vacation without a single incident, the issues that do actually come up are almost entirely preventable.
The main problem is that once the vacation vibes hit, travelers tend to let their normal guards down. They completely abandon the basic street smarts they use every single day back home. To make sure you have a perfectly safe resort experience, you just need to maintain a few simple boundaries. Here are the top eight things you need to watch out for at your Punta Cana resort this winter.
1. Petty Theft And The Pool Chair
While violent crime inside a luxury resort is virtually unheard of, crimes of opportunity can still happen if you make it incredibly easy for someone. Petty theft is absolutely preventable. The golden rule is to always use your room safe for your passports, extra cash, and expensive jewelry.
When you head down to the water, do not leave your valuables unattended on your pool chair. You would never leave a brand new smartphone and a designer wallet sitting alone on a park bench back home while you went swimming for an hour, so you should not do it on vacation. Only bring exactly what you need for the afternoon, and keep your most valuable items locked up securely in your room.
2. Getting Sick At The Buffet
Getting a stomach bug is an incredibly fast way to completely ruin an expensive tropical vacation. The biggest mistake people make happens right at the buffet. You might think you are doing everything right by washing your hands in the public restroom before grabbing a clean plate and hitting the food stations.
While that is definitely correct, you actually need to wash your hands before you eat too. Yes, you need to sanitize twice. Think about it logically. You just walked down the buffet line and touched serving tongs that were just handled by literally hundreds of other hands. Keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer at your table and use it right before you pick up your fork.
3. The Sugary Open Bar Trap
You have definitely heard this one before, but seriously, those frozen tropical margaritas can catch you completely off guard. When you are sitting in the blazing Caribbean sun and drinking cocktails loaded with sugary mixers, it is incredibly easy to lose track of exactly how much alcohol you have consumed by two in the afternoon.
This is not just about avoiding a little embarrassment at the swim up bar. It is more about preventing a nasty fall on a wet pool deck or completely ruining your vacation with a massive two day hangover on the very first day of your trip. Drink plenty of water between those rum punches to keep yourself actively in the game.
4. Giving Out Your Room Number
Socializing is a huge part of the overall experience at all inclusive resorts. You are going to meet plenty of awesome people from all over the world while hanging out in the lobby or watching the evening entertainment. Most people are incredibly friendly and just looking to have a good time, but not everyone is your best friend.
Just like anywhere else, you need to use your absolute best judgment. Keep the party at the public resort bars and lounges. Do not invite complete strangers back to your private room, and do not give out your room number to people you just met. This is especially crucial if you are traveling solo. Keep your private sanctuary completely secure.
5. The VIP Breakfast Presentation
You are walking through the beautiful resort lobby when a very friendly staff member stops you and offers a VIP breakfast or a free excursion just for attending a quick presentation. Do not take the bait.
These are high pressure timeshare and vacation club pitches. That supposedly quick breakfast meeting almost always turns into a grueling, incredibly aggressive four hour sales marathon. It will completely drain your energy and waste an entire day of your precious vacation time. Unless you are actively looking to spend thousands of dollars on a long term membership, simply say no thank you and keep walking straight to the beach.
6. Brushing Your Teeth With Tap Water
This is a classic rookie mistake that catches thousands of first time Caribbean visitors every single winter. While the massive resorts use highly purified water for the ice in your drinks and the water served at the restaurants, the actual tap water coming out of your bathroom sink is absolutely not safe for consumption.
You might remember not to drink a glass of it, but running your toothbrush under the tap out of pure habit is a very fast way to get sick. The resorts always leave sealed bottles of purified water right next to the bathroom sink for a reason. Use that bottled water strictly for brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth.
7. The Caribbean Sun Dehydration
Travelers constantly underestimate the sheer power of the sun in the Dominican Republic. The UV index down here is significantly stronger than what you are used to back in the United States or Canada. Furthermore, the bright white sand and the crystal clear pool water reflect those rays directly back at you.
Severe sunburns can happen within just a couple of hours. When you combine intense sun exposure with day drinking and a lack of water, you are setting yourself up for severe dehydration or sunstroke. Reapply your sunscreen constantly, sit in the shade during the peak afternoon hours, and aggressively hydrate all day long.
8. Unregulated Beach Excursions
When you are relaxing on the public beach right in front of your resort, you will likely be approached by local vendors selling cheap excursions. They will promise you incredible snorkeling trips or dune buggy adventures for half the price of the official resort desk.
Booking off the books tours from random guys walking the sand is a massive gamble. These unregulated operators often lack basic safety equipment, carry absolutely zero liability insurance, or simply fail to deliver the experience they promised. To protect yourself and your money, always book your off property adventures through the official resort concierge or a heavily vetted, highly reviewed online tour operator.
Resort Rookie Mistakes
Subscribe to our Latest Posts
Enter your email address to subscribe to Dominican Republic Sun’s latest breaking news affecting travelers, straight to your inbox.