Where to Stay

How to choose

The kind of place you stay shapes a Dominican trip more than in most countries. An all-inclusive in Punta Cana gives you a fenced-off world of pools, buffets and beach where everything is paid in advance. A colonial-era hotel in Santo Domingo puts you inside a living city of churches, plazas and late-night merengue. A villa in Las Terrenas or a cabin above Jarabacoa means shopping at the colmado (corner store), cooking with local produce and waking up to roosters.

A simple rule of thumb that works for most Americans:

• A week of beach and rest, especially with kids or a group: an all-inclusive on the east coast, in La Romana and Bayahíbe, Puerto Plata or Miches.
• History, food and nightlife: a boutique hotel in the Zona Colonial, the old city of Santo Domingo.
• Independent beach time, surfing or kitesurfing: small hotels, apartments and villas in Las Terrenas, Cabarete, Las Galeras or Bayahíbe.
• Cool air, rivers and hiking: cabins and eco-lodges in Jarabacoa, Constanza and the southwest mountains.
• A big family or a wedding party: a staffed villa at Casa de Campo, Cap Cana or on the Samaná Peninsula.

Many people combine two: a few nights in the capital, then a resort or beach town. Our planning guide has sample routes, and Regions explains how the coasts differ.

What it costs

Prices on this page use tiers per night for two people. For all-inclusives, the tier covers the room, food, drinks and most activities.

Rates swing widely by season. A resort that charges one price in September, at the height of hurricane season, can cost double over Christmas and New Year. For real daily budgets, see Money and our budget tool.

All-inclusive resorts

The Dominican Republic is one of the world's biggest all-inclusive destinations, and the resorts are concentrated along the east coast: Bávaro and Punta Cana, Cap Cana, and the quieter beaches of Uvero Alto to the north. Others sit at Bayahíbe and Dominicus near La Romana, Playa Dorada and Cofresí near Puerto Plata, Juan Dolio east of the capital, the Samaná Peninsula, and the newer luxury resorts at Miches.

All-inclusives make sense when you want to stop thinking about money and logistics. Airport transfers are simple, the beaches in front of the big resorts are groomed daily (including sargassum clean-up in bad months), and food and drink are covered. The trade-off is that you see little of the country unless you book excursions.

What separates a good one

• The beach. On the east coast, some stretches have reef offshore and calm water, others have stronger surf. Uvero Alto is wilder and more exposed. Check recent guest photos for seaweed and swimming conditions; see Beaches.
• À la carte dinners. Many resorts limit how many nights you can eat at the specialty restaurants, and some require booking on day one. Ask the limit before you book.
• Size and layout. Big resorts can mean a long walk, or a trolley ride, from your room to the beach.
• Adults-only or family. Several chains run adults-only sections or separate resorts next to their family properties.
• Club or preferred levels. Paid upgrades add a private lounge, better rooms and beach areas. Worth it in some resorts, marketing in others.

The full guide, including wristbands, tipping, timeshare pitches and safety, is on All-inclusive resorts, with the east coast covered on Punta Cana.

Hotels in cities and beach towns

Outside the resorts you will find conventional hotels in every price range. In Santo Domingo, the big international chains cluster along the Malecón (the seafront boulevard) and in the business districts of Piantini and Naco, close to restaurants, malls and the city's best Uber coverage. Gazcue, a leafy older neighborhood between the Malecón and the Zona Colonial, has cheaper guesthouses and small hotels. See Santo Domingo for neighborhoods.

Santiago, the country's second city, has solid business hotels near the Monument and in the Los Jardines area; see Santiago and the Cibao. Beach towns such as Las Terrenas, Cabarete, Sosúa and Bayahíbe are full of small, independent hotels, many run by European or Dominican families, where breakfast is included and the owner knows every boat captain in town.

Boutique hotels in the Zona Colonial

Staying inside the Ciudad Colonial, the oldest European-founded city in the Americas, is the best way to experience Santo Domingo. You can walk to the cathedral, the Alcázar de Colón and the Calle El Conde, and come back to a courtyard with a pool after lunch. Many of the hotels occupy restored 16th- to 19th-century houses with thick stone walls, interior patios and rooftop terraces.

There are also dozens of small guesthouses and apartment rentals in restored houses. Rates vary by season and room type, so check current prices directly.

Villas and apartments

Renting a villa or apartment gives you space, a kitchen and a feel for Dominican daily life. It is the norm for longer stays and very common in Las Terrenas, Cabarete and Sosúa, Bayahíbe, Juan Dolio and Punta Cana's residential areas. At the top end, gated resort communities such as Casa de Campo in La Romana and Cap Cana near Punta Cana rent staffed villas with a cook, housekeeper and sometimes a golf cart, a popular choice for multigenerational families and wedding groups.

What's usually included, and what isn't

• Electricity. In many villas and longer rentals, power (luz) is metered and billed separately, and air conditioning can make it expensive. Ask whether it is included or charged by kilowatt-hour.
• Backup power. Blackouts (apagones) still happen, especially outside big resorts. A building with an inverter (inversor) or a generator (planta) keeps lights, Wi-Fi and fans running. Ask what it powers; inverters often do not run the AC.
• Water. Homes store water in a cistern and rooftop tank. Tap water is not for drinking anywhere in the DR, so budget for bottled water or a large refillable jug (botellón), delivered by local suppliers.
• Staff. Villas often include a housekeeper; a cook and drivers usually cost extra, and staff appreciate a tip at the end of your stay.
• Cleaning and security deposits. Common, sometimes in cash on arrival. Get the terms in writing.

Eco-lodges and mountain stays

The Dominican Republic's mountains surprise visitors who only know the beaches. In the Cordillera Central around Jarabacoa and Constanza, nights can drop into the 50s °F (10–15°C) and occasionally lower at altitude, so a fireplace and blankets come in handy. Lodges here and in the hills of the north and southwest are mostly small, family-run and rustic, with meals made from local produce and coffee grown nearby.

Rates at small lodges change by season and often include meals, so confirm what you are paying for. Most are reached on mountain or rural roads; read Driving before you go, and see Outdoors for hiking and rafting.

Where to stay by region

Taxes, service charges and resort fees

The single biggest surprise on Dominican hotel bills is the 28%. Rooms carry the 18% ITBIS (the Dominican value-added tax) plus a 10% service charge, the propina legal (legal tip), which by law is added to hotel and restaurant bills and shared among staff. Many hotels and some booking sites quote a rate before these, then add them at checkout.

Before you book, check whether the price shown says "taxes and fees included". On comparison sites, the difference between two hotels can disappear once one adds 28% and the other has already included it.

Resort fees and extras

Mandatory nightly resort fees of the Las Vegas kind are less common at Dominican all-inclusives. Extras are another matter. Watch for charges for in-room safes, premium Wi-Fi, room service, spa treatments, premium liquor brands, motorized water sports, some à la carte restaurants and early check-in. Villas may add electricity, cleaning, staff and pool heating. Read the inclusions line by line.

Booking platforms and booking safely

All the usual platforms work in the Dominican Republic: Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com for hotels; Airbnb and Vrbo for villas and apartments; and resorts' own websites, which sometimes offer perks for booking direct. US travel agents and tour operators sell all-inclusive packages. Short-term rentals are legal and widespread, and the government has been moving to register them and bring them into the tax system, so you may see taxes added to some listings.

• Pay through the platform or with a credit card. Never wire money, send Zelle or pay by cash transfer to a "host" who contacts you off-platform; it is the classic rental scam.
• Be suspicious of a beachfront villa priced far below its neighbors, with few reviews and pressure to pay fast.
• Read the latest reviews, sorted by date, for mentions of power cuts, noise, water, security and sargassum.
• Check the cancellation policy, especially for August to October and if you are traveling on a non-refundable package.
• For Christmas, New Year, Presidents' Day week and spring break, book three to six months ahead. Semana Santa fills Dominican beach towns and mountain cabins with domestic travelers too.
• Get your arrival details clear: who meets you, where to pick up keys and the host's WhatsApp number. WhatsApp is how almost everyone in the DR communicates.

Safety checks for villas and rentals

Most stays go smoothly, but private rentals vary far more than hotels in how they handle safety. Ask these questions before you pay, and look for the answers in photos and reviews.

• Security: Is there a 24-hour guard, a gated community or at least window bars and solid locks? In Santo Domingo and resort areas this is normal and expected.
• Safe: Is there a safe for passports, cash and electronics?
• Gas: Where is the propane cylinder for the stove and water heater? Bring a portable carbon monoxide detector if you are sensitive about this; they are rare in Dominican homes.
• Pool and balconies: Are there fences or gates on the pool, and secure railings on balconies and rooftops? There are no US-style codes here, which matters with small children.
• Power: Is there an inverter or generator, and what does it run?
• Storms: During hurricane season (June to November), does the house have shutters, and is it on high ground away from rivers? Ask the host's plan for storm warnings.
• Location: How far is it to a colmado, a pharmacy and a clinic? How will you get around without a car at night?
• Emergency contacts: The host's number, the nearest clinic and 911. Save them before you arrive.

For crime, drink safety and emergencies, read Safety. For medical care near where you stay, see Health.

When rates are lowest

The cheapest months are generally late August through early December, excluding Thanksgiving week, and late April through June, after Easter. You trade price for more rain, the hurricane season risk and, on some coasts, more sargassum seaweed in the warm months. The best balance for many Americans is late April to June or November to mid-December. For month-by-month detail, see When to go.

Planning to stay a month or more? Long rentals work differently, with leases, deposits and utility bills; see Long stays. Traveling with family, as a couple or for a wedding? See Travel by interest.