Punta Cana Airport Shuttle to Bavaro

Long before the resorts arrived, Bavaro existed to house the people building Punta Cana. In the 1970s, developer Frank Rainieri began clearing jungle just north of the airport to create what would become Puntacana Resort & Club, and the workers who cleared that land needed somewhere to live. That settlement grew into Bavaro. When Punta Cana's resorts proved wildly successful and drew international attention, Spanish hotel groups moved in next door — where land was cheaper and easier to develop — and built the massive all-inclusive complexes that now line Bavaro's coast. Because the Dominican Republic has few enforced naming laws, most of those hotels marketed themselves as "Punta Cana" anyway, which is why so many travelers land at PUJ, book a resort in Bavaro, and never realize the two are different places.

Bavaro's biggest draw is Bavaro Beach itself, one of the longest uninterrupted stretches of white sand on this coast, running for miles past resort after resort. It's also the busiest beach in the region — expect more vendors, more beach chairs, and more foot traffic than you'll find further south in Punta Cana or Cap Cana, simply because so many more hotels back up to it.

Unlike the gated resort communities nearby, Bavaro is also where the area actually lives. It's home to the restaurants, grocery stores, bars, and clubs that serve the people who work the resorts, and it has by far the largest concentration of Airbnbs and short-term rentals in the region — making it the natural base for travelers who want to be near the beach without staying inside an all-inclusive.