All-inclusive resorts have been striving to outdo each other in offering luxury experiences, but there’s still a place to stay if you’re looking for the certainty of paying one low price for all your food, drink, and fun. The Dominican Republic has long been the bargain destination for Caribbean travelers, and remains the go-to for those looking for a budget friendly beach vacation where the view matters more than having 20 different dining options or a room kitted out with a balcony whirlpool. Here are our picks for the best Dominican Republic resorts where you can get in for under $200 per person, per night.
This Marriott Autograph Collection resort (yes, you can use your points here) has one major drawback: it’s not on the beach. That explains why you can get such good deals on this family friendly all-inclusive, and having to take a short walk to the sand is more than offset by the resort’s big water park, which has a kid-pleasing wave pool, 7 water slides and tubes, splash pads, and spray grounds. Guests at the 273-room resort also have inclusive access to a kids club and teen lounge, plus add-ons like spa services and Diamond Club amenities.
A five-star all-inclusive under $200 per night? Maybe not year-round, but you can definitely find those kind of rates at the Be Live Punta Cana during the summer months, and perhaps even beyond. In return, this Bavaro Beach resort offers rooms tailored to both families and couples (some with walk-out access to a lazy river style pool); a gourmet Dominican restaurant as well as a buffet and Greek, Asian, Brazilian eateries and pizza and burger joints; and amenities that include a kids club, beach bar, and a nice variety of land and water sports.
Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana
This family friendly all-inclusive resort bundles buffet food with three a la carte dining experiences per week, a water park and kids club for ages 4-12, an hour per day of activities like kayaking and tennis, and the usual offerings like live entertainment, multiple swimming pools, accommodations, and food and drinks. Sure, activities and dining may be limited — that’s how costs are kept down — but it’s a small price to pay for an affordable beach vacation.
You might have to dig a little to get a room here under $200 a night, though off-season discounts can make it happen. The 603-room, five-star resort is set on Cabeza de Toro beach and has guest rooms spread around seven mid-rise buildings, starting with garden view suites at the low end and running up to swim-out accommodations and rooms with ocean views and terraces with hot tubs if you want to spend a bit more. Six restaurants and four bars mean you’ll never go hungry or thirsty with the resort’s all-inclusive plan; other potential splurges include spa treatments and an upgrade to “Preferred Club” service.
Special deals bring rates at this five-star Punta Cana resort under $200 nightly even during the winter; the Playa de Uvero Alto location is a bit distant from the airport, but the tradeoff is a quieter setting for a paired hotel property that includes the Grand Sirenis Cocotal Beach Resort and Grand Sirenis Tropical Suites. Resort amenities at this family resort are headlined by the Sirenis Aquagames water park, a spa, multiple pools and dining options, and a good variety of land and water sports. The resort is large — 816 rooms in total — with 32 low-rise buildings. Low-end rates will get you a room with a garden view and a queen or two double beds; the hotel has 382 of this type of room alone, so there’s plenty of potential for bargain-hunting.
Part of the Barcelo hotels family, the Occidental Caribe can occasionally be booked for about $200 per night — but that’s total for two people, not just one. In fact, there are times of year where every room in the hotel, inclining the Presidential Suite, is available for under $200 per person per night. The resort has 798 rooms on Playa Arena Gorda, seven specialty restaurants, a spa, palm shaded pools with water slides, and a climbing wall and trapeze in addition to more familiar sports offerings like tennis and volleyball.
Prepare to be impressed by some of the lowest all-inclusive rates in the Dominican Republic, starting at under $100 per night in the summer. Opened in 2019, Impressive Punta Cana combines the fresh feel of an almost-new resort with 654 rooms on the beach in Bavaria, plus another 255 Junior Suites in the neighboring Impressive Premium Punta Cana. Dining options include a buffet, steakhouse, and Japanese restaurant, plus casual burger and pizza outlets, and in addition to entertainment and water and land sports there’s a luxury spa in the Impressive complex.
Another resort that offers the flexibility of paying with (Wyndham) hotel loyalty points or a very reasonable nightly cash or credit rate, the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach sits on the beach in Bayahibe. Rooms range from standard queens to ocean-view bungalows; guests can choose from two buffets, a beachfront snack bar, and six a la carte restaurants. Activities include a trapeze, intro diving classes, windsurfing lessons, and a climbing wall.
This resort in Puerto Plata is located within the Playa Dorada complex and has 425 guestrooms and 94 suites, all with balconies or patios. You’ll pay extra for drinks at the disco, but otherwise the all-inclusive rate covers all of your food and beverages plus non-mortorized water sports, tennis, use of bicycles, and — this is a nice extra — horseback riding (some additional fees do apply to the latter). The kids club is open to children ages 4-12.
RIU resorts are a mixed bag: the physical hotels are often beautiful, while the food can be decidedly “meh” — the chain’s specialty restaurants are particularly underwhelming. Then again, who can argue with in-room booze dispensers? Located in Rui’s Punta Cana resort complex alongside the Riu Palace Bavaro, Riu Palace Punta Cana, Riu Palace Macao and the Riu Bambu, the slightly off-beach Riu Naiboa has room rates that drop as low as $64 per person per night in the summer and gives guests an opportunity to sample Dominican cuisine in the buffet, access to the Splash Water World water park, and balcony and terrace rooms.