Originally Posted by Check Essential

We go to Punta Cana a lot for beach type trips.
Best bang for the buck in the Caribbean. Very affordable now but gets expensive in the high season (right after Christmas).
The wife loves the beach at RIU because they maintain lots of palm trees right near the water. She's blonde and can't do the "all day on the beach" thing without shade. She loves laying under those trees, sipping foo-foo drinks and reading her trashy novels.
RIU Palace is our favorite resort there. Very "elegant" and has the best resaturants. (Riu Palace Macao is good too) Right next door on either side of the RIU complex is two other good ones. Iberostar and Bahia Principe.