A luxury week in Cap Cana and La Romana

Why Cap Cana and La Romana instead of Bavaro

This is a week built around Cap Cana’s marina and golf courses, a detour to La Romana and Altos de Chavon, and private transfers in place of guaguas or fixed-rate taxis. It skips the public beach at Macao, the busy buggy convoys that fill up things to do in Bavaro, and the boat departures from Bayahibe that anchor most Saona and Catalina itineraries. If your budget and mood point toward a quieter, higher-end week, this route stays inside Punta Cana and Bávaro: the resort strip explained’s upscale southern edge and the La Romana, Bayahibe and the islands region without dipping into either place’s mass-market side.

Compare this to a budget five-day itinerary covering the same general coastline: that trip leans on fixed-rate taxis and shared excursions to keep costs down. Here, almost every transfer is private, tee times and cenote visits are booked ahead rather than joined as a shared group, and nothing on this page is presented with a fixed price — excursion and green-fee costs shift by season and operator, so check the current rate on the relevant GetYourGuide or Viator listing, or Casa de Campo’s own site, before booking.

A rental car helps for short hops inside Cap Cana’s marina district and for driving to a course at your own pace, covered more in our car rental guide. For the longer legs — the airport run and the transfer down to La Romana — a pre-arranged private driver is the norm on this budget tier, and it is what this itinerary assumes throughout.

Day 1: Arrival and settling into Cap Cana

Land at Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) and clear immigration with your e-Ticket already filled out online — it is free but mandatory for every traveler, and the 10 USD tourist card is already bundled into most air tickets rather than paid separately at the counter. See our airport transfer guide for what to expect.

Most hotels in Cap Cana sit 15 to 40 minutes from PUJ by road, noticeably shorter than the 40 to 60 minutes travelers heading to Uvero Alto should expect. Pre-book a private transfer rather than negotiating on arrival. Spend the rest of day one at your resort: Cap Cana’s beaches and pools are quieter than the dense hotel strip in Bavaro, and the marina area is worth an evening walk if your property is nearby.

Day 2: Cap Cana marina and a golf morning

Cap Cana is home to several golf courses built into its cliffside and marina layout, alongside Casa de Campo’s more famous courses a short drive south. Book a tee time in advance through your resort or directly with the club — our golf guide covers what to expect from each course and roughly how far ahead to reserve during high season (December to April).

In the afternoon, walk the marina, browse the shops and restaurants, and consider a late lunch overlooking the yachts. This is a deliberately slow day: the point of this itinerary is fewer bookings, not more.

Day 3: Scape Park and Hoyo Azul

Scape Park sits inside Cap Cana and holds Hoyo Azul, a natural cenote reached by a short walk from the park entrance — not a Mexican cenote, and not connected to the Yucatan in any way. The park also runs zip lines and cave sections if you want more than the cenote alone.

Book Scape Park entry to reach the Hoyo Azul cenote and its zip lines and caves

If you’d rather combine the cenote with time on the water, a catamaran-and-snorkel option pairs a short sail with the same Hoyo Azul stop:

Combine a Cap Cana catamaran sail and snorkeling stop with a Hoyo Azul visit

Either option skips the crowds you’d find on a Macao buggy tour, at the cost of a smaller group and a higher price than the shared excursions covered in our buggy versus ATV comparison. More on planning around this park in our Hoyo Azul and Scape Park guide.

Day 4: Transfer to La Romana

Arrange a private transfer from Cap Cana to La Romana, roughly 45 to 75 minutes depending on your exact starting point and traffic near Higuey. This is a genuinely different pace of place than Cap Cana: La Romana is a working town with an international airport of its own, useful if your return flight departs from there rather than PUJ.

Spend the afternoon settling into a Casa de Campo-area property or a La Romana hotel, and if golf is a priority, this is the base for Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog course. See our comparison of Punta Cana, Bavaro, Cap Cana and Uvero Alto for how this whole region differs from the destinations further north that this itinerary deliberately skips.

Day 5: Altos de Chavon and its caves

Altos de Chavon is the day’s centerpiece: a replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean village, built in the 1970s above the Chavon river, with its open-air amphitheater dating to 1982. It is worth an afternoon for the cobbled streets, the church, the artisan workshops and the river view — treat it as a well-made stage set, not an authentic colonial town, and plan your expectations accordingly. Full context in our Altos de Chavon day trip guide.

Pair the visit with a small-group tour that also covers the area’s cave system:

Join a half-day small-group tour of La Romana’s cave system and cultural sites

For a version that adds buggy driving to the village visit, a private tour from the Bayahibe side runs the same ground with more time behind the wheel:

Take a private buggy tour combining Altos de Chavon with the surrounding countryside

Day 6: A slower day, or one more excursion

Use this day as a buffer. Some travelers spend it entirely at the resort pool; others add one more activity before heading back north. If you’d like a second look at the Altos de Chavon and cave-country combination with a slightly longer format, a guided five-hour version exists:

Take a guided 5-hour tour pairing Bayahibe’s coast with Altos de Chavon

This itinerary deliberately leaves out Isla Saona and Isla Catalina: both require a boat departure from Bayahibe inside Cotubanama national park, which adds a different day structure than the golf-and-village rhythm built here. Our south coast three-day itinerary covers those islands directly if you want to add them on a separate trip. It also skips Santo Domingo’s colonial zone, which sits 2.5 to 3 hours from this coast — too far to combine comfortably with the pace of this week.

Day 7: Departure

Arrange your private transfer back to whichever airport matches your flight — PUJ if you’re departing from the north, or La Romana’s own airport if your itinerary was built around that leg. Confirm your outbound e-Ticket form is complete before you leave for the airport; it is checked on departure as well as arrival.

Money, transport and timing notes

Item	What to expect
Currency	Dominican peso (DOP); USD widely accepted at resorts and on booked tours, change usually in pesos
Restaurant bills	Typically include 18% ITBIS tax plus 10% service (“ley”)
Transfers used here	Private car or driver for every leg; no guaguas, no shared fixed-rate taxis
Cap Cana to La Romana	Roughly 45–75 minutes by private transfer
PUJ to Cap Cana	Roughly 15–40 minutes by road
Best months	December–April for drier weather; June–November is hurricane season, higher risk August–October

See our dedicated guide on money, tipping and taxes for more on how ITBIS and service charges show up on a bill, and private tours versus group excursions for how much a private booking typically adds over a shared one.

Luxury week in Cap Cana and La Romana: FAQ

Do I need a rental car for this itinerary?

A car adds flexibility for Cap Cana’s marina district and for reaching Casa de Campo’s courses on your own schedule, but most travelers on this route rely on pre-booked private transfers for the longer legs, such as the drive to Altos de Chavon.

How far is La Romana from Cap Cana?

The drive runs roughly 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic and the exact resort, well within range for a day trip or a one-way transfer with luggage.

Is Altos de Chavon an authentic historic site?

No. It is a replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean village, built in the 1970s above the Chavon river, with its amphitheater opening in 1982. It is worth visiting for the setting and craft shops, not as an original colonial-era site.

Does this itinerary include Isla Saona or Isla Catalina?

No. Both islands are reached by boat from Bayahibe, which adds a separate departure and a different pace than the golf-and-marina rhythm this itinerary is built around. A south coast itinerary covers them instead.

Can I play golf at Casa de Campo without staying there?

Non-guests can usually book tee times in advance, including on the well-known Teeth of the Dog course, though guest priority and pricing vary by season and should be confirmed directly with the club.

What is Hoyo Azul and where is it?

Hoyo Azul is a cenote inside Scape Park, in Cap Cana. It is not in Mexico or the Yucatan; it is a Dominican Republic cenote reached by a short walk or golf-cart ride from the park entrance.

What currency should I plan to use?

The Dominican peso (DOP) is the official currency. US dollars are widely accepted at resorts and on booked excursions, though change is typically given in pesos, so carrying some local currency is useful for small purchases.

Is this itinerary suited to a honeymoon or anniversary trip?

Yes. The pace is slower than a beach-and-buggy week, with fewer group departures and more private arrangements, which tends to suit couples looking for quiet golf mornings and an evening at Altos de Chavon over a packed activity list. See our guide for couples and honeymoons for more on pacing a trip this way.