Bávaro Beach

Bávaro is the longest beach in the Punta Cana area, running from Cabeza de Toro all the way north to Macao, and it is the strip most people picture when they picture the Dominican Republic: pale sand, warm turquoise water and an unbroken line of coconut palms. It is lined with resorts but it is a public beach — access points can be limited and busy in high summer — and lifeguards cover much of it, which makes it the easy, safe choice for a family beach day. Photographically it is the classic postcard: palms, turquoise, and a horizon with nothing on it. It is also the most convenient golden hour in the area, because most resorts open straight onto the sand. Our photographers shoot Bávaro early and in the last hour before sunset, when the light goes warm and the beach thins out; midday here is bright and contrasty and flatters almost nobody.