Say no before a parrot or iguana lands on your shoulder

At Punta Cana airport, drivers can be pushy and quote high fares to travellers who have not booked. Pre-book a transfer through your hotel, or use an authorised airport taxi, and agree the fare before you get in. Ride-hailing apps are common but not available everywhere in the area. Keep your luggage with you until…

Cap Cana is the most upscale area and its reef-sheltered Juanillo bay reports the least seaweed. Bavaro has the most hotels and the best value, plus shops and restaurants at El Cortecito and Los Corales, but its east-facing beach takes the most seaweed. Cabeza de Toro is quieter, and Uvero Alto is remote, around 45…

Look for small family comedores a block or two back from the beachfront, where the lunch plate is la bandera: rice, beans, stewed meat and fried plantain. Locals in Bavaro and Veron eat this way, and it costs far less than the waterfront strip. Ask what is cooked that day, and note that the bill often adds a service…

In La Romana, the Greek-style amphitheater at Altos de Chavon seats about 5,000 and opened in 1982 with a concert featuring Frank Sinatra. It still hosts Latin and international acts inside a replica Mediterranean village, so you can pair a show with an afternoon in the stone alleys. Check the Casa de Campo event…

Each mid-August Higuey holds its patronal festivities, and the Toros de la Virgen are the folk centrepiece, as the faithful offer heifers to the Virgin of Altagracia. The bulls arrive on August 14, a farm fair with an auction runs from the 13th to the 15th, and the feast closes with a Mass on the 15th. Go early from…

At resorts in the Bavaro area, people in uniforms or lanyards may offer a free breakfast, spa voucher or tour in exchange for a short presentation. It tends to become a long sales pitch for a timeshare contract. Decline politely but firmly, do not share your room number, never sign anything on the spot, and check at…

Higuey is home to the Basilica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, where Dominicans come to pray to the Virgin and give thanks for favours. Around the January 21 feast, crowds gather from the evening before, and pilgrims queue behind the main altar to greet the image, sometimes for hours. Pick another day of the…

Cueva de Chicho is a freshwater cave pool inside Cotubanaá National Park, reached on foot through the forest from the Bayahibe side, so treat it as a day trip. Bring a torch or headlamp, a swimsuit and sturdy shoes, since the cave is dark and the rock is sharp. Ask in Bayahibe for current directions and check any fee…