Where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean, Punta Cana is the kind of paradise that doesn’t make you choose between calm and adventure; it simply hands you both. Located near the port town of La Romana on the Dominican Republic’s eastern tip, this region is a swirl of turquoise lagoons, white-sand beaches, and a “how is this real?” horizon. Nearly 20 miles of uninterrupted shoreline sets the stage for everything from morning swims to late-afternoon rum tastings.

Start at Bávaro Beach, the postcard stretch where six miles of sugar-white sand meet surfboards, snorkel gear, and beach bars serving cold local beer. You can walk for hours here, weaving between live music cafés and thatch-roofed seafood shacks, or float just offshore with sea turtles and technicolor fish.

For a wilder shade of blue, venture inland to Hoyo Azul — the famous “Blue Hole.” This natural cenote hides beneath a forest canopy, where a wooden walkway leads to a 75-foot-deep lagoon so vividly turquoise it looks lit from within like an Effy gem.

History lovers can make a day of it in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone, one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cobblestoned streets trace the footsteps of Bartholomew Columbus, and plazas brim with live music, rum bars, and time-tested charm.

Those chasing thrills head to Scape Park at Cap Cana for ziplining, cenote dives, and limestone-cave explorations, or to Cumayasa Adventure Park for rainforest courses that swap office views for canopy zips.

Prefer flavor over flight paths? Sample the island’s sweeter side at ChocoMuseo, where cacao beans turn into handmade bars you can taste fresh from the mold. Or sip the island’s bolder traditions on a tour of rum and cigar factories, a fitting toast to a day that captures every side of the Dominican Republic.