What is Cap Cana?
A private, master-planned development on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic. Its official site places it about 10 min from Punta Cana International Airport and lists Juanillo Beach, the Cap Cana marina, the Punta Espada golf course and hotels such as Eden Roc, St. Regis and Sanctuary Cap Cana.
It is not an administrative unit. The name Juanillo, though, is official: Law 386-06 made Juanillo a section of the Verón-Punta Cana district, as our guide to Bávaro, Punta Cana or Cap Cana explains.
Is Cap Cana a gated community?
It is private, with its own access control. Cap Cana describes itself as a private destination, and Scape Park, inside it, tells visitors that paying on arrival is subject to Cap Cana's access control.
The sand is another matter. Article 15 of the Constitution makes beaches public and freely accessible, while respecting private property, so the gate governs the road in, not the shoreline itself.
Juanillo beach
Juanillo is the beach that brings most day visitors to Cap Cana. The Ministry of Tourism says it is often ranked among the best beaches in the country, with bars and restaurants on the sand and enough wind for kiteboarding.
How it compares with Macao, Cabeza de Toro and Uvero Alto, and what the taxi to each costs, is in our guide to the beaches beyond Bávaro.
Marina Cap Cana
The marina is Cap Cana's other landmark. Cap Cana says it has more than 150 slips for superyachts of up to 250 ft, and that it was built as an inland harbour so that boats have a secure haven during hurricane season.
The Ministry of Tourism calls it one of the most modern marinas in the Caribbean, with deep water close to good fishing grounds for both leisure boating and sportfishing. If your dates fall between June and November, our page on hurricane season in Punta Cana explains what that season means on land.
Golf in Cap Cana
Two Jack Nicklaus courses. Punta Espada is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course where, in Cap Cana's words, eight holes play along and over the sea.
Las Iguanas is the second Nicklaus course in the development; its first nine holes are open to members only.
What to do in Cap Cana by day
Beyond the beach and the golf, Cap Cana's own pages list two parks. Scape Park offers zip lines over cliffs, caves and the cenotes, one of them Hoyo Azul, with its own ticket and hours.
El Dorado Water Park is the second, described by Cap Cana as a tropical water park divided into four themed areas.
Cap Cana at night
For a party night, you leave Cap Cana for Bávaro. The nights we follow happen at Cielo Beach Club, on Calle Chicago facing Los Corales beach, and the rest of the evening options are on our Bávaro nightlife page.
The airport's 2024 rate sheet lists Cap Cana as a taxi stop at US$30 one way from the terminal; for the ride between Cap Cana and Bávaro, agree the fare before you get in. The party season returns in February 2027, and its dates appear on our 2027 season page.
