Macao Beach

Macao is one of the few public beaches on the Punta Cana coast that has stayed clear of resort frontage, a wide bay of gold sand between low cliffs with open surf coming in, and it is used for surf lessons, for buggy and quad tours out from the resorts, and by Dominican families at weekends. Beach shacks sell fried fish. The waves are big enough to be fun and big enough to catch out weak swimmers.

What you actually see

• The open surf - waves coming in unbroken, unlike the reef-protected resort beaches.
• The cliffs - the low headlands enclosing the bay at both ends.
• The surf lessons - the schools working from the beach.
• The beach shacks - the food stalls selling fried fish along the sand.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Winter swell brings the best surf and the strongest currents. Hurricane season runs June to November.

Honest expectations

Rip currents here are strong and there are no lifeguards. Buggy tours arrive in convoys and are noisy and dusty. Selling pressure on the beach is heavy.

Nearby

Playa Esmeralda is northwest, and Punta Cana is south.