PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Lehrman Family

March 7th through March 13th, 2026

A Quick Reference for Your All-Inclusive Vacation

This guide consolidates all the critical information related to your Punta Cana trip, along with providing some potential strategies for making your vacation as turn-key as possible.


Trip-Specific Packing Considerations
Inside Clothing
  • 3-4 outfits that meet the "casual elegance" dress code (see last page of this document).
  • Whatever your version of loungewear is, for cozy time after long days.
  • Workout/spa clothes (if those activities are something you might do on this trip).
Footwear
  • Casual shoes/sandals for general walking around
  • Dinner (can be the same as above)
  • Flip-flops for the pool/softer beach areas
  • Water shoes or sandals you can wear in rockier parts of the beach or on a boat.
Extra Tech
  • Power bank/external battery
  • Backup headphones
  • Extra-long charging cables
Other Stuff
  • Anything else you need infrequently, but when you need it you really need it.
Outside Clothing
  • 2 swimsuits per person (so one can dry)
  • Rash guards
  • Swim cover-ups that can double as pop-into-lunch or just walking around clothes
  • A light layer for mornings and evening
Beach/Pool Gear
  • Hats and sunglasses
  • More sunscreen than you think you need
  • SPF lip balm
  • After-sun lotion
  • Silicone pouches, dry-bags, or some big Zip-loc bags to keep things dry or to carry wet things
  • Goggles, if needed
  • Unisex day bag/backpack for toting essentials.
Health Kit
  • Advil/Tylenol
  • Imodium + Dulcolax (or similar)
  • Bug spray
  • Cortisone cream & antibiotic ointment
  • Waterproof band-aids


Your resort is in a beautiful, somewhat secluded area. This is a feature most of the time. It can be a bug when you don't have a car and the on-site sundries store doesn't have what you need. If you find yourself in need of something you didn’t pack, it is more reliable to arrange a taxi than it is to rely on delivery services.

Logistics

Time

Even though Punta Cana lines up longitudinally with parts of New England, Punta Cana is on Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4) year-round. Most of the US changes to daylight saving time during your trip (March 8), so Punta Cana is 2 hours ahead of Chicago on March 7 and 1 hour ahead from March 8–13.

Flights
Outbound March 7

Airline: United

Flight Number: UA1862

Departure: Chicago (ORD) 8:47 AM

Arrival: Punta Cana (PUJ) 3:19 PM

Return March 13

Airline: United

Flight Number: UA1664

Departure: Punta Cana (PUJ) 1:55 PM

Arrival: Chicago (ORD) 6:08 PM

Transfers To and From Your Resort
  • You will receive detailed information about your driver and meeting locations via SMS and/or WhatsApp.
  • Two booster seats have been requested for each trip. I've also confirmed with the booking agent that the drivers can make short fresh-air stops if needed.
  • Changes/cancellations are allowed up to 4 hours before pickup. Payment is captured 24–28 hours before service begins.
  • Note all transportation arrangements have been made using Megan's contact details.
Airport to Resort | March 7

Provider: Rolzo

Booking Number: 174852-R

Pickup: Punta Cana (PUJ)

Pickup time: Tracked based on projected flight arrival time.

Transfer time: ~40 minutes, plus stops if needed

Details: There will be a driver/greeter with a sign that has your family name on it waiting to meet you once you pass through customs.

Resort to Airport | March 13

Provider: Rolzo

Booking Number: 174852-R

Departure: Dreams Macao Beach

Pickup Time: 10:45 AM

Transfer time: ~40 minutes , plus stops if needed

Details: Your driver will pick you up at your resort. If they do not contact you to arrange a specific meeting place, assume they will meet you at the main motor court.

Important Contact Information
Other Useful Info
Currency & Money

The local currency is the Dominican Peso (DOP), but US dollars are widely accepted at resorts and tourist areas. Keep small USD bills for tips and any off-resort purchases. Add-on excursions will be paid with a credit card. Recent exchange rates are approximately 60 DOP to 1 USD, though rates fluctuate. Most resorts use a less favorable rate if paying in pesos, so USD is often better if you have a credit card that does not charge fees on international purchases.

E-Ticket Entry/Exit

The Dominican Republic requires all travelers to complete an electronic entry and exit form (E-Ticket) prior to departure. Complete it online at eticket.migracion.gob.do. Save the QR code confirmation on your phone as you'll need to show it at immigration. There's no fee for this form.

Tipping

While gratuities are theoretically "included" at your resort, this is essentially a minimal base amount distributed among hundreds of resort employees. Most guests do tip additionally and it's somewhat expected as part of the Dominican tipping culture.

Budget approximately $150-200 USD in small bills. Note: US Coins cannot be exchanged in DR, so plan to do everything in $1 increments.

  • Bartenders: $1-2 per drink (or $10-20 upfront to a pool/swim-up bartender for the day for extra-attentive service)
  • Restaurant servers: $4-5 per person for dinner at à la carte restaurants, $2-3 for breakfast/lunch
  • Housekeeping: $2-3 daily, left on the bed with a note saying "Propina"; housekeepers typically rotate daily.
  • Bellmen: $1-2 per bag
  • Room service/concierge: $2-5 per service
Connectivity

Your resort includes free WiFi in common areas and rooms, though speeds are reported to be lower than typical US or European hotels. If streaming is part of your downtime plan, you may want to consider using your hotspot.

Regardless of whether you need to rely on your phones for data usage, I recommend pre-arranging for basic international access on your phones before you leave, as this is often less expensive than paying ad hoc access fees if you need to make a phone call. Most carriers only charge you on days you use the plan.


WhatsApp

Many service providers, including drivers and resort contacts, rely on WhatsApp rather than text messages to coordinate service. If this isn't a platform you already use, I suggest you download this app and link it to your phone number to facilitate driver communication if necessary.

Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana
Playa Macao, Punta Cana 23301, Dominican Republic

Opened in 2020, Dreams Macao Beach sits on a beautiful and less-developed stretch of beach in the Punta Cana region of the Dominican Republic. The property is modern, sprawling, and family-forward, with roughly 500 suites, a full water park, and the Hyatt “Unlimited-Luxury” model that includes room service. There are a few things that set this property apart from its competitors.

Macao Beach

Playa Macao feels a little different than the main Punta Cana hotel strip. Instead of a tightly built-up run of neighboring resorts, the setting is more open and relaxed.

The beach itself is broad, with a natural, low-key backdrop rather than a dense wall of development. Conditions here can be more dynamic (it’s a spot people come for waves). When the water is calm it can be great for a swim. On higher-surf days it still delivers a classic Caribbean experience.

Water Park & Pools

The on-site water park has multiple slides, a lazy river, and a dedicated kids' pool. It is totally possible to make this a half-day activity on its own, or use it as a thing you do a little bit of every day as a filler.

There are also multiple main pools, an adults-only Preferred Club pool, and a swim-up bar. For a resort of this size, the pool and water park infrastructure is notably well-done and rarely gets crowded enough to warrant negative guest feedback.

Kids Club

Dreams resorts run the Explorer's Club kids program, which offers structured daily activities for children ages 3–12. Programming includes arts and crafts, sports, treasure hunts, and supervised water activities. Previous travelers have considered it a solid, well-run program. It is not a fully programmed camp, but meaningfully better than resorts that treat the kids club as an afterthought.

Preferred Club Two-Bedroom Villa
Preferred ClubWater park area~1800 sq ft + Terrace

The Preferred Club two-bedroom villa has a primary bedroom with a king bed and a secondary bedroom with two queen beds (one of the kids will be on a rollaway). Each bedroom has its own bathroom. The villa also features a private plunge pool, a kitchenette, a separate living area, and a furnished terrace.

All Preferred Club Villas are located adjacent to the water park and kids club. The villas are located in casita-style standalone buildings (2 villas per building), with private patios.

The Preferred Club rooms offer an elevated tier of service and amenities as well as access to specific club-only areas of the resort. This access is promoted as a feature of certain room types, but be aware that around half the resort falls into this category.

The Preferred Club Lounge serves a real purpose though - it will have a rotating set of snacks available every afternoon that can serve as an emergency bridge to dinner if you're hungry during the 3:30PM - 6:00PM dead zone. It also has its own bar area, if you just want to grab a quiet minute with a drink and some air conditioning.

Restaurant Quick Reference

Notes: Himitsu Teppanyaki tables are restricted to guests 12+ with reservations required. Bordeaux is adults only. Oceana breakfast and lunch are for Preferred Club guests only. Macao Bites also serves Preferred Club breakfast 8-10 AM.