Archive for Dining
Bamboo restaurant at Tortuga Bay Resort
PUNTACANA Resort & Club®, the luxury resort destination in the Dominican Republic, has been honored with two prestigious distinctions by earning AAA Diamond Awards for 2012 for two of its restaurants. Bamboo, with interiors designed by Oscar de la Renta, has been awarded the AAA Four Diamond Award. La Yola, located at the resort’s marina overlooking the Caribbean Sea, has been awarded the AAA Three Diamond Award.
AAA’s Diamond Rating System is North America’s premiere ratings program, and represents a combination of the overall food, service, decor and ambiance offered by the establishment. The descriptive ratings are assigned exclusively to establishments that meet and uphold AAA’s rigorous quality standards. AAA’s professionally trained inspectors use published guidelines to conduct unannounced and independent evaluations.
Tucked away in the Tortuga Bay area of the resort, Bamboo’s menu blends Modern Cuisine with Mediterranean influences for a variety of innovative fusion dishes in a cozy, graceful setting designed by Oscar de la Renta, PUNTACANA Resort & Club resident and chairman of the board. Bamboo earned the coveted Four Diamond rating for 2012, and this achievement ranks Bamboo as a premier establishment esteemed by AAA’s professional inspectors, the hospitality industry, and over 53 million AAA/CAA members. Fewer than three percent of the more than 27,000 restaurants approved by AAA achieve this prestigious distinction. Read More→
The Paradisus Resorts, Melia Hotels International’s luxurious all-inclusive brand, announces the expansion of its partnership with seven-star Michelin Chef Martin Berasategui to its Punta Cana properties. The expansion into the Dominican Republic will introduce two unique concepts by Chef Berasategui-whose eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria, Spain is the recipient of three Michelin stars- to every Paradisus property.
21 April 2012 will mark the openings of both Passion by Martin Berasategui at Paradisus Palma Real and Fuego Gastro Bar at Paradisus Punta Cana. Read More→
La Yola is undoubtedly one of the finest dining experiences in Punta Cana. The restaurant sits on stilts over the shimmering, turquoise waters of Punta Cana marina inside the grounds of Puntacana Resort & Club just south of the airport (see Map 7). La Yola takes its name and architectural design from the local wooden fishing boats.
Under a cana thatched roof diners can enjoy an excellent selection of Mediterranean and traditional Dominican cuisine and fresh seafood. Most of the seafood is caught locally by the fishermen at the marina. Fishing around the area is strictly monitored by the Marine Conservation Department of the Puntacana Ecological Foundation. A coastal marine project has been set up to evaluate the coastal waters and encourage the local fishermen to practice sustainable fishing. So the locally caught fish you eat at La Yola will be both deliciously fresh and eco friendly! Read More→
Acqua Beach Club on Bavaro Beach Punta Cana
Editor’s note: March 2013 Acqua Beach Club is now under new ownership and is now known as Poseidon.
Acqua Beach Club is a restaurant & bar located right on Bavaro beach in front of Bibijagua Shopping Plaza and between IFA Villas Bavaro and Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe.
See Map 4 and Map 5 Read More→
Dominican Republic Ecotourism
From 1st April to 31st July it is prohibited by law to fish for lobster in the Dominican Republic. This is to protect the lobsters during their mating season. Imported lobster is allowed by permission but obviously it will not be fresh.
Another positive step towards sustainable fishing practices on the island 
Update: nearly all lobster served in the resorts is imported.
