Bávaro travel guide

Continuing round the coast, there are many other beaches with white sand and reef-sheltered water. The area now known as Bávaro was once a series of fishing villages, but they have disappeared under the weight of hotels which contrast with the shacks still hanging on in places. All the hotels are usually booked from abroad as package holidays and most of them are all-inclusive, run by international companies such as Barceló, Sol Meliá, Occidental (Allegro), Fiesta (Palladium) or Riü.

Playa el Cortecito is a little oasis, a breath of fresh air in amongst the all-inclusives, being the nearest thing to a village that you will find on this stretch of coast. There are several beach bars, restaurants, gift shops, a supermarket, watersports, internet access and tour operators here. It is a lively place and makes a welcome change from the all-inclusive life style. The focal point is the beach restaurant, Capitán Cook, famed for its lobster and sea food and the place to be for lunch or dinner.

Bibijagua is more of a craft market than anything else, with restaurants and bars, just along the beach from the Barceló complex. The Mercado Artesanal, cleverly signed as BI²JH²O, is a large covered market on the beach where you can buy handicrafts, rum, cigars (likely to be fakes), T-shirts, paintings (copies of Haitian art) and other souvenirs; but don’t buy the shell, turtles and stuffed sharks which are for sale, as they are protected by international treaties and should be impounded by customs officials on your return home.