Sugar white sands, turquise blue water, and very calm seas.. NORMALLY... every once in a while things are different, but ive been to both the Bahamas and Punta Cana several times and feel the beaches are comparable...however, I've never seen anywhere in the Bahamas that looks anything like anywhere in the DR (as far as infrastructure, housing, trash, etc.). In this respect, there's no comparison, the Bahamas "wins" hands down.
But.....while Punta Cana and The Bahamas are similar tourist destinations, in that all there really is is beaches and casinos, (the Bahamas also has duty-free shopping).... The other 95 or so percent of the DR has so many things that no other Caribbean island has. As an all-inclusive destination, now that prices here are rising to the level of other options, maybe the DR isn't the best choice anymore...but if you want to do a little exploring, visiting historival sites, eco-touring, mountain climbing, cultural exchanging type vacation... the DR is NUMBER ONE!!
