Belize or Punta Cana?

Belize is very poor and offers no nightlife I'd feel safe exploring.

You are right no night life

Punts Cana is a stay on the resort type place. Essentially nothing else to do in my experience.

Yes....they are.

The shuttles from the airport to Punta Cana is about a 30 minute ride through extremely poverty stricken towns. We saw armed guards in every one chilling in lawn chairs at intersections. The driver told me it was to deter anyone from trying to jump on a shuttle and rob the whole bus. Punta Cana itself is a lengthy stretch of coastal area with dozens of AIs in a row. Most are very nice properties but it gets old being confined to a 40 acre compound over a week regardless of amenities. If you have some street cred and can fluently speak Spanish, you can go out with a few others to Bavarro and get by fine. Most people who want to sightsee join tourist excursions but there is really not a lot worth seeing around PC. Larimar is a locally mined gemstone that looks like turquoise and some go off in cans to local jewelers in Bavarro who fashion and sell it. Nevertheless, the beach vendors and resort shops sell the shite out of it as well. The beach itself is very nice and pretty water. Boobs galore as it is top optional. Lots of men in thongs too.

I prefer Belize because you can at least feel more at ease when you go out. The flora/fauna is much better as the interior is jungle. Trips into the Mayan ruins are better than any excursion out of PC. Snorkeling and diving is far superior. Just more to do and more to see. There are excellent eco lodges in Belize as well.

I have been to many Caribbean Islands and these are the bottom two of any I have visited. Are you narrowed down to these two because of price point or some other reason?

I'm in st kitts and I would recommend it to people who like exploring nature. There are awesome views and hiking areas, also great restaurants. But the beaches, outside of one we found today are not what you think when you think carribean.

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I'm in st kitts and I would recommend it to people who like exploring nature. There are awesome views and hiking areas, also great restaurants. But the beaches, outside of one we found today are not what you think when you think carribean.

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What do you mean? Not clear waters? I thought all those islands had gorgeous waters. Was there a recent storm, that mucks up the waters for a few days depending on how bad the storm was.

We plan to dive and do a good bit of snorkeling. We aren't 100% set on these 2 places. They are both locations that have been on our to do list and we can get to either one for free. I'm in a bit of a time crunch now, need to get something booked because we are looking at going in 6 weeks.
I'm really hoping to settle on a plan this weekend.

We like finding random beach bars where we can hang out for a few drinks then move on to something else. We also like finding places to eat and sight see. We loved the Virgin Islands, we partied too hard in Key West, I got bored at an AI in Mexico.
She's fine with a place where she can relax on the beach. I'll go insane just sitting there. That's a waste of life for me. I have to get out and do something. So I'll dive while she sits on the beach.

I would not go to the DR. Ambergris Caye in Belize is nice. lots of good restaurants, and daily activities to do on the reef and beach, but not much nightlife outside the hotel Bars.

Just came back from Belize in early June. Hands down best experience of my life. You must go to the islands off the coast, such as San Pedro or Caye Caulker. All of those places are amazing spots. And the Mayan ruins at Lamanai are breath taking. No homo. The people while poor are very very friendly and the country likes tourists. I didn't hear of a lot of violence down there because supposedly that all happens north of there in Mexico. So imo Belize all day dude.