Uvero Alto Holidays

You could hear a pin drop on this stretch of the Dominican Republic’s coastline, it’s that away from it all. The town’s more a collection of flashy hotels than your traditional resort set-up, which means everything’s tailored for sun-seekers. And on the scenery front, tropical Caribbean countryside unravels behind the waterfront, with barely a manmade speck in sight.

Stick the cloud-free sky and the turquoise waters to one side, and there’s another blue talking point down at the beach. The pillow-soft shoreline’s been given the nod by the beach boffins at Blue Flag, thanks to its postcard-worthy qualities. Reedy palms get involved right the way along, and beach bars and billowing cabanas edge close to the seafront.

What Uvero Alto might lack in size it more than makes up for in substance. A spaced-apart cluster of hotels adds a splash of pizzazz to proceedings, with beach-facing pools and a tonne of watersports to get your teeth into. They’re all in the business of crafting luxe surroundings, and you’ll find a similarly swanky set-up in neighbouring Bavaro – 20 minutes’ drive along the coast. Golfers head to the couple of close-to-the-beach courses, and there’s a little village where you can get a sniff of local life.