Most hotels will feature staff-produced evening shows, with guests having the option to dance until the wee hours in the hotel discos. Nightlife will be slightly livelier at the larger hotel clusters. Bavaro Beach Resort disco, the main dance bar among the five large Barcelo Bavaro hotels, has been described as "upscale, popular, somewhat dressy." The disco opens at 11pm and usually becomes jam-packed after midnight.

With this exception, nightlife at most resorts has been described as "fairly dull" if you are looking for a party atmosphere. Most discos are small and won't attract more than 40-70 people in the evenings, mostly couples. The discos will play current dance music so you can bring your own CDs, gather a group of people and turn a small hotel disco into your own personal party.

The only big show in town is Tropicalissimo, staged at the Barcelo Bavaro Casino in the style of the old Tropicana of Cuba.

Most guests do not mind the lack of nightlife as they retire early, exhausted from a day at the beach. Regardless, there are bars in Plaza Bavaro (near Barcelo and Melia hotels) where you can meet the locals, mostly people who work in the area. The atmosphere at these places should be lively but don't expect too much. If you will be staying in the area of Iberostar or Riu hotels, Disco Pachá is the place. They charge admission for those not staying at Riu hotels. Another area disco is America Latina.

For those staying at Catalonia, Allegro or Natura Park and wanting to venture out at night, there is an open air, somewhat downscale, local bar called Onkle Tom's a few hundred yards down the beach, open until 5:00 AM.

There are four casinos in the area: Riu Palace, Barcelo Bavaro Casino, Paradisus Casino and the Catalonia Casino. For an overview on casinos in the DR, our Casino Page

Altos de Chavon's Genesis Discotheque.

There are several discos in Boca Chica that play a combination of dance pop, house music, and of course, salsa and merengue. Couples and families usually stay at the large all inclusive hotels that have their own discos and nightly shows.

Given the large numbers of singles that flock to Boca Chica's many non all-inclusive hotels, areas in Boca Chica's downtown take on an "adults only" atmosphere at night.
Albeit, most of the single men will be foreigners and the women local. The singles usually stay at the many small hotels that dot the beach town and party at the town's bars. But days in Boca Chica are quiet compared to Nassau, Bahamas or Cancun. After all, this is a small town and the main strip is just a few blocks long.

El Batey disco, next to Decameron Hotel. Merengue, salsa and dance beat ‘til all hours. Chocolate Bar, on access road between Decameron and Costa Caribe. Pool tables and international beers on offer.

Puerto Plata nighttime activities range from merengue and salsa music clubs, which mainly attract locals and tourists who want to meet locals. And the resort and beach town discos.

Pueblito Principe features night time entertainment. There are also discos that attract locals and adventurous tourists in Rio San Juan and the town of Cabrera.

Cabarete attracts a young crowd so expect the night life to be lively and focused on the disco scene.

Nightlife is definitely something uniquely special in Cabarete. The cuisine is multi-cultural, and there are many options available for every level of expectation and budget. After a great meal, you’ll always be able to find quite beach bars for romantic ocean views and tropical cocktails. Or, if you still have energy after your sun-filled day, you can join others in drinking a ‘cuba libre’, the infamous local drink, and dance to merengue, watch a live band, or simply meet other excited vacationers to discuss the activities of your day.