Aruba vs Dominican Republic

Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa's yellow-lit beachfront buildings with thatched roofs and palm trees at dusk, lounge chairs on patios overlooking a grass lawn.

Beachfront bar with a thatched palapa roof, white columns, and wooden counter on the sand at Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa.

Dominican Republic31 resorts · ★ 4.6 average

Aruba and Dominican Republic, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

Aruba guide · Dominican Republic guide · How we score

By the numbers

Aruba compared with Dominican Republic
Aruba	Measure	Dominican Republic
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
9	Resorts in our catalog	31
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.6 (better)
$143–$332/night pp	Nightly rates	$68–$505/night pp
2 of 9	Adults-only resorts	11 of 31
Outside the hurricane belt	Hurricane exposure	In the hurricane belt
October–December, and 'rainy' is generous: this is one of the driest islands in the Caribbean	Rainy season	May and August–October, mostly brief tropical downpours
Year-round; January–March is peak season and priced like it	Sweet spot	December–April
Dutch & Papiamento (English universal)	Language	Spanish (English at resorts)
Aruban florin; USD universally accepted	Currency	Dominican peso; USD widely accepted
120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)	Power	110V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)
On the right	Driving	On the right
Oranjestad (AUA)	Main airport	Punta Cana (PUJ)
~4–4.5h from the US East Coast	Flight time	~3.5–4h from the US East Coast

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

On the map

Aruba

Dominican Republic

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Aruba and Dominican Republic
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Aruba · high °F	85	85	86	87	88	89	89	90	90	89	87	85
Dominican Republic · high °F	84	84	85	86	87	88	89	89	88	87	86	84
Aruba · rain (in)	1.5	0.8	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.7	1.3	1.0	1.8	3.0	3.7	3.2
Dominican Republic · rain (in)	2.0	1.7	1.7	2.5	4.5	3.0	2.5	3.5	3.5	4.5	3.5	2.5

Approximate climate normals for Palm Beach / Eagle Beach and Punta Cana: planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Aruba

Full Aruba guide

Chains here: Iberostar · Barceló · Renaissance Hotels

Best of Dominican Republic

Full Dominican Republic guide

Chains here: Secrets · Excellence Resorts · Paradisus by Meliá