Dominican Republic vs Guanacaste

White multi-story resort building with pool, loungers, umbrellas, and palm trees on manicured lawn at Excellence El Carmen.

Dominican Republic33 resorts · ★ 4.6 average

Illuminated beachfront dining pavilion with white railings and thatched-roof bungalows reflected in the pool at dusk.

Dominican Republic and Guanacaste, 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.

Dominican Republic guide · Guanacaste guide · How we score

By the numbers

Dominican Republic compared with Guanacaste
Dominican Republic	Measure	Guanacaste
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
33 (better)	Resorts in our catalog	7
★ 4.6 (better)	Average guest rating	★ 4.4
$68–$505/night pp (better)	Nightly rates	$88–$289/night pp
12 of 33	Adults-only resorts	1 of 7
In the hurricane belt	Hurricane exposure	Low hurricane risk (better)
May and August–October, mostly brief tropical downpours	Rainy season	May–November ('green season'), seriously wet September–October
December–April	Sweet spot	December–April, bone-dry

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.

On the map

Dominican Republic

Guanacaste

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Dominican Republic and Guanacaste
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Dominican Republic · high °F	84	84	85	86	87	88	89	89	88	87	86	84
Guanacaste · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
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
Guanacaste · rain (in)	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.7	7.7	9.0	5.9	7.9	13.0	12.2	4.3	0.5

Approximate climate normals for Punta Cana and Papagayo / Guanacaste: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.