I left the beaten track and drove 2 hours to Juan Dolio on my motorbike with Edda. A place that you always drive past when you drive from Bavaro - Punta Cana to Santo Domingo, but rarely (or never) stop because you always have something planned. That's why I chose Juan Dolio as my "holiday destination" and got a room for a few days. There's also a video about it.
Juan Dolio is actually just a small place, but if you count the "new Juan Dolio" and Guyacanes, there are 3 beaches that you can visit. All a little different. You can only get to the beach of the new Juan Dolio through small tunnels that are closed in the evening. They say that's so that the beach stays clean, but I think it's more that the people who pay a lot of money to live right on the beach want to have it to themselves and don't want any "noise" from visitors in the evening. The beach is a bit rocky and I immediately regretted not bringing snorkeling equipment with me.
The public beach at Pueblo Juan Dolio has lots of restaurants and bars. You can sit comfortably anywhere, but it is comparatively expensive. More expensive than in Bavaro, which really surprised me. A few locals I spoke to also know cheaper restaurants. Pueblo Juan Dolio also has hidden corners that are left untouched, so it is very diverse, including in terms of the clientele.
When I visited Guyacanes beach, we had rain in the morning with strong gusts of wind. In Guyacanes it caused a lot of damage to the beach bars. Despite everything, I liked the beach and would like to visit it again when the weather is nice.