Punta Cana Tipping Book Guide

The question of how much I should tip in Punta Cana has been asked over in over on every local social media.

Since there isn't a written rule about all-inclusive tipping, we touch up on the subject to help travelers have a better idea of what is expected or what is proper when it comes to tipping. If you are tipping to show your appreciation or because you are aware of the extremely low wages these hard workers receive from these mega enterprises,

Tipping at a Punta Cana all-inclusive hotel goes a long way. Allow me to explain why tipping is so much appreciated among all-inclusive hotel employees. You need to be literally in these workers shoes to comprehend how far a little extra money can go about helping these workers' lives. First of all, 90 % of the employees come from other cities in the Dominican Republic, leaving their families behind to move to a shared living facility, usually located conveniently around the hotel.

Their shift begins most of the time very early in the morning and usually ends at about 9 or 10 pm for 21 days straight. After the 21 days end, they are allowed to go home to visit their family for six days. After the six days vacation is up, they come back to do it all over again. The minimum wage in the Dominican Republic is around $220 per month, and that's precisely the amount the majority of these people are getting paid. With that being said let's dive into when and how much you should tip. There are no ‘tipping rules’ in Punta Cana.

One thing to keep in mind is that tipping in Dominican pesos can get confusing due to the volatile exchange rate and also the fact that 100 Dominican pesos are only equal to approximately 2 dollars. Make sure to bring cash, preferably small bills in Dollars or Euros currency. Some visitors believe that tipping in Dominican currency will somehow help or will be more appreciated, and I have to say NO to that assumption.

Tipping in your local currency, meaning Dollars or Euros, is better and will also keep you more aware and conscious of the amount of money you are giving away. There are some other things to keep in mind as well. Restaurants in the Dominican Republic have a mandatory 10% tip on the final bill for the workers, but that 10% (propina legal) in Spanish, 90% of the time employees will never see it, somehow it will disappear between the cracks if you want to keep your job, you better keep your mouth shut.

Therefore is always good to leave an extra tip as a show of appreciation if you receive a genuine smile during service. For your peace of mind, we created these Tipping Book Guidelines. Please keep in mind these amounts are the lowest, decent amount anybody should consider.

You can always tip more according to how well you feel your service was.

The Punta Cana Tipping Book Guide:

Airport Bell Boys $2

Taxi Driver $5

Hotel Bell Boy $2

Room Cleaner Daily $2

Restaurant a la Carte $5

Fridge Goodies Replace $1

Butler Daily $20.

Breakfast $2 Lunch $2

Dinner/Supper $5

Beach Attendant $2

Bartender Each Drink $1

Night Bed Turndown $2

Concierge end of Stay $10