May 26, 2026 · 6 min read
Cap Cana plays a starring role in Netflix's new dramatization of the rise and fall of FTX. Here's why Juanillo Beach was chosen — and how to visit the exact stretch of coastline you'll see on screen.
Netflix's prestige limited series 'The Altruists' — a dramatization of the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX cryptocurrency exchange — quietly shot a block of scenes in Cap Cana, on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. The production used Juanillo Beach and the cliffside villas around Punta Espada as a stand-in for FTX's penthouse-and-yacht era: turquoise water, white sand, and the kind of architecture that reads as 'unlimited money' on camera without needing a single line of dialogue.
It's an inspired choice. Juanillo's protected crescent of sand sits at the south end of Cap Cana — a gated marina-and-golf community built around the Punta Espada Jack Nicklaus course — and is one of the most cinematic stretches of coastline in the Caribbean. Drone shots glide from open ocean to limestone cliffs to manicured villas in a single take.
Logistics. Cap Cana is 10 minutes from Punta Cana International (PUJ), one of the best-connected airports in the Caribbean. Crews fly in direct from New York, Miami, Madrid and London. The enclave has private security, controlled access, hotel inventory that ranges from Eden Roc and Sanctuary to Margaritaville and the new St. Regis, and a film-friendly local commission.
Then the visuals. Juanillo Beach has the postcard-perfect turquoise of the Bahamas with the dramatic cliffs of the Mediterranean. Punta Espada's villas have the glassy, oversized, oceanfront-modern silhouette that production designers reach for when they need to communicate 'this character has too much money, too fast.'
Juanillo Beach is publicly accessible — you just need to pass the Cap Cana entrance gate. Tell the guard you're going to Playa Juanillo and you'll be waved through. Parking is free near the small beach bar; the sand on either side of it is the wide, palm-leaning, photogenic stretch you'll recognize from the show.
Punta Espada and the cliffside villas are not walkable, but you can see them from the water. A private catamaran or boat trip from Cap Cana Marina cruises along this coast in 20 minutes — the same angle the production used for its aerial establishing shots.
Morning: arrive at Juanillo around 9 a.m. before the day-trippers; swim, walk the beach, breakfast at the beach club. Late morning: a short drive to Scape Park for Hoyo Azul cenote. Lunch at La Palapa by Eden Roc or Little John on the marina. Afternoon: a private boat hour along the Punta Espada cliffs at golden hour — this is the shot.
If you want the full picture, we've written a dedicated guide on /blog/en/punta-cana-vs-cap-cana that explains how Cap Cana differs from the rest of Punta Cana and why so many film and TV productions end up here.
Created and written by Graham Moore (Oscar-winner for The Imitation Game) and directed by Jason Bateman, 'The Altruists' is an eight-episode Netflix limited series dramatizing the implosion of FTX, the relationship between Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison, and the effective-altruism subculture that funded their ascent. Production wrapped in early 2026; release is targeted for late 2026.
The Cap Cana shoot covered exterior 'tropical compound' scenes — believed to stand in for both the Bahamas Albany penthouse and a fictional offshore retreat where key plot points unfold. Local fixers confirmed the unit was based out of Eden Roc Cap Cana for roughly twelve shooting days.
We arrange Juanillo Beach access plus a private boat hour along the Punta Espada coast from any Punta Cana, Cap Cana or Bávaro hotel. Send your dates on WhatsApp and we'll put together a half-day itinerary that hits the exact locations.
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