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Caribbean
Aruba -
Bahamas -
Barbados -
British Virgin Islands -
Cayman Islands -
Cuba
Dominican Republic -
Grenada -
Martinique -
Puerto Rico -
St Vincent & the Grenadines
Dominican Republic
What you notice first about the Dominican Republic is its size. This is not just
another tiny Caribbean island with a beach and a straw market. Instead, it's a
big country with spectacularly varied scenery that includes the tallest
mountains in the region, stretches of white sand that run unbroken for miles and
the Caribbean's oldest and -- some claim -- most cosmopolitan city, Santo
Domingo.
Visitor numbers are rising along with the construction of new resorts. There's
also been an increase in visits by cruise ships to the ports of Santo Domingo,
Puerto Plata and La Romana. Other improvements can be traced to the pursuit of
tourism income: Many of the country's roads have been widened and paved, and
historic areas in the major cities have been renovated.
Santo Domingo
Most visitors to SANTO DOMINGO understandably make a beeline for the
Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo's large, substantially intact colonial
district, home to dozens of wonderful old buildings and a dramatic setting right
on the river. Many never bother to venture outside of this expansive, historic
neighbourhood, but while it rates the most attention you should also make the
effort to check out at least a few other diversions – especially around the
barrios of the Gazcue and Malecon – throughout the city.
Puerto Plata
PUERTO PLATA and PLAYA DORADA comprise the mass tourism capital of
the Caribbean. The city of Puerto Plata is a vibrant Dominican town of 200,000
that's well worth exploring for its historic architecture and nightlife. Its
core, the Old City, borders the port to the east, a narrow grid of
streets that was once the swankiest neighbourhood in the country.
Around the original town sprawls a patchwork maze of industrial zones and
concrete barrios known as the New City, formed over the past century with
the growth of the town's industry. Most visitors, though, are here for package
tours to Playa Dorada – located a kilometre east of the city limits – a
walled-off vacation factory that pulls in over a half-million tourists each
year.
Juan Dolio
Just east of Boca Chica begins a 25-kilometre-long line of rocky coast dotted
with all-inclusive resorts, collectively known as JUAN DOLIO. This resort
area has never quite matched Boca Chica, its northern rival, but a couple of its
new resorts are the equal of any all-inclusives in the country – if it weren't
for the beach. Though the sand is perfectly acceptable, dead coral under the
water makes swimming and walking in the water uncomfortable, and the beaches are
no match for what you'll find at Punta Cana. Nonetheless, you can have a good
time here, primarily because of a couple of great independent hotels and the
plethora of local nightlife.
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