A few years ago we wanted a relatively inexpensive, short get-away during the dreary, rainy winter months, away from the west coast.
Airlines like Alaska Air and Westjet offered flight and accommodation packages. We found one that took us to Puerto Plata on the Caribbean coast of Dominican Republic for two weeks on a warm beach.
Between Cuba and Puerto Rico, there is an island in the Caribbean called Hispaniola. Ever heard of it? I know I hadn’t…. About one third of this island is Haiti, the other two-third part if Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is a democratic republic, roughly the size of Costa Rica with some 10 million people. Tourism is one of its mainstays.
We flew straight into Puerto Plata which was handy. Barceló Hotel at Puerto Plata is an all-inclusive resort, which we had not done before and were not crazy about. It seemed many people came for the unlimited eating and drinking while we were more interested in exploring the island. We ended up moving to another room because of the music from the main buildings.
Playa Dorada, where our hotel was located, lent itself to great walks along white sand and blue water. We would walk the path between the low, two-story apartment buildings of the resort until we came to the beach. We were not impressed with the fact that people apparently got up early in the morning to claim a lounge chair, which was then not available to others for the rest of the day. They just left a towel and some stuff on a chair even if they did not use it for hours. So unless you got up early to stake your claim, you likely did not find a chair on the beach.
We didn’t rent a car but booked a few local sightseeing excursions, including a visit to a local school. I brought along books in Spanish to hand out to students and schools, which was a big success.
We did enjoy a leisurely horseback ride along the beach and swam daily in the hotel’s several pools. Parts of Puerto Plata was quite developed but the Bay was still beautiful. If you are looking for more nature and quiet, you might want to try DR’s Samaná Peninsula.
If there is to be a next visit to Dominican Republic, I’d like to include Santo Domingo, the capital city which is apparently a beautiful colonial town —the first European settlement of the Americas and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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