Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo’s Cathedral of Santa María la Menor was still an active Catholic cathedral when I visited. Its exterior alone conveyed the scale and grandeur of the building. In the heart of the Colonial Zone, its golden coral-limestone walls looked particularly beautiful at sunset. Inside, I felt the weight of the history that had unfolded here.

There were valuable religious treasures, jewellery, wooden furniture, silverware, old coins, books and manuscripts. An image of the Virgin Mary was among its important possessions. Outside stood the monument to Christopher Columbus. One detail that interested me was the absence of a bell tower.

I recommend visiting for its historical and cultural importance. Appropriate clothing was required, and coverings were offered at the entrance. On my visit, admission was 60 pesos per person, with an audio guide available. Going early helped avoid the tour groups that arrived later.

To get the waterfall you can either walk or ride a horse. We choose the second option and it was a funny experience. Horses feels like semi-automatic, so no riding skills required. We had an experienced local guide who gave us loads of confidence by accompanying us. The ride was about 30 minutes by tropical forest road. And after that there is two hundreds steps down to the fall. Finally we saw lush greenery the 52m-high El Limón waterfall. A beautiful swimming hole at the bottom is a perfect spot to swim and enjoy cold fresh water.

There is no need to take the horses down there unless you want to. If you would like to walk, wear good shoes, prepare for hiking through water and possibly mud. Bring a swimsuit as well. I recommend not wearing light shoes for this trip if you going to ride a horse. Take some money for the entrance fee and to tips for your guides.

Here I would like to mention about amazing viewpoint, which will definitely take your breath away. It is located at the northeast point of the Monte Cristi Province at the end of the road and this was the real objective of our trip to Monte Cristi. You just need to go straight, pass the «El Morro Eco Adventure Hotel» and you will see it. It’s really one of the best views I have ever seen and I would truly recommend going there just to stand on the edge of the cliff, observe inexpressible by words a bright blue ocean, listen to the powerful waves and enjoy this moment. It is worth to visit. I suggest wearing comfortable shoes to have a possibility to climb down

Parque Eólico Los Cocos stood beside the road leading southwest through Pedernales province. The white turbines rose above the surrounding landscape, making an unexpectedly colourful and attractive stop.

I would recommend pausing here to take a few photographs.

We stopped at this beach, about twenty minutes from Barahona, on our way southwest towards Jaragua National Park. It was a local place, with few tourists. Pebbles, clear and very warm water, a quiet atmosphere, and simple places to eat: little restaurants serving local food, bars and parking.

It would not be my first priority around Barahona, but it made a pleasant change. If time is short, I would choose one of the area’s more striking sights.

About ten kilometres from Constanza, deep among green mountains, we found the remarkable Salto de Aguas Blancas—White Water Falls. The water plunged into a large natural pool below.

The mountain air was cool, and reaching the falls was difficult. The last ten kilometres followed a rough, stony road. Even in a four-wheel-drive jeep, it was an uncomfortable journey, but it was unquestionably worth it.

The Indigenous Eyes ecological reserve at Punta Cana belonged to an ecological foundation. Its subtropical forest contained twelve freshwater lagoons, whose eye-like shapes gave the park its name.

Walking there felt like entering a forest rather than an organised attraction. Natural paths ran between trees and undergrowth, over dry yellow leaves and exposed roots, past little streams and spiderwebs catching the sunlight. There were beetles, lizards and birds. Leaves rustled underfoot, a fallen branch cracked, a bird fluttered somewhere nearby, and all around was a chorus of living things. The air smelt of wood, earth and moss.

It was better early in the morning, while the air still felt fresh. Later it became humid and close. The winding paths took around two hours to explore. There was a map at the entrance, printed copies and plenty of signs.

The paths passed lagoons of clear, cool water. Swimming was allowed in five of them, with steps into the water and benches nearby. One had turtles; another had a beautiful white duck that seemed to enjoy posing for photographs. Beyond the forest, we could emerge onto a lovely white-sand shore.

The park did not astonish me or leave me overwhelmed, but it made a pleasant two- or three-hour walk in nature. Our admission was included because we were staying with Punta Cana Group; otherwise it cost $25 per person at the time. I recommend mosquito repellent and a weekday visit, as weekends were busy.

A small, quiet beach with white sand, calm water and coconut palms, about twenty minutes’ walk from the main beach at Las Galeras. I found it excellent for swimming, with a clean seabed and a good depth, and lovely for a quiet rest or a walk beside the sea.

There was a small restaurant serving fresh fish and seafood.

Frontón is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Samaná Peninsula, but it takes some effort to reach. You can arrive by boat or on foot; walking means several kilometres through the jungle. The easiest option was to hire a boat at Las Galeras, a journey of about twenty minutes.

I recommend going early. You have more time to enjoy the empty beach before the boats arrive, and the sun disappears behind the cliffs surprisingly early, around three or four in the afternoon. Those cliffs give Frontón a character quite unlike the other beaches of Samaná.

Soft sand, clear water, coconut palms, rock walls and a large reef close to shore make it a beautiful place. Take a mask and snorkel, and water shoes to protect your feet from rocks or sea urchins. Coming before dawn to watch the sunrise would be particularly special.

A beautiful, secluded beach framed by mountains. I loved the surrounding country: almost untouched nature, vivid colours and green mountains meeting the plain. The little village just behind the beach gave the place an unhurried atmosphere.

El Valle means the valley, and the broad beach lies between two rocky headlands. There were small waves during our visit, which did not prevent us from swimming, but the water was neither clear nor particularly clean. Conditions vary with the season.

At one end, a river of cool, clear water meets the sea. Local people liked to spend time there. There was also a small beach restaurant where we could have lunch.

This was the westernmost beach in Las Terrenas, about two kilometres long. Its broad shore and calm, shallow water made it particularly good for swimming, walking and time with the family.

Las Ballenas means Beach of the Whales. Its name is associated with passing humpback whales and the whale-like shapes of the little offshore reefs. Windsurfing, kayaking and sailing were popular. I especially recommend coming in the evening: sitting in the little Playa Colibrí beach restaurant and watching the sunset was lovely.

The beach begins near Pueblo de los Pescadores, close to the restaurants, bars and hotels in the centre of Las Terrenas. Walk towards its far end and the shore gradually empties; eventually you reach the place where a river meets the sea.

I remember this beach for its peaceful atmosphere. It is a small, clean bay with calm water and soft grass behind the sand where you can rest. Palms and shrubs provide plenty of shade. It is roughly five kilometres from El Limón waterfall.

Pirate ships once stopped here to replenish their drinking water, and an old cannon remains on the beach.

I already liked Noah in Bávaro, so when we discovered its predecessor while passing through Santiago, we immediately planned dinner there.

We were lucky to get a pleasant table on the terrace overlooking a quiet street. Half an hour later the restaurant was full, so I would recommend booking. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, service was excellent, and valet parking was available. There was no formal dress code, though most guests had dressed for the evening.

The cooking met our expectations. The menu was familiar, with imaginative presentation and lovely flavours. I chose grilled salmon and was delighted. Crème brûlée made a wonderful end to dinner.

Live music began partway through the evening. It was so loud that conversation became impossible. We learnt that it was not played every night, so check beforehand if you want to talk over dinner.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and would recommend the restaurant. I suspect it is among Santiago’s best, if not the best.

The restaurant was in Casa Colonial Beach hotel and lived up to its high standards. I liked it on every count: refined cooking, remarkable flavours from starter to dessert, beautiful presentation and a good wine list.

The interior was elegant and the atmosphere lovely. At lunch, the large windows looked onto the mangroves. Service was impeccable.

I recommend it for the pleasure of its food, quality and service.

The restaurant is located near San Juan, easy to find and park. In my opinion it is the greatest restaurant in Bavaro since long time ago, I’ve been there many times and every time I have enjoyed the food and ambience. Menu is not very big, but it has great choices from different kind of cuisine and the food is really good. I recommend to try the traditional Dominican dishes here which is cooked perfectly.

As soon as I made the order, I were offered a complimentary basket of bread and sauce. I love to begin with beef carpacho. Fresh rucola is a wonderful accent to the tasty meat. My favorite main course is Taquitos with churrasco. The desert Creme Brulee was unbelievable good and had amazing presentation.

The waiters are friendly but a bit slow sometime. Anyhow the service is fine and the atmosphere is calm and let you feel at home. They have indoor and outdoor sitting area. I prefer to sit outside, it is a cozy place, the music is low which is good for conversations. I recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner, for families, couples, business meeting or special events.

The little Seven Brothers islands belong to Monte Cristi National Park. We reached the first after half an hour by boat and found wild nature, a deserted beach, shells and crabs.

We visited three islands. There were just the two of us and our boatman; during our entire visit, we saw nobody else. I loved the nature, quiet and solitude, and there were beautiful places to snorkel nearby.

We were unlucky with the weather. Rain came, the sea became rough, and the return journey was uncomfortable, to put it mildly. This is an exposed stretch of sea even in ordinary weather. If you get seasick or dislike large waves, remember that conditions offshore may be worse than they look from the shore.

The trip lasted three to four hours. Despite the difficult journey back, we were very pleased we had gone.

The attraction is a stretch of road marked by a sign and a line on the asphalt. It appears to slope gently uphill. The whole point is that it does not.

The usual experiment is to put a car in neutral and release the brake, then watch it roll “uphill”. We tried it with a bottle of water instead. It worked: my eyes insisted that the bottle was rolling upwards.

It was a funny, intriguing moment—being quite certain of what I could see when reality was precisely the opposite. If you are around Barahona, I recommend making the detour.

To my mind, Playa Bonita has something for everyone. There are well-kept stretches with a coastal path, restaurants, cafés, hotels and private villas. To the right are quiet, secluded bays where you can enjoy the coast, golden sand and coconut palms. To the left, there are stretches with good surfing waves.

It is lovely for walking, windsurfing and swimming—and the sunsets are beautiful.

We came for dinner with good friends and liked the place immediately: a comfortable setting, sea breeze, and a cheerful holiday atmosphere.

We had heard about the famous Langostinos a la Papi, so we ordered a large plate for four and several seafood starters. The langoustines were delicious and did not disappoint. The seafood was fresh, which mattered most.

Despite the relaxed atmosphere, the service was good and everything arrived promptly.

I love the energy of this beach. The sea seems to breathe as it breaks on the shore, and sitting beside it, listening to the surf, is a pleasure.

It is a long beach, with some shallow, quieter stretches where families could swim. Often, though, the sea was lively, making it a good place for surfing. Boards could be hired, and the little local restaurants served fish, prawns and other seafood. There were places to change and shower, and shade beneath the palms.

With its palms, sea and rocky surroundings, Playa Grande was wonderful for photographs. To my mind, it is one of the Dominican Republic’s most beautiful beaches.

Laurel is the one of my favorite restaurant in Santo Domingo. The main reason: the food is really delicious, cooked with very fresh and top quality ingredients. It is a pricey but worth every penny. We love to begin with the Pizza Serrano with fresh rucola, ham and goat cheese. The lamb ribs for the main course is unbelievable good, the sauce was a wonderful accent to the meat. There are good choices for the tasty salads and the portions are huge. Great selection of wine, they offer half bootle serving as well (actually they have a wine shop inside of the restaurant with a various choices) The atmosphere is fantastic: unique designed, fully glazed from the floor to the roof, amazing decor. From the second we walk in the door, we are in for a fantastic experience. The waiters are very professional, the service is very good. There is valet parking. We had a nice and enjoyable moment and I highly recommend this place for the lunch or dinner and advice to make a reservation in advance – the restaurant is very popular with locals.

Small and nice bakery, where you can have a lovely breakfast or a cap of coffee with the dessert. The menu is large, there are delectable choices for sandwiches and croissant, tarts, cakes and the other sweets. The pastries are fresh and fragrant. I loved their sandwich Cueva Taina with turkey ham and pieces of Camembert cheese. Very delicious baguettes. The atmosphere is cozy, calm and peaceful, you can choose the place outside at the open terrace or inside with the cool air. The waiters are slow, but friendly and make you feel at home. Really enjoyed a visit here.

We stopped here on the road from Santo Domingo to Jarabacoa. It was conveniently placed beside the main road, with good parking. Although the restaurant was quite simple, it was popular with local customers; many appeared to have come from Santiago for a business lunch.

I was surprised that the waiters spoke English in such an untouristy place.

Above all, the traditional Dominican cooking was genuinely good. That was the reason to stop. Service was also very good by local standards, especially for an unpretentious restaurant. Prices were reasonable, and the food and service represented excellent value.

Constanza is loved for its mountain scenery and comparatively cool air. Set at around 1,200 metres, it is sometimes called the Switzerland of the Caribbean. The pyramids stand higher, at about 2,300 metres in Valle Nuevo National Park.

From the waterfall turn-off, the road climbed through tall trees and thick vegetation, with wonderful views. This is a place for people who enjoy mountain walks and watching birds.

Bahía de las Águilas means Bay of Eagles. It lies in Jaragua National Park, in the southwest of the country. Here you discover a different Dominican Republic, still little touched by tourism, with wild, mysterious places, unspoilt nature and an unusual landscape. Above all, there is quiet, peace and an extraordinary natural beauty.

This is one of my two favourite beaches in the Dominican Republic. It has that combination of white sand, clear, calm turquoise water and a shoreline stretching towards the horizon that people imagine when they dream of a perfect beach. It is wild. There are no crowds; you can find a spot with nobody around and simply enjoy it.

Anyone who loves beaches should come here. Just remember that afterwards, most other beaches may seem a little pale beside the memory of this one!

The important thing is to visit in clear weather. Grey skies and rain change the place beyond recognition. You can still swim and enjoy the solitude, but the landscape loses those brilliant colours.

If you are driving, take the coastal road towards Jaragua National Park in the southwest, almost as far as the Haitian border. Before reaching Pedernales, turn left onto the road to Cabo Rojo airport. Pass the airport and continue back along the sea towards Los Cuevas, where you reach the national park entrance.

From there, you have two options. You can arrange a boat on the spot; at the time, it cost around 2,000 pesos. The journey took 15–20 minutes along a beautiful rocky coast. Agree on a collection time before being dropped on the beach, then enjoy yourself. This was the usual option for people arriving on excursions or public transport.

The other option was to drive into the park along a stony road through wild, cactus-covered…

We stopped at San Rafael on our way southwest towards Jaragua National Park. It was about ten minutes from Paraíso. The view from the road made it impossible to miss: bright blue sea beneath densely wooded mountains.

The beach had pebbles rather than sand and no palms. Clear water shifted from blue to pale turquoise, with a white line of breaking waves against the green mountains.

It was popular with local people, who could swim either in the Caribbean or in the natural freshwater pool where the San Rafael River reached the sea. Surfing was popular too.

It was well worth stopping, particularly for photographs.

Rincón is one of my two favourite beaches in the Dominican Republic. I have visited many times, and it is beautiful whatever the weather or season. The atmosphere always lifts my spirits. You can arrive by boat from Las Galeras or by car.

A little river of icy water divides the beach. The smaller section is more secluded and, to my mind, prettier. Soft sand, thousands of palms, blue water and surrounding mountains make a wonderful scene.

On my visits there were no hotels or facilities, just a few small restaurants on one side. You could eat the fresh catch: lobster, or fish in coconut sauce with rice. Some stretches had calm water and a good seabed for swimming.

A beautiful, secluded part ended at a cliff and often had big waves. I loved jumping in them over the sandy bottom, though it became deep almost immediately. Local people called this little spot Fiji in the Caribbean.

One piece of advice: watch your belongings while swimming and leave valuables elsewhere. I thoroughly recommend a visit.

Punta Popy was close to El Portillo, towards the east of Las Terrenas. It seemed a little cleaner, cosier and less crowded to me. A good place for a quiet swim, and just as easy to reach as its neighbour.

There were no facilities, but simple little restaurants offered somewhere to have lunch.

A white-sand beach with the particular character of Samaná. It was easy to reach and lovely for walking beside the sea, spending time with children or simply enjoying a peaceful afternoon.

Much of the shore was occupied by the Gran Bahia hotel’s beach.

A beautiful, photogenic beach with clean sand in the northern part of Punta Cana. I loved swimming at Macao and jumping in the waves; the shore was sandy, without rocks.

It was a good place for surfing, with several schools and boards available to hire. Little cafés offered freshly caught fish and seafood.

If you have a chance to visit, take it. The beach is worth it.

This was the smallest island I had ever visited. You could walk around it in two minutes. Approaching by boat, it looked like a tiny patch of white sand barely above the water. There was no vegetation or palm tree, only a few wooden shelters with thatched roofs. White sand, bright turquoise water, gentle waves and the ocean all around—it felt like a fairy tale.

We left for the island at eight in the morning, and I recommend doing the same if you want a little time alone. After about twenty minutes, boats began approaching from every direction, and soon this little patch of sand was decidedly overcrowded. Our journey from Punta Rucia took about half an hour.

Bring a mask and snorkel. A lovely reef lay only a few metres away, with plenty of underwater life. We saw an enormous blue crab.

Before Shibuya opened, going to Blue Mall meant lunch at Café SBG. Now it had a worthy rival just opposite, and choosing between them required serious thought.

Shibuya impressed me from the first visit. Excellent service, an attractive interior and imaginative presentation all made me want to return. Above all, the food was delicious.

The cooking combined Japanese and Peruvian traditions: wonderful ceviche, sashimi that melted in the mouth, and a Japanese Wagyu steak with an exceptionally tender texture and juicy flavour. We also loved the dessert and Japanese green tea.

The restaurant is conveniently placed on Winston Churchill Avenue, in the city centre, at Blue Mall and opposite the entrance to the JW Marriott. Part of it occupies a spacious indoor hall; the rest opens onto a street-facing terrace. White tablecloths, wicker chairs and enormous decorative umbrellas make it comfortable without unnecessary fuss.

I like this restaurant very much. We had been several times, though I had only now got round to writing a review. There is a good choice of freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices in interesting combinations. Carrot and ginger was just what I needed after the heat outside.

I chose burrata with prosciutto, basil and balsamic vinegar. It tasted as lovely as it looked: wonderfully fresh ingredients, with cheese that melted in the mouth alongside Parma ham and a basil leaf.

I borrowed the idea for our main course from a neighbouring table. The smell from a sizzling pan carried past by a waiter was impossible to resist. It was the “Hunger STK” for two: pieces of meat fried with potatoes and finished with truffle oil. We chose well. It tasted like good home cooking.

For dessert, we ordered our favourite fondant with a scoop of ice cream and macarons. The fondant was very well made, and the macarons were so fresh that they brought happy thoughts of France. A lovely macchiato finished the meal. The waiters were professional and the service excellent.

Every visit reminded me why the place was so popular and why there were hardly any empty tables at lunchtime. Lunch is eaten early here; arriving around three gave us a better chance of finding it quieter. The fashionable address and interior helped, but the pleasure of eating here was what brought me back.

All that pleasure was likely to come with a…

There are many beaches along this coast, but I love Juanillo for its atmosphere and harmonious beauty. It lies within Cap Cana. It was not the best for swimming: the bottom felt muddy in places, and the water stayed shallow for a long way out. But for resting, enjoying the view and taking photographs, I thought it unrivalled.

White sand, bright turquoise water, palms and a shoreline stretching towards the horizon. It was clean and well equipped, with loungers, shelters, showers, a restaurant and a bar.

Huge pelicans drifted above the water, then suddenly plunged down at astonishing speed to catch their lunch. Against the blue horizon and gentle waves, I could have watched them endlessly.