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| News and regional information from Puerto Plata and the north coast of the Dominican Republic |
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The north coast highway is perfect for town hopping and beach bopping by
Tim Hall One of the most fascinating vacations you could experience begins when you land at Puerto Plata International Airport, rent a car and just take off, to go exploring from place to place along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. You find yourself cruising along a well-maintained, two-lane highway that follows the coast alongside spectacular beaches, through typical Dominican villages in and out of breathtaking, ever-changing tropical countryside. You stop at a beach here, explore a Dominican town there and otherwise take your time checking out whatever catches your fancy.
The best thing about exploring this wilderness highway is that you're not stuck to only wilderness. The road runs from oasis to oasis of civilization. You can stop for lobster lunch in one town, then head down the road for an hour or so and find a quaint little hotel with a neat bar on a good beach. Maybe you meet some people you enjoy so you decide to hang out for a few days. Once you've had enough, you move on to the next place.
Whether you're looking to travel around, or for place to just relax for a week, this web site will help you find what you're looking for. Whichever way you choose to travel, the combination of friendly Dominicans, lively Latin culture, offbeat expatriates, beautiful beaches and unspoiled countryside all combine to make this one of the most unusual, fun, fascinating and safe places for a Caribbean vacation. The
north coastal highway puts towns and resorts
within easy access with the airport. Below is a summary of the principal
towns The City of Puerto Plata Puerto Plata City is the center of regional commerce, a port city and the capital of the Province of Puerto Plata (pop. +/- 150,000). The city is characterized by busy, narrow streets, quaint colonial gingerbread architecture and a wide oceanfront boulevard ending at a historical Spanish fortress. Check out:
Playa Dorada Playa Dorada is an area just east of Puerto Plata city with the largest concentration of resorts. It offers a country club setting, with hotels spread out through a very lush and appealing garden-golf course setting. The 18-hole 72 par golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones All the buildings on this complex are low-rise, maximum threee stories, so the natural vegetation dominates. The whole setting is done really in quite good taste. There are some 15 different hotels in this complex, located about 5 kilometers from the edge of town. But it doesn't feel dense because of the low rise building code. Some are on the beach, others are around the golf course but all in all you are basically on the beach. The golf course hotels all have their own oceanfront beach clubs and even though it's walking distance they have golf carts and other means of shuttling those who don't feel like walking. When you're in Playa Dorada you're basically in a controlled environment. There is a shopping plaza in the middle of the complex with reataurants and pubs and shops, and you can explore up and down the beach. Most all inclusive resorts restrict admission to thier own guests, though. There's plenty to do and you don't really ever have to leave to have a good vacation. But, it's not the "real" Dominican Republic, so if you want to explore a bit, you'll have to go beyond your resort. Check out...
Sosua: a bustling Latin village centered around a magnificent beach and bay. Lots of foreginers operating small hotels, bars and discos, and plenty of interaction with local Dominicans. Top of Page
CABARETE- Like a perfect margarita, sweet and sour and salty, this small town is a blend of pleasant extremes, where vacationers party into... JAN 2001 GLOBE AND MAIL
The above areas are all located within a half hour from the airport. Further down the coast yet still easily accessible are these other popular destinations... Luperon:
Luperon Bay, about an hour west of Puerto Plata by car, is
a large multi-fingered estuary with narrow access to the open water
that makes it the best hurricane hole on the north coast. The town
is growing around servicing boaters and there are a handful of interesting
watering holes and restaurants. La Isabela: Further west along the coast is historical La Isabela, the first permanent settlement built by Christopher Columbus on his maiden voyage in 1492, now a historical point of interest. Top of Page
Related Article...
Cabrera: a serene, agricultural region that is attracting well-to-do foreigners who are building luxurious countryside estates far from the madding crowd. Top of Page At the eastern extreme of the north coastal highway lies the Samana Peninsula, a region of spectacular hills that feature a vast forest of coconut palms. Places like the town of Samana, Las Galeras and Las Terrenas are Dominican towns that have been developed into charming, cosmopolitan villages by foreigners who have moved in and set up shop.Top of Page At the western extreme lies the border of Haiti and the towns of Dajabón, Manzanillo and Montecristi. These are authentically Dominican towns with little or no tourism influence. Beyond the border lies another world, Haiti, definitely worth a visit by way of overnight excursions organized out of Puerto Plata. Top of Page |
This journey
is made all that much more colorful by the collection of offbeat foreigners
who have taken up residence along this coastline. They herald from
places like Vienna and Amsterdam and Sicily and Montreal and they
run restaurants and bars and b&b's. They organize activities and
ways to discover unusual and fascinating things hidden away in the
mountains and along the beaches. They take you mountain biking, cave
exploring, whitewater rafting, whalewatching and otherwise live out
their passions by making it possible for visitors to experience them
too. 
Maimon
Bay
is the location of Riu Merengue Resort, located about 12 kilometers
west of Puerto Plata city. Riu Merengue is a beautiful resort that
sits alone on this bay, but there is not much going on in the area
surrounding the resort so basically you are landlocked here and will
require transportation to go exploring. 
