Friday, March 09, 2007
02/2007: Popular resorts in the Dominican Republic
The north coast has some spectacular beaches, including the wide, sandy windsurfing and kiteboarding paradise of Cabarete. It also boasts a couple more local towns, Puerto Plata and Sosua, which are within easy reach of the majority of resorts and will suit visitors who like to experience a slice of traditional life and soak up some history – the first European settlements in the New World were set up here by Christopher Colombus.
The downside is the water can be quite choppy – it’s the Atlantic Ocean – and it can also be very windy at times – particularly around Cabarete.
Playa Dorada
This gated, purpose-built resort consists of 16 mostly large-scale, all-inclusive complexes built around an 18-hole golf course and which are all pretty similar in what they offer. It boasts a 5 star hotel - Casa Colonial which is the island’s only boutique hotel to be a member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World. Facilities outside the hotel compounds are limited but include a small pleasant plaza which has a couple of cafes and restaurants, an amber shop, and a few tour agents; horse and carriage rides are on offer around the resort and bikes can be hired. The long sandy beach has plenty of water sports and safe swimming – although not all of the hotels are on the beach. The small sprawling city of Puerto Plata is approximately 5 miles away and an easy trip by taxi or public minibus.
Sosua
A pleasant and colourful little beach town of around 44,000 people situated on a beautiful wide U-shaped bay and which offers a reasonable choice of hotels including the charming Victoria colonial-style hotel and the mid-range, sociable Marina Reef. Its main attraction is the long, narrow, curved pale gold-sand beach and fairly calm waters with coral reefs, making it a good choice for snorkellers and scuba divers – there are numerous dive shops, many owned by ex-pat Europeans and North Americans.
The town offers plenty of opportunities for exploring its narrow, bustling, winding streets which are lined with small shops and colmados (grocery stores) – calling into one for an ice-cold Presidente beer will make you feel like a local.
Downsides are the prostitutes and pickpockets who tend to hang around outside hotels, and the beach can get very crowded at weekends.
Cabarete
Famous for its long wide, white sand beach and coral reef-protected bay which lends itself particularly to windsurfing and kiteboarding – it hosts the World Kiteboarding championships and is one of the world’s best spots for the sport. Best months to windsurf are June to August when the water is reasonably flat, with trade and thermal winds at 15 to 25 mph - although the best waves are to be found from January to March. Plenty of other adventure sports are on offer including scuba diving, snorkelling and surfing and there are lots of schools offering tuition.
A ‘vibey’, laid-back town of around 14,000 people (many of them ex-pats), it is strung out along a busy main road and boasts a compact bustling centre of a few hip coffee bars, the obligatory Irish pub, a wide choice of small beachside restaurants & bars, a couple of dance clubs and many gift and water sports shops. The combination of water sports and lively nightlife attracts a young crowd, particularly during Cabarete Race week in June, and it suits sporty types not looking to be confined to their hotel for entertainment.
In the east coast:
Bavaro & Punta Cana
Before the advent of mass tourism and developers, this was formerly a little-inhabited coastline densely-packed with coconut groves edging miles of stunning white-sand beaches and beautiful turquoise waters – some of the country’s best beaches are here.
Accommodation is almost exclusively in large-scale, all-inclusive hotels spread out along the coast (some of which are quite isolated) and there is very little in the way of local life – the nearest city, Higuey is a 50 minute drive and quite frankly, not worth the effort.
The resort will appeal to sun worshippers and beach lovers seeking rest and relaxation and who are happy to languish within the confines of their hotel and take advantage - or not -of the many facilities and amenities that all-inclusives usually offer.
A wide array of watersports are available from scuba diving to boat trips and there are a couple of local attractions including Dolphin Island, where tourists can swim with dolphins, and the Manati Park which has permanent exhibits of birds, reptiles and fish. Horse-riding, inland safari trips and excursions on buggies and 4-wheel bikes are also on offer.
There is little in the way of shopping, apart from a few rather dull plazas in Bavaro housing some unexceptional touristy shops selling mostly brightly coloured paintings and arts and crafts. A small upmarket shopping mall, Palma Real Village has recently opened in Bavaro (there are free buses from most hotels) and is slated to have a Hard Rock Café and Tony Roma’s Ribs opening this year to complement its few expensive boutiques.
The north coast has some spectacular beaches, including the wide, sandy windsurfing and kiteboarding paradise of Cabarete. It also boasts a couple more local towns, Puerto Plata and Sosua, which are within easy reach of the majority of resorts and will suit visitors who like to experience a slice of traditional life and soak up some history – the first European settlements in the New World were set up here by Christopher Colombus.
The downside is the water can be quite choppy – it’s the Atlantic Ocean – and it can also be very windy at times – particularly around Cabarete.
Playa Dorada
This gated, purpose-built resort consists of 16 mostly large-scale, all-inclusive complexes built around an 18-hole golf course and which are all pretty similar in what they offer. It boasts a 5 star hotel - Casa Colonial which is the island’s only boutique hotel to be a member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World. Facilities outside the hotel compounds are limited but include a small pleasant plaza which has a couple of cafes and restaurants, an amber shop, and a few tour agents; horse and carriage rides are on offer around the resort and bikes can be hired. The long sandy beach has plenty of water sports and safe swimming – although not all of the hotels are on the beach. The small sprawling city of Puerto Plata is approximately 5 miles away and an easy trip by taxi or public minibus.
Sosua
A pleasant and colourful little beach town of around 44,000 people situated on a beautiful wide U-shaped bay and which offers a reasonable choice of hotels including the charming Victoria colonial-style hotel and the mid-range, sociable Marina Reef. Its main attraction is the long, narrow, curved pale gold-sand beach and fairly calm waters with coral reefs, making it a good choice for snorkellers and scuba divers – there are numerous dive shops, many owned by ex-pat Europeans and North Americans.
The town offers plenty of opportunities for exploring its narrow, bustling, winding streets which are lined with small shops and colmados (grocery stores) – calling into one for an ice-cold Presidente beer will make you feel like a local.
Downsides are the prostitutes and pickpockets who tend to hang around outside hotels, and the beach can get very crowded at weekends.
Cabarete
Famous for its long wide, white sand beach and coral reef-protected bay which lends itself particularly to windsurfing and kiteboarding – it hosts the World Kiteboarding championships and is one of the world’s best spots for the sport. Best months to windsurf are June to August when the water is reasonably flat, with trade and thermal winds at 15 to 25 mph - although the best waves are to be found from January to March. Plenty of other adventure sports are on offer including scuba diving, snorkelling and surfing and there are lots of schools offering tuition.
A ‘vibey’, laid-back town of around 14,000 people (many of them ex-pats), it is strung out along a busy main road and boasts a compact bustling centre of a few hip coffee bars, the obligatory Irish pub, a wide choice of small beachside restaurants & bars, a couple of dance clubs and many gift and water sports shops. The combination of water sports and lively nightlife attracts a young crowd, particularly during Cabarete Race week in June, and it suits sporty types not looking to be confined to their hotel for entertainment.
In the east coast:
Bavaro & Punta Cana
Before the advent of mass tourism and developers, this was formerly a little-inhabited coastline densely-packed with coconut groves edging miles of stunning white-sand beaches and beautiful turquoise waters – some of the country’s best beaches are here.
Accommodation is almost exclusively in large-scale, all-inclusive hotels spread out along the coast (some of which are quite isolated) and there is very little in the way of local life – the nearest city, Higuey is a 50 minute drive and quite frankly, not worth the effort.
The resort will appeal to sun worshippers and beach lovers seeking rest and relaxation and who are happy to languish within the confines of their hotel and take advantage - or not -of the many facilities and amenities that all-inclusives usually offer.
A wide array of watersports are available from scuba diving to boat trips and there are a couple of local attractions including Dolphin Island, where tourists can swim with dolphins, and the Manati Park which has permanent exhibits of birds, reptiles and fish. Horse-riding, inland safari trips and excursions on buggies and 4-wheel bikes are also on offer.
There is little in the way of shopping, apart from a few rather dull plazas in Bavaro housing some unexceptional touristy shops selling mostly brightly coloured paintings and arts and crafts. A small upmarket shopping mall, Palma Real Village has recently opened in Bavaro (there are free buses from most hotels) and is slated to have a Hard Rock Café and Tony Roma’s Ribs opening this year to complement its few expensive boutiques.
# posted by hotelreviewer @ 12:38 pm 
