For the past week or so, my husband (!) and I have been enjoying the beautiful locales of the Dominican Republic. We stumbled upon the DR as a destination somewhat fortuitously and booked at the last minute – a friends’ wedding and Thanksgiving were both planned on the US east coast about a week apart, so it didn’t make sense to head back to California. We initially planned to visit NYC, but the DR was ultimately cheaper (and more exciting!). In classic “us” form, we couldn’t choose only one area to explore – so, we ultimately ended up visiting both the southeast and the northwest of the island, staying in both La Romana and Puerto Plata (Playa Dorada).

Before I get into the post, I feel like I need to address two elephants in the room. First, the DR is very much a “resort” destination – I always strive to experience the culture and “reality” of the places I visit, but unfortunately, that’s just not possible in a place like this on a short-term stay. Second, to be frank, the DR does not have a great reputation for tourism in the United States right now (even within my circle of folks who have traveled to places perceived as less “safe” – many friends have reached out with concern and curiosity upon seeing my stories on social media, given the reports of assault / theft / etc. at resorts here). That being said, we chose to stay at extremely nice resorts during our time here and to avoid the classic “tourist” hotspots (i.e., we decided to stay outside of Punta Cana) and have had absolutely no concerns whatsoever about personal safety (although both resorts were essentially secured compounds where you need to show ID to enter). We did do a 5-hour drive across the country and saw a lot of poverty (and ingenuity!) and were warned by multiple people to avoid venturing out without a local (and, even then, to only do activities through an approved tour operator). That being said, I think the DR is like anywhere extreme poverty exists – be aware and smart, but also be open to the experience.

So, all that out of the way – we have had a phenomenal time and would absolutely recommend the DR to anyone looking for a beautiful Caribbean destination with a rich cultural history and incredibly friendly, welcoming people. We flew into Punta Cana, remarking immediately at the sauna-like nature of the airport. For the first couple days, we stayed at Casa de Campo, a ridiculous resort that basically felt like someone dropped Disney World in the Caribbean. While I didn’t love how many Americans were present, I did appreciate the beautiful beaches, pools and touches of Dominican culture and food that were present. The views were fantastic (and, for any golfers, the Teeth of the Dog is supposedly amazing!).

As a bit of context, the resort occupies about 7,000 acres of the Dominican jungle just east of La Romana. Upon arrival, they provide you a golf cart so you can get around – from the beach, to the Marina, to the various golf courses themselves. The property includes not just the resort, but a variety of private residences as well as a small, fake Mediterranean village called Altos de Chavón.

We decided we’d spend a morning visiting the little village – and it turned out to be quite the adventure. It took us about 45 minutes to get over there via our golf cart (of course, after many wrong turns, dodging trucks filled with gardening equipment, etc.).

Upon arrival, we were dumbfounded – it was, as described, a fake old (and ancient?) Mediterranean village, complete with a ruined temple, amphitheater, and a variety of “medieval” buildings.

The cultural sights are intriguing – there is an art gallery as well as a museum with a variety of archeological and cultural artifacts from across Hispaniola (the DR shares the island with Haiti).

I was especially impressed with some of the architectural elements – from our time in the DR, it appears most downspouts are actually comprised of strings of “funnel” shaped buckets (the string in front of the lush courtyard in the picture above), which is so much lovelier than our downspouts in the US.

I loved the views – both the square, as well as the gorgeous jungle below!

Then, we made our way from La Romana over to Puerto Plata. While there are flights, they require connections via Miami and we figured we’d see a bit of the country overland on our ~5-hour trek. I am so appreciative that we did, as I think we saw a lot of the “real” DR that tourists may otherwise never see. The route took us through the outskirts of both the southern, official capital Santo Domingo, as well as the northern “capital” of Santiago de los Caballeros (not to mention the many, many small towns we also passed through on the way through the central part of the country). Please excuse photo quality – we were in a moving vehicle, with a “hurricane” (according to Robert) coming towards us (aka, light rain).

Our driver, Robert, was on site bright and early to pick us up and we immediately hit it off, joking about a couple motorcycles we’d seen driving southbound on the northbound highway shoulder, appearing to drive directly into oncoming traffic. As soon as we noticed and commented, Robert joked that the police wouldn’t do anything – and, hilariously, we immediately passed a police motorcycle also driving northbound on the shoulder, meaning they would have also just seen (and not addressed) the folks blatantly ignoring driving laws. Robert clapped his hands and hooted – we were off to a good start. We quickly developed a good rapport, laughing about the traffic and chatting about Robert’s experiences living in various parts of the DR and abroad.

Our amusement was only heightened as we headed through the toll plaza that would get us to Santo Domingo – cars veering every which way, trying to avoid the automatic toll pass.

Over the course of the ~5-hour drive, we only stopped once for coffee around the midpoint, which was absolutely delicious (they add cinnamon sugar to the cappucino here!). The rest area we stopped at near Bonao was decked out for the holidays – and, to assuage any fears of theft, there was a joint charging station that had at least 5 iPhones plugged into it with no one standing watch!

The plaza also showcased a variety of Dominican sweets, which Robert explained to us (we unfortunately didn’t have pesos and weren’t able to buy any, but they looked delicious!). The treats included a variety of pastries in which milk features prominently, as well as those with milk and fruit wrapped in dough.

As we trekked northward, we discussed and/or experienced a number of things with Robert:

• The DR continues to have a domestic violence problem, much like many other countries in the region. Robert shared that the women in the northern part of the country are the most beautiful, but sadly they (in his perception) also experience the highest levels of violence as their “men can’t allow them to remarry once they divorce – this is machismo” (i.e., they are murdered)
• We saw a number of animals, including water buffalo and horses – horses graze quite close to the highway (as I saw in Nicaragua); my husband joked that they were “wild” horses, but Robert quickly said that any “wild” animal would immediately be claimed by a local
• Many Dominican “taxis” are orange cars imported from Korea – in Korea, these Hyundais were actually used as official cabs, hence the color; here, they are more easily and cheaply imported and some of them are used as cabs, while others are for private use
• As we pulled in to our resort complex in Puerto Plata (it’s shared with ~4 other properties), Robert and the guard said “Superior” to each other – apparently this is a way of saying, “Go with God” – or, as Robert said, “the main jefe”
• As a California transplant, a lot of my friends bike recreationally; as we were cresting the mountain needed to get to our beach in Puerto Plata, Robert started lamenting and saying what a desolate / remote part of the country this mountain was – as soon as we crested the hill, we saw a Gringo biker merrily making his way up the incline. I immediately laughed and texted my friends, who confirmed bikers are just built different!

The central part of the DR between La Romana and Puerto Plata was eye opening; while the coastal beaches are beautiful, the central country (where most of the population lives and works) is relatively impoverished and underdeveloped. While we didn’t visit any of the major cities, we saw a lot of the outskirts and the road-side towns that paper the countryside along the main highways. Outside Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, we saw individuals sitting on the barrier separating the north- and south-bound traffic, waiting to run across the road (despite Robert’s note that they’d just built a footbridge to enable folks to cross the highway without dodging traffic). In the mountains, we saw many folks carrying loads far beyond their vehicle’s expected capacity – the ingenuity was incredible!

I really wish I’d been able to get better pictures, but we were in the middle of a tropical storm and moving quickly. As with most places I’ve visited that are incredibly impoverished, I saw much care and pride in the homes lining the roads we drove, no matter how remote. Many that appeared to have dirt floors also had a small Christmas tree or a tinsel outline of a Christmas tree; a couple towns had set up roadblocks on the highway to ask for donations for the local children for the holidays.

Over the course of our trip, Robert also shared that the DR has an amazing variety of natural crops, from bananas to sugar cane (and therefore, rum) and tomatoes, lettuce, even rice (as seen below!). Interestingly, we also learned that the DR is known for its tobacco and cigar production – apparently, they have been able to import Cuban tobacco crops and can grow them here just as well (since we’re right next door and weather / soil quality is the same), so brands like Cohiba are using the DR to produce “Cuban” cigars for export to places that otherwise would face trade barriers.

Ultimately, we made it to our hotel in Puerto Plata. It definitely feels different here – we’ve gone from Caribbean to Atlantic coast, closer to the Haiti border (we’re not that close – we asked Robert, and in his words, Haiti does not have a government and therefore it’s impossible for the DR to help them). The views are still absolutely gorgeous – I’d say we’ve traded in white sandy beaches for beige and clear blue water for slightly darker blue water (although, maybe that’s the tropical storm!). Either way, it’s still incredibly beautiful and so lush. Our hotel, Casa Colonial, was the epitome of refined French Colonial luxury, with many white drapes and incredibly beautiful decorative elements.

Our hotel here is wonderful – we’ve especially enjoyed the fact that most folks either do not speak English or speak such limited English that our Spanish could be useful. While I speak very proficient Spanish, my husband and his Argentina-informed accent (the product of a long-ago study abroad!) have taken the lead. The staff have been great and have clearly started bantering with us in two languages ~40 hours in; I can’t wait to see what hijinks we get up to in the next day or so. Either way, these folks have a great sense of humor and are SO welcoming and friendly. Highly recommend!

I’d absolutely recommend visiting the DR if you’re interested in beach (a la Barbie movie), beautiful nature tourism, golf, or just seeing more of the Caribbean.