Dominican Republic Holidays

Most four and five star hotel resorts in the Dominican Republic usually have five or six restaurants on-site. Typically, each offers a different style or type of food, thus most tastes are catered for close by.

If you’re looking for a sense of the local produce without moving too far from your hotel, you’re in luck. Local traders usually visit resorts each week to set up their stalls selling local food for you to sample.

Dominican dishes typically blend African, Spanish, Taino and Middle Eastern flavours. If you’re keeping an eye on the budget and are in two minds about dining out for the evening, rest assured knowing that it can be a pretty cheap experience if you stick to the modest-looking local restaurants.

There are also plenty of open-air, high-end markets to choose from, as well as big shopping malls. There are more bargains to be bagged around the island than just cigars and rum!

Run away to a deserted island – Take yourselves to an idyllic, isolated beach like the one at Saona Island. Enjoy even more alone time by taking out a catamaran when making this short trip.

Merengue – Witness, (and maybe even take part in ), the traditional Dominican Republic dance at Tropicalissimo at the Barcelo Bavaro Casino, before trying out some of the resorts’ poolside Merengue classes yourselves for a bit of fun.

Tour the island in a 4×4 – If you’re looking for a break from the beaches, take a tour of the island’s inland sights in a 4×4 road vehicle. Be sure to see the sugar cane fields and the island’s caves.

Shop for amber jewellery – Shopping mightn’t always satisfy the craving to do ‘something different’, but browsing among the Dominican Republic’s famous high quality amber jewellery could see you walking away with a lovely, timeless memento of your honeymoon.

Try a surf camp – Most people make fools of themselves when surfing for the first time, so why not have a laugh at a surf camp and spend some time in the gorgeous turquoise waters that surround the Dominican Republic.

Experiencing the Dominican Republic’s fine resorts first hand is definitely one for the bucket list, but it would be a shame not to see what else the country has to offer. Here’s a few things you won’t want to miss:

The Zona Colonial – Known as the historic heart of Santo Domingo, the Zona Colonial is a maze of pretty streets and shade-covered squares. All the beautiful colonial-era buildings house shops, restaurants and cafes making it a lovely area to pass an afternoon in.

The Dominican Alps – It’s a different world to the Dominican Republic’s beaches in its uplands, but it’s well worth attempting the Pico Duarte (the highest mountain in the Caribbean) if only for the unique views.

Costa Del Coco – A tourist mecca for a reason, the ‘coconut coast’ has over 60km of reef-protected white sandy beaches surrounded by coconut trees. Despite the presence of fellow tourists, it’s easy to feel disconnected from the rest of the world here.

Las Terrenas – A gorgeous little fishing village surrounded by huge groves of coconut trees and clear, warm water.

Jarabacoa – For a little more action, head to Jarabacoa. It’s the home of the Dominican Republic’s only whitewater river, Rio Yague del Norte, for rafting, and its mountainous trails are perfect for biking, hiking or rock-climbing.

The best time to travel to the Dominican Republic is between February and May, with average daily temperatures of 25 to 26 degrees. That being said, the island is warm year-round. Because the Dominican Republic has a Caribbean and an Atlantic coastline there are different ‘wet seasons’ on different parts of the Island. The wet season runs from November to January in the North and from May to November in the South. Rainfall usually comes in strong short bursts with sunshine returning quickly.