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Even in deepest February, in the dead of night, the temperature rarely gets below the mid sixties. Hurricane season is in August and September, and there's a fair amount of rain in the months on either side, especially in the north, but storms tend to come in bursts and are followed by sunshine. Generally, the mercury lingers in the sunny mid eighties.
The three main international airports—Las Americas (Santo Domingo), Gregorio Luperón (Puerto Plata), and Puntacana—are all served by direct flights from North America.
Hotel Doña Elvira
A very colonial bed-and-breakfast with spacious loft rooms. (Be sure to ask for one with air-conditioning.)
207 Padre Billini; 809/221-7415; www.dona-elvira.com;
doubles from $60.
Hotel Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando
The rooms in this endless 16th-century former governor's residence near Plaza Maria de Toledo
are as bright as its gracious courtyard.
Calle las Damas; 809/685-9955; www.sofitel.com;
doubles from $320.
Casa Colonial Beach & Spa
809/320-3232; www.vhhr.com; doubles from
$260.
Casa de Campo
Rooms need a face-lift, but the Pete Dye golf course, horseback riding and polo, shooting
range, and pool are the stars.
800/877-3643; www.casadecampo.com.do;
doubles from $225; private villas from $1,057, including butler.
Sivory Punta Cana
809/552-0500; www.sivorypuntacana.com;
one-bedroom suites from $266.
Tortuga Bay Villas at Puntacana Resort & Club
888/442-2262 or 809/959-2262; www.puntacana.com;
one-bedroom villas from $516.
Bobo's
The menu claims to be Asian fusion, but the small plates come from all over the world. Still,
you're more likely to go for the people-watching.
157 Calle Hostos; 809/689-1183; dinner for two $35.
Mesón d'Bari
The cangrejo guisado (fresh crab stewed in a piquant brown sauce) is the dish to order at
this favorite of Oscar de la Renta's. 302 Calle Hostos; 809/687-4091; dinner for two $60.
La Piazzetta
The chef (formerly of Cipriani's in Venice) makes memorable feather-light risotto and homemade
buffalo mozzarella. Reservations required.
Altos de Chavón; 809/523-3333; dinner for two $60.
La Casita de Don Alfredo
A local favorite for the gigantic skillets of heads-on prawns sautéed in coconut-cream
sauce. Not cheap but worth it.
About halfway up the Playa Cabarete; no phone; dinner for two $60.
La Yola
This posh, minimally decorated open-air pan-Latin and Mediterranean restaurant serves fresh
seafood and organic vegetables.
Puntacana Resort & Club; 809/ 959-2262; dinner for two $60.
Boutique del Fumador
Watch cigar makers roll Cohibas, which you can sample free.
109 Calle El Conde; 809/685-6425.
Calle el Conde
Cheerful market street in the heart of the Zona with missable trinkets and unmissable atmosphere.
(Handicrafts, other than cigars, are not the Dominican Republic's strong suit.)
Galerîas Puntacana
Everything from swimsuits and housewares to Italian and Portuguese food, plus movie rentals
and a full-service pharmacy.
Opposite the Puntacana International Airport.
Marina at Casa de Campo
Shops here include Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, and Tacco & Punta, where you can get your
Marc Jacobs and Prada shoe fix. 800/877-3643.
Alcázar de Colón
The former house of Columbus's son Diego is crammed with antiques. For a more thorough explanation
of the sacristies, it's worth it to hire (for a 30-peso tip) one of the guides who congregates
here.
Plaza España; 809/689-5946.
Catedral Primada de América
The first cathedral to be built in the New World is grand and imposing, with a curious combination
of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque features.
Calle Arzobispo Meriño.
Museo de las Casas Reales
Once the seat of the colonial government, this museum houses everything from Taino artifacts
to 16th-century armor to an old apothecary shop lined with ceramic jars.
Calle Las Damas & Calle Las Mercedes; 809/682-4202 .
Fortaleza San Felipe
If you can tear yourself away from the cruising teenagers on Puerto Plata's neighboring boardwalk,
pop into this colonial fort, built to protect precious metal–rich Puerto Plata from 16th-century
pirates. Bahia de Puerto Plata.
El Conde Restaurant
The food at this greasy spoon is unremarkable, but a table outdoors under the massive tree
next to the Parque Colón's main taxi stand is the best place in town to start a night
out.
Hotel Conde de Peñalba; Calles El Conde & Arzobispo Meriño; 809/688-7121.
Parada 77
Grungy but welcoming two-room bar and club with an attractive, bohemian crowd, plus a live
merengue trio on weekends.
255 Isabela la Católica; no phone.
Praia
Located about a $5 taxi ride outside the Zona Colonial, this spot is where the children of
sugar barons and visiting movie stars go to let their blow-outs down. House music, dance hall,
and, of course, reggaeton on the system.
74 Gustavo Mejía Ricart; 809/732-0230.
Aura Beach House
Fans of Miami's hyper-trendy Nikki Beach will recognize the bed seating in this uncharacteristically
chic restaurant-lounge.
Turn off DR1 just before the Shell gas station in Juan Dolio; Aura is two blocks below the
Metro Hotel on the Calle Central; 809/ 526-2319.
Eze Bar & Restaurant
Hammocks, tatami, and tiki torches make this beachside bar a perfect evening destination.
Top of Playa Cabarete; 809/880-8779.
In the Time of the Butterflies
By Julia Alvarez. A half-fictional account of three sisters who, in the late 1950's, sought
to overthrow the Trujillo dictatorship, from the country's most famous contemporary author.
Quisqueya La Bella: The Dominican Republic in Historical and Cultural Perspective
By Alan Cambeira. A personal, detailed, and highly engaging history of the nation's place
in the larger Caribbean.
Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.
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