Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata is located on the northern coast of the
Caribbean island of Dominican Republic, the province
of Puerto Plata is one of the most popular
tourist destinations in the Dominican
Republic. Blessed with beautiful stretches
of pristine beaches, lush green valleys, and
cradled by a chain of majestic coastal
mountains, Puerto Plata was described as "the
fairest land under heaven" by Christopher
Columbus in 1492. Over 500 years later, the
province of Puerto Plata has continued to
captivate visitors from around the world
with an intoxicating potion of Latin
American culture, incredible natural beauty,
and the extraordinary kindness of its people.
Visit the city's central park, Parque Luperon, and
make a stop at the picturesque church, Iglesia de
San Felipe. Several inexpensive cafeterias are
nearby, in addition to numerous stores specializing
in local crafts. In downtown Puerto Plata you will
find the last remaining Victorian gingerbread
buildings - elegant 19th century structures which
are quickly disappearing due to commercial
development.
Attractions
The
Amber Museum : Located on the second floor of a
Victorian mansion, the Amber Museum is perhaps one
of Puerto Plata's best known tourist attractions.
Open from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through
Saturday, the Amber Museum features collections of
fossilized resin (Amber), some of which contain
remarkably preserved specimens dating back thousands
of years. Admission is about $2 U.S.
Mount Isabel de Torres : Undoubtedly Puerto Plata's
most impressive geographic feature, 2,600 foot Mount
Isabel is also a popular attraction for tourists and
locals alike. After a seven minute cable car ride up
the nearly vertical slope, visitors will find
botanical gardens, a statue of Christ similar to the
one in Rio de Janeiro, and a superb restaurant, in
addition, of course, to breathtaking views of the
city and surrounding sea. Open Tuesdays and Thursday
through Sunday from 8 am until 5 pm. Admission is
about $10 U.S.
Playa Dorada : Home to the majority of Puerto
Plata's "all-inclusive" resorts, Playa Dorada
features two golf courses, casinos, a shopping mall,
and over 15 miles of beaches. Although most of the
property in Playa Dorada is private, the beach
itself is open to the public and can be accessed at
the end of the main road running through the complex.
Columbus Aguaparque : Arguably the Caribbean's
finest attraction of its kind, the Columbus
Aguaparque has quickly established itself as a
favorite with kids of all ages for a day-long outing.
Featuring a restaurant, small gift shop, showers,
and lockers. Open daily from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm.
Admission is about $10 U.S. for the day, or about $5
U.S. after 4:00 pm.
Costambar : Surrounded by calm, crystal-clear waters,
Costambar is truly a beach lover's delight!
Featuring a 9-hole golf course, Los Mangos,
Costambar is less crowded and more tranquil than
Playa Dorada. Numerous restaurants are located
throughout the residential community of Costambar.
The Brugal Rum Factory : Producing over a million
and a half liters of white and dark rum each year, Brugal is the drink of choice for many North Coast
Dominicans (with Barcelo being favored in the South).
Although no distillation actually takes place at the
Brugal Factory, visitors are given a brief tour of
Brugal's bottling operations and are treated to a
refreshing drink featuring, but of course, Brugal
rum. Open 9:00 am - noon & 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Monday
through Friday. Admission is free.
The Malecón & Fort San Felipe : The Malecón is
an ocean side road featuring numerous cafes and
small restaurants. Although the small beach is not
suitable for swimming, a leisurely stroll along the
Malecón offers fresh ocean breezes and excellent
people watching. The Malecón is especially popular
on weekends and at night when road side vendors
prepare small snacks and several discos blast music
into the early morning hours.
Walking west along the Malecón will lead visitor to
Fuerte San Felipe, Puerto Plata's only remaining
colonial structure. Located on a small peninsula on
Puerto Plata Bay, Bahia de Puerto Plata, it was at
Fuerte San Felipe that Columbus had hoped to
establish the first Spanish colony in the New World
(the colony in Puerto Plata, however, did not last
long and the Spanish resettled on the island's
Southern Coast at Santo Domingo). The fort features
a moat, historical artifacts, and a small museum.
Admission is about $1 U.S
Sosua Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches
in the Dominican Republic, and not surprisingly, one
of the most popular tourist destinations in the
Caribbean. Sosua is located on the North coast of DR,
bathed by the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean,
only 12.4 miles from Puerto Plata City. It offers
its visitors first class hotel accommodations,
tourist resorts, great seafood and international
cuisine restaurants, sunbathing, snorkeling, water-skiing,
scuba diving, and excellent nightclub entertainment.
Dominican locals have enjoyed Sosua for many years,
and now Europeans and North Americans have also
discovered the beauty of this tropical paradise--no
wonder so many of them are staying to live there all-year
round
CABARETE :
Cabarete is a small, laid-back Caribbean beach
village located only 20 minutes away from the Puerto
Plata International Airport on the northern shore of
the Dominican Republic. It's a perfect tropical
vacation spot, especially for the young traveler
seeking fun, new friends and sporting adventures.
With its charming, hip ambience and a combination of
relaxed and adventurous lifestyles, most visitors
can barely resist the spontaneous temptation of
extending their stay and just hang around the place
for another while.
The
village of Cabarete is spread out across the center
of a gorgeous, semi-circular beach of golden, sun-soaked,
sand. Just behind, limiting its size lies a tranquil
lagoon, backed up by richly verdant hills
overflowing with luxurious tropical vegetation.
The
perfect blend of the surrounding physical elements
of nature such as the location of the offshore reef
at the entrance of the bay, the direction from which
the trade winds usually blow, and the low-lying
hills behind the village, which cause a unique
thermal effect, form a beautiful layout. They create
an unusual synthesis of outstanding wind and wave
conditions. These make Cabarete's bay an exceptional
location not only for water-sports such as
kite boarding and windsurfing, but for regular
surfing at El Encuentro beach as well.
Cabarete is also the perfect place to just lay back
to work on that perfect tan. It's the best thing to
do when you're not out gliding over warm Caribbean
waters, or participating in some other fun adventure
sport such as mountain-biking, scuba-diving,
wakeboarding, cave exploring or canyoning.
And
Cabarete's nightlife (restaurants, bars and discos)
is legendary. If you are not having fun in Cabarete,
you must be dead.
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