Palladium Guides - Destination Dominican Republic (English)

Dominican Republic

Palladium Dominican Republic

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guides Palladium guides

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Santo Domingo

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La Romana

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El Seibo

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Hato Mayor del Rey

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La Altagracia

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TRS Turquesa Hotel

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TRS Cap Cana Hotel

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Dominican Republic

Close your eyes. Imagine your dream vacation destination, a great climate, the warm sea, fine white sand, and from the room of your hotel, views of paradise. The Dominican Republic is without doubt, synonymous with beaches such as Playa Bávaro or the virgin sands that surround Samaná Bay, but it is also about overflowing nature, given that it is home to the highest point in the Caribbean, Pico Duarte, where the biggest rivers in the country begin and nourish the exuberant vegetation of its natural parks. Dominican cities are epicenters of art, culture, craftsmanship and, especially, gastronomy. Here you’ll find rice and beans, stews and fruits you would never imagine, not to mention a good rum cocktail or Mamajuana to raise a glass and celebrate with. Now open your eyes: it’s time to stop dreaming and enjoy it all live and direct

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Dominican Republic

1. The endless green and blue tones of the waters in La Cueva del Chicho, inside the Cotubanamá National Park, will captivate you, as will the petroglyphs that tell the story of the indigenous Taíno people.

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1,576 kilometers (979 miles) of coast (including islands, islets and keys) await you.

at a glance

2. Cayo Arena, a little paradise located 25 minutes from Punta Rucia, is a magical coral islet with incredibly fine sand.

3. Morisoñando, the new restaurant of Chef Tita, the “ambassador of New Dominican Cuisine”, is finally opening its doors in Santo Domingo.

Unmissable.

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protected areas.

According to the Dominican Association of Rum Producers, approximately

six million cases of rum are produced every year in the country.

4. The untouchable and immaculate wilderness of the Bahía de las Águilas is a protected area within the Jaragua National Park and a World Biosphere Reserve.

5. Are you ready to try all 27 pools at Damajagua?

It’s a complete adventure with hiking, natural waterfalls and freshwater swimming.

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DID YOU KNOW…?

In 2020 the Dominican Republic produced more than 675,000

tons of avocados.

The country is the home of merengue, and November 26 is National

Merengue Day 3

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a dessert declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO

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Santo Domingo A vibrant, seaside capital city Dominican Republic

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little over two hours from Punta Cana, Santo Domingo is the Dominican Republic’s seaside capital and largest city. Baroque and patinaed, a little gritty, a little majestic, it proudly stakes its 1496 claim as the oldest colonial city in the Americas. The city boasts the oldest university, cathedral, hospital, monastery, and customs house in the Western Hemisphere. There’s also a vibrant China Town, colorful food truck parks, chic restaurants, museums, a botanical garden, and myriad art galleries. It can take a few days to explore the city but a day trip is worthwhile, especially on the weekend. Any visit should begin in the 16th-century Zona Colonial – an UNESCO-inscribed 116-block historical area nestled between the Ozama river and the Caribbean Sea. Here, doors, stoops, and window shutters are slathered in salt-worn hues of turquoise, pumpkin, and indigo.

Local artists paint en plein air amid trinkets and postcard carousels in the El Conde shopping corridor. Passion fruits dangle from telephone poles and mahogany trees create green allées outside of boutique hotels such as Casas del XVI. The loveliest places are hidden in plain view: a romantic café burrowed inside a boutique cobbler’s bench, a bar inside a bookstore, wide tables of fresh mangoes, avocados, and starfruit tucked under the shady fringe of a city park. As you enter the city, look towards the coast to see the inspiring 4.5-meter (15-foot) stone and bronze statue of Spanish friar Antón de Montecinos. Born in 1475, Montecinos was famous for publicly condemning the abuse of local Taínos by early Spanish conquistadors, even personally traveling back to Spain to advocate for Taíno rights before the king.

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Dominican Santo Republic Domingo

Chinese supermarkets, and a unique Chinese-Caribbean vibe that promises cream-filled Spanish bizcocho pastries alongside steaming cloud-dough pork buns – truly the best of both worlds. Visit early Sunday morning to browse fresh fruit and vegetables at the outdoor market on Avenida Duarte.

See & Do

BIKING THE ZONA COLONIAL There are several spots in the Zona Colonial where you can rent bikes or arrange guided bike tours for any length of time. Pedestrian alleys, charming side streets, colmados (lively corner stores), and easy direct routes down to the waterfront make the neighborhood a great place for a pedal. Helmets are available, and most bicycles come with locks, baskets, or add-on seats for children.

Vintage Colonial, Zona Bici, and Sunny Bike are a few of the most popular firms.

MAMEY Home to a sunny café, two galleries, a chic bookstore, a movie theater, a troupe of potted plants, and one luscious fuchsia bougainvillea – Mamey has a lot going on but somehow manages to preserve itself as a deliciously slow and airy sanctuary of beauty and quiet. Once the private home of historian Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi, the complex now offers movies three times a week, live music in its flower-filled courtyard, a healthy stash of board games, and a professional local art exhibition that changes every

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three months, featuring artists such as Ada Balcácer and Raúl Recio.

Stop in for a perfect cortado, a spirit recharge, and an impressive selection of local poetry.

C. Mercedes 315, Santo Domingo. +1 809-688-9111 CATEDRAL PRIMADA DE AMÉRICA Designated the first cathedral of the New World in 1546, Santo Domingo’s baroque and gothic Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor towers above a tree-studded plaza in the Zona Colonial. The cathedral’s first stone, laid by Christopher Columbus’s son Diego, sits below

Taíno depictions, massive doors, columns, vaulted ceilings, glowing limestone walls, a mahogany altar, and stained glass. Parque Colón, the park and plaza surrounding the cathedral, is a popular venue for community events, happy hour drinks, and quinceañera celebrations.

Primada de América: C. Isabel La Católica. +1 809-682-3848 ALCÁZAR DE COLÓN After Christopher Columbus’s son Diego finished laying the cornerstone for the capital’s cathedral, he marched himself just five blocks north to Alcázar de Colón, his

50-room coralline palace. Now a museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 16th-century gothic mansion houses late medieval and Renaissance art, musical instruments, historic weapons, and a spacious sunny courtyard.

Plaza de España, C. La Atarazana 2. +1 809-960-9371 CHINA TOWN Just north of the colonial zone is Santo Domingo’s six-block China Town, one of only two in the Caribbean. The zippy barrio sports a classic Chinese gate, street sculptures, traditional

ART GALLERIES Charming galleries are peppered throughout Santo Domingo. In and around China Town you’ll find eclectic street sales amid bold hand-painted murals. Narrowing in on the Zona Colonial, hip pop-ups and established modern galleries offer exhibitions by domestic and international artists in wood-beam and tile-floor spaces.

Check out the latest at Mamey. Visit Casa de Teatro for local photography, sculpture, poetry, dance, and theater.

And if that’s not enough, Arte Berri, Quinta Dominica, Casa Quien, Abad Galery, and Galería de Arte Nader are some other great stops.

PLAZA PELLERANO CASTRO Pruned tropical trees and pink raised beds curve through this quiet wellswept park at the corner of the Zona Colonial. Often filled with people playing dominoes (a popular game all over Dominican Republic), the park pays respect to both its former regular, the Dominican poet Arturo Bautista Pellerano Castro, and the Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos. A few small restaurants and colmados surround the park. Cozy and casual Navarricos opens for aperitivos late in the afternoon.

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Santo Domingo

options, teeny rounds of fresh pitta, and of course crispy falafel.

El Rey is best visited between main meal times when the tiny kitchen isn’t overwhelmed by too many stacked orders.

C. Sánchez. +1 809-688-9714

Eat & Drink

ADRIAN TROPICAL Located outside of the Zona Colonial along Santo Domingo’s waterfront, Adrian Tropical serves every guest a small welcome bowl of steamy sancocho stew upon arrival. The restaurant’s seaside balcony is a breezy refuge from the city center on a hot day, especially with freshly squeezed juice and mini servings of mofongo on the table.

Av. George Washington 1. +1 809-566-8373

EL MESÓN DE LA CAVA Once a hiding place for rebel Taínos, then a storage space for American soldiers, this moody natural cave of stalactites and stalagmites is now a white-tablecloth hiding spot for locals and tourists who appreciate fine dining and excellent service.

The interior decoration can come off as outdated but the food and atmosphere more than make up for it. The menu leans French with dishes such as chicken roulade, grass-fed tenderloin flamed tableside, and wood-grilled octopus served with a swoop of savory sauce. Wine bottles balance in the limestone walls behind the bar and guests arrive either via

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elevator or a steep staircase spiraling down into the deep. The restaurant has multiple dining areas; remember to request the cave specifically.

Av. Mirador Sur 1. +1 809-533-2818 EL REY DEL FALAFEL White stucco walls crowded with colorful Hamsa hands and crosses set the vibe from the minute you walk into El Rey del Falafel, a romantic Mediterranean local spot that’s been slinging falafel since 1999. Think Mamma Mia! meets boho yoga studio all dancing around a royal blue-andwhite courtyard dripping in ferns, open sky, and hammered metal lanterns. You’ll find lots of vegetarian

THE ALLEY One of many food truck parks found throughout the Dominican Republic, The Alley hosts a friendly cluster of super-tasty and not-so-diet-friendly street food, all surrounding long open-air communal tables.

Only open for dinner, the trucks serve Venezuelan arepas, messy sandwiches, donuts, chicken wings, fried cheese sticks, churros, sushi, and ice cream.

EXQUISITECES VIRGINIA Approachable and unassuming, Exquisiteces Virginia is the perfect morning stop for hot flaky pastelitos (sort of like empanadas) and traditional Dominican coffee

(served sweetly on a tray with flowers, cream, and sugar). This is the place to try all the best sweet and savory Dominican carbs such as johnnycakes, flan, pan de agua, pasteles en hoja (stuffed pastry made with yuca dough), and niños envueltos (sauce-smothered mash-ups of meat and veggies rolled and cooked in cabbage leaves).

Virginia: C. Santomé. +1 809-333-9001 PAT’E PALO Pat’e Palo claims to date back to 1505 when it was a riotous taverna for pirates and swindlers. It’s probably not lying. Perched along the grand Plaza España (where the national Ballet Folklorico performs for free every weekend), this European eatery offers both people-watching terrace seats and interior tables squeezed into stone-wall and stained-wood split-level nooks and crannies.

This is a great place to slow-sip a pirate-pleasing rum cocktail, order something savory and take your time telling wildly unbelievable stories around the dinner table.

Plaza Espana. +1 809-687-8089 JALAO Slang for “a little more than tipsy,” Jalao is a fiesta of a restaurant featuring a long bar, a spacious interior dining room, and a flood of alfresco light-strung bistro tables that spill out onto the plaza of Parque Colón. Rainbow paper streamers, straw hats, and dried

gourds sway across the ceiling and local bands often perform above the dance floor inside. The Dominican menu is creative and fresh, heavy on locally sourced seafood, fresh vegetables, salads, wine, beer, and sangria. Jalao is just a two-minute salsa away from Onno’s, one of Santo Domingo’s roaring-till-three-in-the-morning dance clubs.

C. El Conde. +1 809-792-1262 PALETAS BAJO CERO Unlike many bulk-processed popsicles, paletas are typically handmade in small batches from natural ingredients. Paletas Bajo Cero is a small specialty paleta shop in the heart of the Zona Colonial serving not-too-hard, not-too-soft combo-pops with flavors such as coconut with dulce de leche and passion fruit filled with light vanilla cream.

C. Isabel La Católica. +1 809-794-7147 MORISOÑANDO Inés Páez, the famous Chef Tita, is the great ambassador for Dominican cuisine. She has revolutionized the island’s culinary reputation by giving its traditional cooking the value it deserves and updating it with an acclaimed twist. You can now sample her tasty creations, which recuperate Taíno history, at Morisoñando, her new restaurant in Santo Domingo.

Ruta 66, casi llegando al aeropuerto Las Américas. +1 829-659-5555 Palladium guides

Dominican Santo Republic Domingo

Shop

GALERÍA BOLOS ARTE Y ARTESANÍA If there’s only time to deep dive into one store while visiting Santo Domingo, make it Galería Bolos Arte y Artesanía. This clean and simple multi-room boutique displays a beautifully curated collection of original Dominican and Haitian handicrafts, including papier-mâché vases, figurines, hammered metal masks, twirling tropical fish mobiles, floral bowls, sea horses, daisy-covered roosters, and whimsical house-key racks painted like guaguas, the chattery open-doored vans that carry locals to and through the city.

Bolos is sunlit, peaceful, crowded with plants, and blessedly free from hassling and haggling. The prices are unbelievable and it does an immaculate job at wrapping up your souvenirs for transport.

C. Isabel La Católica 15. +1 809-686-5073 LA ALPAGATERÍA A cousin of the espadrille, alpargatas are cloth and jute slip-ons that are sometimes flat, sometimes wedged, and sometimes wrapped with long feminine ankle ties. At La Alpagatería you can lean your head into the workshop to watch cobblers tinkering away before buying a perfect pair of custom shoes. Crisp white, butter yellow, bright red, and tropical blue alpargatas line the white-washed walls balanced on sanded wooden dowels.

Step further inside and you’ll find yourself in a sun-dappled courtyard cluttered with banyan tree roots, teak patio furniture, and relaxed servers offering shareable snacks, herbal teas, and refreshing drinks. It’s a shoe lover’s paradise with soft light and a dreamy ambiance.

Calle Las Mercedes 103. +1 809-692-4355

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Palladium guides

Santo Domingo

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1. Biking the Zona Colonial 2. Mamey 3. Catedral Primada de América 4. Alcazar de Colón 6. Plaza Pellerano Castro

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7. El mesón de la Cava 8. El rey del Falafel 10. Adrián Tropical 11. Exquisiteces Virginia 12. Pat’e Palo 13. Jalao 14. Paletas Bajo Cero 15. Morisoñando

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16. Desiré Cepeda 17. Galería Bolos Arte y Artesanía 18. La Alpagatería

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Santo Domingo

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he The history of Dominican-born bachata is muddled and complicated. Not unlike rock ’n’ roll, the style has been frowned upon, made illegal, and associated with lazy lawless behavior. Both a type of music and a type of dance, bachata finds its roots in courting and in community, in backyard parties, weekend barbecues, working-class culture, and imploring romantic lyrics.

Some say its bluesy mix of acoustic guitar and vocals is an evolution of bolero music. Some say it’s something new entirely. And some say it’s pure soul. After decades of being unfairly stigmatized as crude and uncultured, bachata finally made its way into the limelight about 30 years ago and can now be heard across the country, from tiny dusty towns lost in the middle of the mountains to dozens of open-shuttered balconies throughout Santo Domingo. Famous Dominican artists such as Antony Santos, Luis Vargas, Aventura, and Juan Luis Guerra have spread the swaying rhythms of bachata outside of the

Dominican Republic, garnering thousands of avid listeners around the world and playing concerts everywhere from Madison Square Garden to Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes. Juan Luis Guerra, whose swanky Punta Cana restaurant Bachata Rosa was named after his hit single, has described the music as a “slow, romantic Caribbean bolero.” That slower tempo makes bachata’s accompanying dance somewhat easier to learn than salsa or merengue. The eight-count sway follows a pattern of three steps and one tap that eventually moves you alone or with a partner in a sultry square across the dance floor.

In Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial, the hurricane-crumbled ruins of the Monasterio de San Francisco (the oldest Franciscan monastery in the New World) provide the staggering backdrop for an enormous bachata fiesta, free for all, every Sunday evening. Nearby bars keep their terrace tables out late and local band Grupo Bonyé plays a variety of music as hundreds of people show up to dance and drink under the stars.

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La Romana Bohemian beach vibes and baseball Dominican Republic

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mall but mighty, the seaside region of La Romana is home to a friendly mix of expats, locals, baseball players, and sugarcane farmers with a few tourists sprinkled in between.

The Chavón river slices a deep jungle-fringed ravine through the region’s center, winding dramatically beneath the cliffs of luxury resort Casa de Campo and ultimately spilling into the blue Caribbean Sea at the entrance of the National Park of the East, a 790-square-kilometer (305-square-mile) wilderness of painted caves, dense forest, islets, and sprawling mangroves. The commercial-worthy and turtlefriendly islands of Saona and Catalina sit right off the shore of La Romana’s charming beach villages Dominicus and Bayahíbe. Further inland, the region’s eponymous city offers fun bars, restaurants, and the Toros del Este winter league baseball stadium. You’ll find world-renowned golf courses, bustling factories, epic amphitheater concerts, chic boutiques, shiny boatbobbing marinas, and the diveable wreck of the ship of infamous 17th-century Scottish pirate, Captain Kidd.

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DominicanLa Republic Romana

place to go is its provincial capital.

Here you’re more likely to see kids returning from school and young people speed-walking to work than you are tourists or expats. At the center of town, a rosy cathedral and a dozen statues of famous baseball players accent a tree-studded park.

Hidden between a jumble of cellphone stores, banks, car washes, and a mall, you’ll discover restaurant gems, cheery colmados, and the country’s only privately owned baseball stadium, Estadio Francisco A. Micheli.

See & Do

BAYAHÍBE Over 20 dive sites, including shipwrecks and vivid coral reefs, sit just off of Bayahíbe in southern La Romana. The village has managed to cling to its charm and cozy small-town ease despite busy development around it. Fishermen clean their daily catch beneath the green shade of seagrapes.

Cottages and huts border the beach in Easter egg colors of peach, pink, yellow, and blue. Locals gather to play volleyball and swim at the public beach then linger in sand-floor seafood restaurants snuggled beneath shady coconut groves. Many sailing, catamaran, and snorkeling tours leave from Bayahíbe’s marina parking lot.

BAYAHÍBE ROSE GARDEN Bayahíbe’s Parroquia Divina Pastora church dates back to 1925 and is the gateway to both 4,000-year-old archeological ruins and a soft natural garden perfumed by Leuenbergeria quisqueyana, the Bayahíbe rose. Only found in La Romana, the endangered flowering cactus blooms in pink and can grow up to six meters (20 feet) high. Visitors are welcome to stroll

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through the garden, following the flowered path to a cabana and deck overlooking the coast.

Los Melones. +1 809-399-9273 ALTOS DE CHAVÓN A scenic replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean village, Altos de Chavón harbors restaurants, luxury boutiques, a stacked-stone church, a textile workshop, an art school, a museum, and a gallery. Balanced on a cliff 90 meters (300 feet) above the Río Chavón, one of the best things about Altos de Chavón is

the bird’s-eye river view. That, and its 5,000-seat limestone amphitheater.

Christened in 1982 by Frank Sinatra, the stunning outdoor venue has hosted over 170 artists, including Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Juan Luis Guerra, Duran Duran, and Andrea Bocelli. When you buy a pass into Altos de Chavón you also receive access to the marina, beach, and restaurants of Casa de Campo, a more-is-more luxury resort complex offering world-renowned golf courses, tennis, kayaking, zip lines, and more.

DOMINICUS Five kilometers (three miles) east of Bayahíbe, the town center and beach of Dominicus caters a bit more to upscale clientele. Fancy apartments line an intimate downtown passage of fresh gelato shops, cafés, stores, and restaurants. The clean-swept beach is one of the Dominican Republic’s longest and there’s almost no undertow, so it’s a great place for a leisurely dip.

LA ROMANA If you want a glimpse of local culture and daily life in La Romana, the best

TOROS DEL ESTE La Romana’s pro baseball team (and current nationwide champions) are the spirited Toros del Este.

La Romana’s love of the Toros is reflected in its respect for the Estadio Francisco A. Micheli, a simple and spotless stadium that is probably cleaner than most minor (and major) league venues in the United States. Tickets for games should be bought in advance if possible. Icy cold Presidente beer is sold inside for less than a dollar a can and even the preferred seats are affordable, leaving you plenty of pocket cash to scoop up a blackand-orange Toros jersey or hat in the stadium’s on-site store. Winter league practice begins just after hurricane season and ends a few weeks into the new year. Games are loud and fun, humming with families, clusters of students, and focused fanatics. Cheering through that last innings just might be your favorite moment of the trip.

Av Padre Abreu. +1 809-556-6188 Palladium guides

La Romana

Eat & Drink NOLA If you think “nola” might mean something in Spanish and not just “New Orleans”, you would be sorely, and fortunately, mistaken. La Romana’s multi-level craft beer bar and restaurant NOLA was opened

by Dominican-American Jesse Salas, who spent time cooking not only at Emeril Lagasses’s NOLA, as well as Bayona and Arnaud’s, in New Orleans but also at Arzak and El Bulli in Spain. Salas’s restaurant is a creation all its own. In place of white tablecloths you’ll find rustic driftwood paneling, local artwork, teak furniture, piano-painted stairs, a cushy air-conditioned cigar lounge, a billiards room, and a mosaic wood-fired oven.

It’s all surfy vibes and baseball hats with plenty of fans to keep things cool when the rest of La Romana’s downtown gets hot and stuffy. The menu includes all the local bocados, plus dishes such as fresh ceviche, shrimp piadinas, perfect pizza, Louisiana beignets, and coconut and corn bisque with chicken and aromatic herbs.

C. Francisco Castillo Marquez 25. +1 809-384-4814

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SHISH KABAB A stone’s throw from NOLA, Mediterranean restaurant Shish Kabab has been a La Romana favorite for decades. Classy and casual, it’s the kind of place that’s great for everything from breakfast to birthday dinners to lazy postbeach lunches. Tabbouleh, baklava, and fresh salads are all great options but most people come for the kipes (deep-fried finger food made from bulgur and served with hot sauce on the side).

C. Francisco Castillo Marquez 32. +1 809-556-2737

LA TERRACITA Perched on a small balcony overlooking Dominicus’s Avenida Eladia shopping district, La Terracita is a no-frills stop for great sushi and freshly squeezed juice. A few hightop tables balance beside an arched white stucco bar where friendly servers are quick to take your order.

There’s an adorable turquoisetrimmed gelato shop right across the street, and the Larimar Eco Shop next door sells locally made jewelry and beachy souvenirs.

Av. Eladia, Dominicus. +1 809-468-1377

BARCO BAR One of the best sure-fire dinners in Bayahíbe is the catch-of-theday at Barco Bar, a blue-andwhite thatch-roofed shack directly on the marina beach.

Nestled in a little grove of sprawling trees at the western end of Bayahíbe’s main road where the sunsets are sparkling and drool-worthy, Barco Bar serves up pasta, fresh seafood, Wednesday night karaoke, and free snacks during happy hour.

Edificio Barcobar, C. la Bahia 1, Los Melones. +1 809-264-4784

CREMA Located in between downtown La Romana and the Río Chavón, Crema is a locals-favorite pastelería serving home-made cakes, pies, puddings, breads, and tarts, as well as espresso, cold drinks, and some savory menu items. The café offers a shaded outdoor terrace and indoor seating lit by swaying thatched basket pendant lights.

C. Francisco Richiez 61. +1 809-813-2103 Palladium guides

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Shop

STORES IN ALTOS DE CHAVÓN More than 30 highend shops are strung throughout Casa de Campo, most down by the marina or burrowed throughout the stone walls and wide alleys of Altos de Chavón. You’ll find fashion boutiques, ceramics, handmade textiles, home décor shops, souvenirs, and sportswear stores. Jenny Polanco (a popular Dominican designer with a bent towards clean whites and chunky colorful jewelry) has boutiques in both locations. And the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design sells original paintings, photographs and sculptures in the upper floor of its gallery.

ARTE TAMBURINI This private gallery on La Romana’s Calle Altagracia exhibits the patchwork paintings and sculptures of Dominican artist Fernando Tamburini. Scenes depict flora, fauna, native folklore and architecture. A graduate of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, Tamburini opened his gallery in La Romana when he returned to teach at his alma mater.

Calle Génova, edificio Miraflores B 102, Los Melones. +1 829-676-5257

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imply put, in the Dominican Republic baseball is life. Played, perfected, and loved since the late 1800s, the sport was brought to the island by Cubans who learned from Americans running hauls of sugar stateside from the Caribbean. Sugar plantation workers in the Dominican began organizing games during the agricultural offseason and in no short time the craze took off like wildfire. Almost 40% of all recent major league baseball players come from the Dominican Republic. Three Dominicans have been inducted into Coopertown’s National Baseball Hall of Fame. More than 65 players have gone on to become MLB All-Stars, including Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martínez, Sammy Sosa, and the beloved “Big Papi” David Ortiz. ¡Six Dominican

pitchers have pitched no-hitters in the major leagues.

And almost all Dominican baseball players are rumored to be able to hit anything. While American kids grow up slugging at teeballs and softballs, children in the Dominican grow up playing vitilla, a stickball version of the sport where runs only happen when you manage to hit a token-sized water jug cap with the skinny end of a broomstick. There are dusty diamonds to be spotted all over the country (including a seaside home-town field on the edge of Bayahíbe), but there are also professional baseball stadiums that host the country’s six winter league teams: the Tigresdel Licey, Estrellas, Leones del Escogido, Águilas Cibaeñas, Toros del Este, Estrellas Orientales and the Gigantes del Cibao. The winter league season runs mid-October to late January.

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El Seíbo Off the beaten path Dominican Republic

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tretched between La Altagracia and Hato Mayor is the hilly coastal region of El Seibo where rolling mountain ridgelines follow the Soco river to virgin beaches bordering Samaná Bay. Modest and charming, the region’s gravelly roads wind past endless valley views, cacao and coffee plantations, sugar cane fields, lush green cattle pasture, humble fishing villages, and rogue papaya groves. You’ll see dusty motorbikes, tiny children casually horseback riding alone, rustic peluquerías (beauty shops), and rural inlets crowded with blue and green dories.

There is the province of El Seíbo, and the municipalities of Miches and Sabana de la Mar. Home to farmers and fishermen, many places are pretty quiet and empty until late in the afternoon. It’s important to be respectful of private residences and flexible with local business hours while you’re visiting. This is not traditional tourist territory. But passing through El Seibo is unavoidable in order to get to Hato Mayor del Rey or further north, and taking your time provides insight into authentic Dominican culture and industry. In short, there are two main reasons to visit El Seibo: the seafood and the scenery. Neither will leave you lacking.

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Dominican Republic El Seíbo

See & Do

MONTAÑA REDONDA Even on a busy Sunday only a few dozen people make the trip up to the spacious summit of Montaña Redonda, an airy private mountain promising soaring 360-degree views of El Seibo’s gorgeous peaks, valleys, lagoons, and shimmering blue Samaná coast. Buses wait at the bottom to transport visitors up the steep mountain road for a small fee. At the top you’ll find giant swings, two small tourist shops, and plenty of simple benches for sitting and enjoying the view. The photo ops are unbelievable and the owners are constructing a zip line along the peak.

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MEDIA LUNA Punta Cana’s little island in the sea is Saona and El Seibo’s little island in the sea is Media Luna, an even more rural and undeveloped islet whose name (translating to “half moon”) reflects the island’s delicate shape. Media Luna is a great place for picnicking, birdwatching, and snorkeling around the island’s surrounding coral reef. Motor boats or catamarans to the island depart from the harbor at Miches. At certain times of day, you’ll have the whole oasis to yourself.

PLAYA COSTA ESMERALDA Virgin beaches are plentiful along the coast of El Seibo and Hato Mayor, but they can be difficult to get to sans-trespassing unless you have a local along for the ride. One of the most pristine and empty gems of the bunch is Playa Costa Esmeralda, a long, long golden sweep of smooth sand and gentle turquoise blue sea.

Beloved by locals and nesting sea turtles, the beach is accessible from Miches via an undeveloped road (fourwheel-drive recommended).

Leisurely sunbathers could while away an entire day here napping and swimming.

Remember to bring your own drinks and snacks and to carry your trash out with you.

Eat & Drink

FISH SHACKS The towns of Miches and Sabana de la Mar are home to an assortment of small, open-air, locally owned fish shacks serving seafood that is ultra-fresh and cooked to order. Lunch here often starts a little late, closer to 1pm.

The Jhonsons’ rosy-walled hangout in Sabana de la Mar borders a shady city park and serves cold beer, salty tostones, shrimp, rice, and “minutas,” an unfussy local specialty of tiny fish that are filleted then flash fried with the tail left on for easy-eating.

Palladium guides

Dominican Republic

El Seíbo

1. Montaña Redonda 2. Playa Costa Esmeralda 3. Miches 4. Sabana de La Mar

5. Fish shacks

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n well as wild views and crispy seafood, El Seibo is known for one other very important thing: chocolate. Thanks to abundant water, rich soil, sunny slopes, hardworking people, and a variety of microclimates, El Seibo has developed into a fruitful producer of cacao (the fruit that chocolate comes from), not to mention coffee, rice, coconut, corn, beeswax, medicinal plants and sugarcane. By 1991, the entire region of El Seibo was growing cacao organically. And in recent years,

the whole country has become the world’s leading international exporter of fair-trade organic cacao.

Many farms provide tours and workshops for curious visitors, teaching every step of the process from planting, to harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting and so on. Accompanying farm stands also sell secondary small-batch artisanal products such as traditional Dominican hot chocolate (less sweet and more medicinal), local honey, chocolate wine and seasonal preserves.

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HatoNatural Mayor Beauty del Rey L Dominican Republic

ess than a two-hour drive from the beach bars of Punta Cana, the northeast region of Hato Mayor feels a world away.

Here, the tempo slows dramatically as you meander through cattle farms, thick forest, ramshackle towns, and the Cordillera Oriental mountains to the southern edge of Samaná Bay – a 55-kilometer-wide (34-mile) stretch of deep salty water popular with kite surfers, pirates, and (every winter) thousands of migrating humpback whales. This is the Dominican capital of lemons and seafood: over half of Hato Mayor’s agricultural production is citrus, and many of the fishing villages dotting the bay seem to have more docks and boat slips than paved streets and parking spaces. Rural and sparsely populated, the region is also the proud home of Los Haitises National Park, which encompasses almost 600.80 km2, of which 206 km2 are in the territory of Hato Mayor, of dramatic karst cliffs, abundant bird habitat, labyrinthine sea caves, and the nation’s largest mangrove ecosystem.

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DominicanHato Republic Mayor

See & Do

PARAÍSO CAÑO HONDO If Robinson Crusoe built his tropical treehouse in the nooks and crannies above 12 cascading waterfalls, then rigged up a zip line, hired a chef, and made sure his bedroom had the highest canopy views, the result would look a lot like Paraíso Caño Hondo. Less than 30 years old, this 36-room ecolodge opens its natural swimming pools and casual terrace restaurant to both overnight guests and daily visitors. Climb to the top of the property for panoramic views of San Lorenzo and Samaná bays, and Los Haitises.

Los Haitises, Sabana de la Mar. +1 829-259-8743 WHALEWATCHING Every winter, thousands of humpback whales travel 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) to their Dominican Republic stomping grounds to find mates and give birth to the next generation.

Samaná Bay and Silver Bank coral-reef sanctuary have long been the whales’ favorite nursery spaces. Unlike northern

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Atlantic excursions, whale watching in the Dominican typically offers gentle water, warm weather, and more dynamic courting displays of surface breaching, singing, and tail lobbing. Trips leave in the morning from several locations, including Puerto Plata, Sabana de la Mar, and Santa Bárbara de Samaná – the departure point for tours led by famous whale biologist Kim Beddall.

CAYO LEVANTADO Translated as the “liftedup key,” Cayo Levantado is a palm-swaying pictureperfect castaway island just six kilometers (four miles) from Samaná – a Bacardi commercial was filmed here in the 1970s. Today the beach beckons to swimmers, paddleboarders, and sun bathers. The sand is soft and the tepid water is crystal clear from hip to toe, while fish shacks pepper the area selling fried seafood and cold beer.

Public bathrooms are available, and a luxury resort on one side of the island offers spa treatments, dancing lessons, and beachfront yoga.

SALTO DE LA JALDA Green-walled beauty Salto de la Jalda is the highest waterfall in the Caribbean. Nineteen kilometers (12 miles) inland from the coast of Hato Mayor, the falls can be reached in less than an hour either on foot or on horseback. Thankfully, the lack of roads and cars has largely preserved the site’s peace and integrity. Trails weave back and forth across the Magua river and below shady cacao forest, finally culminating at the refreshingly cool lagoon below Salto de la Jalda’s dramatic single-drop fall. For those averse to hiking, several private helicopter operators offer daytime trips to the area.

Eat & Drink

SEAFOOD SHACKS IN SABANA DE LA MAR Many fishing villages line the coast from Punta Cana to Hato Mayor and their restaurants tend to offer similar menus. It is important to remember that these villages are modest and unpolished. Lunch is a reasonably safe time to visit, but it’s often on the late side and there aren’t a ton of options. That said, if you’re in the mood for fish, you’re in the right place. Look for a clean-swept café where a few locals have already gathered for lunch and either point enthusiastically at other people’s plates or request the fried red snapper with a side of fresh tostones.

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Dominican Republic

Hato Mayor

1. Paraíso Caño Hondo 2. Avistamiento de ballenas 3. Cayo Levantado 4. Salto de la Jalda

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ocated seven hours east of the HaitianDominican border, Los Haitises National Park does not share a border with Haiti, but it does share some etymology. In the indigenous Taíno language, “haiti” translates to “land of high mountains” – an apt description for both Hispaniola (the highest island in the Caribbean) and Los Haitises (a diverse national park with a cascading terrain of rainforests, karst cliffs, and coastlines). Extending into three different provinces, the park is a crucial safe haven for endemic and migratory bird species, including the endangered Ridgway’s hawk and the tiny iridescent Hispaniolan emerald hummingbird. Excellent tours of Los Haitises depart via kayak or small watercraft from a tiny creek below Paraíso Caño Hondo ecolodge. Shy herons and sun-dappled mangroves lead the way to

an untouched corner of Samaná Bay. After a quick glide along the coast, guests are ferried along with a knowledgeable local guide to nondescript coves harboring massive seaside caves, their inside walls strewn with sleeping bats and Taíno pictographs. Many caves around Hispaniola harbor fragments of these unique cave drawings, but the ones in Los Haitises are some of the most extensive and distinct. The thick line drawings depict beautiful, everyday sights and sounds. There are whales, dancers, sharks, unruly children, handprints, insects, and long-necked beach birds snacking on crustaceans. Made from dyes of native fruit, charcoal, and mangrove bark, the simple illustrations reveal that while much has changed in the past few centuries, many beautiful aspects of Dominican life have remained the same.

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Palladium guides

La Altagracia A slice of paradise Dominican Republic

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he easternmost of the Dominican Republic’s 31 provinces, La Altagracia is a half-local halfinternational mélange of tiny fishing villages and sprawling luxury resorts.

Atlantic surf beaches tumble across the north coast. A cobalt Caribbean Sea wraps the south. And all towering cane palms lead to Punta Cana, a resort town brimming with restaurants, amenities, and diverse excursions from snorkeling and scuba diving to spa treatments and highend shopping. Venturing out from Punta Cana, La Altagracia surprises and delights. Zip lines lead to natural sun-warmed lagoons. Whimsical cafés serve local coffee to the sound of merengue and reggaetón. Gravel roads bordering banana plantations are shared by both grazing cattle and rumbling dune buggies. If this region is all-inclusive, it’s because it includes everything: 100 bird species, national parks, sacred Taíno caves, moody modern bachata clubs, boutique hotels, coral-reef gardens, even a gleaming stained-glass basilica (the largest church in the Caribbean).

Here the sand comes pre-sifted, restaurant servers flock to your slightest flinch, and even the airport roof is topped with a thick rustling blanket of palm fronds.

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DominicanLaRepublic Altagracia

See & Do

SAONA ISLAND Due south of the National Park of the East, 21-kilometer-long (13mile) Saona Island is a Hollywoodworthy islet lined with mangroves, tall spindly coconut trees, spotless sand, and shallow water ideal for swimming. Home to iguanas, manatees, dolphins, pelicans, a tiny fishing village, and a sea turtle sanctuary, Saona is one to two hours from the mainland depending on boat and departure point. Aim to leave early or late in the day for a quieter visit. Right next door, Isla Catalina is a smaller, more rustic stop for sunbathers and scuba divers.

GRUPO PUNTACANA FOUNDATION By definition, Grupo Puntacana is a not-for-profit that designs and implements social and environmentally sustainable programs in the eastern Dominican Republic. By foot, Grupo Puntacana is a 12-lagoon ecological reserve, apiary, organic and aquaponic garden, marine health center, recycling mecca, orchard, mangrove nursery, vermiculture center, and more. Guests can explore, tour, or

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volunteer on-site. Every February, the group hosts a massive Carnaval parade finale, featuring more than 15 top domestic and international troupes. Admission is free.

Puntacana: Puntacana Resort & Club, Punta Cana. +1 809-959-9221 BASÍLICA CATEDRAL NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA ALTAGRACIA Located in Higüey, capital of La Altagracia, this towering concrete cathedral features a 75-meter-tall (246-foot) arch, stunning stained glass, and the miraculous Virgin Mary portrait that first made the city a pilgrimage destination. A small attached museum displays religious and cultural artifacts. Once a year, the cathedral hosts thousands of people for a free Christmas carol gala and light show orchestrated by the national symphony. While in the area, head five blocks east to peak inside the mahogany and frescoed interior of the 16th-century Iglesia San Dionisio.

Higüey. +1 809-554-2790 MACAO A quick drive north from Punta Cana, Macao is a big-wave beach popular with surfers and surf camps.

Many dune buggy tours stop here after riding through nearby banana farms. Natural and rugged, Macao is bookended by a thick grove of skyscraping palms and a steep wall of jungle-topped limestone.

LOS ESTABLOS Stretching over 280 hectares (700 acres), Los Establos is a

300-horse grand equestrian complex just 15 minutes from downtown Punta Cana. Less than 10 years old, the facilities are modern and manicured. Guests can take classes, walk the breezy stables, enjoy weekend brunch on the patio, then cap off the day with cigars and craft cocktails in a polished hardwood and leather lounge. February through August, Los Establos hosts racing, polo, and jumping competitions, which are often open to the public.

API BEACH Buffered by a thin curve of Caribbean Sea and the Cap Cana marina inlet, Api Beach is an isolated beach club with a private pool and cozy whitesand beach. Tucked behind a quiet residential area with a tiny library, shaded picnic tables, and sprawling playground, Api is also a great spot for families. Grab a mixed drink or snack from the open-air restaurant, then stroll behind the pool to Helados Valentino for perfectly chilly coconut ice cream.

BÁVARO Stretching north of Punta Cana airport, the Bávaro region boasts a wide and well-kept baby pink beach shared by large resorts and casual seafood shacks. Many glass-bottom boats, snorkeling groups, and parasailing excursions depart from the area, but it’s an equally great beach for lazy napping, sunbathing, or going for a long, long stroll.

Bávaro’s skies and cloudscapes are spectacular, especially at sunrise.

GRAND PALLADIUM PUNTA CANA RESORT & SPA On the shores of the beautiful Bavaro Beach, with white sand and turquoise waters, this five-star hotel is located with first-class services and entertainment for couples, friends and families.

What’s more, it is just a step away from the facilities for children (mini club and baby club) and the main swimming pools, as well as a short distance from the sports center and the Merengue theater.

El Cortecito Playa Bavaro. +001 80 9 221 07 19 TRS TURQUOISE HOTEL This luxurious, adults-only resort is one of four hotels in the Grand Palladium Complex, and offers full access to its facilities. As such, it has a complete spa, a large number of restaurants and endless leisure options: swimming pools, nightclubs, gift shops, beauty salons, sports courts...

Avenida Francia s/n, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic. +1 809-221-8149 GRAND PALLADIUM BÁVARO SUITES RESORT & SPA This first-class all-inclusive hotel offers exclusive services for friends, couples and families looking for a fun Caribbean vacation, so it is close to a wide variety of entertainment facilities, such as the Black & White Junior Club, the Sunset Boulevard nightclub and The Sunset theater.

The hotel also offers a wide selection of delicious dining options,

including à la carte restaurants and show-cooking restaurants with a wide variety of cuisine.

El Cortecito, Playa Bávaro Punta Cana Dominican Republic. +1 809 2218149 TRS CAP CANA WATERFRONT & MARINA HOTEL The adults-only luxury hotel TRS Cap Cana Waterfront & Marina Hotel is located in the most exclusive area of Punta Cana, and its facilities and rooms reflect this thanks to their exclusive design.

For maximum pleasure, stays at TRS Cap Cana Waterfront & Marina Hotel include the premium Infinite indulgence service and access to treatments and massages at Zentropia Palladium Spa & Wellness.

Boulevard Fishing Lodge, Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic. +52 984 873 4825 GRAND PALLADIUM PALACE RESORT SPA & CASINO Grand Palladium Palace Resort & Spa is located on the shores of Punta Cana’s famous Bavaro Beach, and is ideal for couples, friends and families looking for an experience that combines pleasure, relaxation and outdoor activities. Located on the seafront, it’s the perfect place to watch the sunset with a tropical cocktail at the Chillo bar or The Secret pool bar, which is for adults only.

El Cortecito, Playa Bavaro, Punta Cana Dominican Republic. +18 092 210719 Palladium guides

La Altagracia

Eat & Drink

JUANILLO GRILL & BEACH CLUB Snack on seafood as you watch and listen to waves lapping almost to your feet… Juanillo Grill & Beach Club offers two settings – restaurant and beach club – both with the same allure: a calm and relaxed atmosphere, live music at weekends and cuisine that’s incomplete without one of its unmissable cocktails. While the sound of the waves puts you in the mood for ceviche, rice, fish and fresh salads, the “boom-boom” of the music beckons you to the lighter, bitesized side of the menu: tequeños, hamburgers, sandwiches… Daiquiris,

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mojitos and original fruit juices complete the experience. Junaillo is everything we want and hope for from a beach club.

Playa Juanillo, Blvd. Turístico del Este. +1 829-836-9783 SBG PUNTA CANA This new place in the BlueMall occupies the site of Bachata Rosa, Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra’s restaurant. At the end of 2020, the SBG group announced it was ending its agreement with the artist by friendly mutual consent and remodeling the venue. The move marked the end of an era,

but also the opening of a new restaurant, SBG Punta Cana, with an international character that retains its Caribbean essence.

Chef Gabriel Occelli is behind a menu that playfully flits from nods to Mediterranean, Asian and Latin cuisine. Highlights include appetizing and attention-grabbing pasta, breathtaking cuts of meat (with a particular focus on steak) and chicharrón de pulpo (fried octopus) with coriander and jalapeño chimichurri.

BlueMall, esquina Carretera Juanillo, Blvd. Turístico del Este. +1 809-784-4047

DALIA’S Fair warning – the pastries at Dalias will try to steal your heart. Don’t let them. Snag a patio table, disregard the menu, and order yourself a traditional Dominican breakfast – a hearty plate of fried eggs, cheese, salami, and mangú (a scoop of mashed plantains topped with red onion). Dalias is lovely and local, popular with families, brunching flirters, and middle-aged men reading the paper as they drain third and fourth cups of sweet, dark coffee.

Playa Turquesa Ocean Club. Plaza Turquesa, Los Corales, Av. Alemania. +1 809-552-0394

LA YOLA Oh La Yola, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: how your wicker chairs and thatched roof make me feel like I’m sunbathing beneath a palapa umbrella. How the courteous and friendly service and sea breeze lets me slow down and breathe easy.

How the savory sancocho warms me up after a first course of local, fresh organic salad. You’ll swoon before you even sit down. Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta knew what to do with teak wood and bamboo and La Yola offers five stars of evidence.

Puntacana Yacht Club. +1 809-959-1010 Palladium guides

DominicanLaRepublic Altagracia

Shop

PUNTACANA VILLAGE Two minutes from Punta Cana airport, Puntacana Village is an upscale open-air commercial complex of shops and restaurants traversed by a lush, flower-filled promenade.

As well as boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and home décor stores, the village includes a car rental center, pharmacy, bank, playground, and supermarket. Snap a photo beside the cheerful mural bordering the village, browse locally handmade jewelry at Yauya, then stop into the unassuming Gourmet Market for a top-notch selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, and sushi. Every February, Puntacana Village hosts the Dominican Republic’s Carnaval finale

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with a family-friendly parade of over 15 different dancing troupes.

Calle Gri Gri. +1 809-959-2714 BLUE MALL Many resorts offer free shuttles to Punta Cana’s BlueMall, home to Aldo, Desigual, Zara, MC2 Saint Barth, L’Occitane, the Hard Rock Café, and restaurant SBG Punta Cana. The center is clean, single-story, and air-conditioned with a few fun corners – an alley with a bicycle-wheel light installation and a spouting fountain with a large amphitheater. A good place to while away a few pre-dinner hours on a rainy afternoon.

Esquina Carretera de Juanillo, Blvd.

Turístico del Este. +1 809-784-4001 Palladium guides

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1. Saona Island 2. Grupo Puntacana Foundation 3. Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia 4. Macao 5. Los Establos 6. Api Beach 7. Bávaro 8. Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa 9. TRS Turquesa Hotel 10. Grand Palladium Bávaro Suites Resort & Spa 11. TRS Cap Cana Waterfront & Marina Hotel 12. Grand Palladium Palace Resort Spa & Casino

13. Juanillo Grill & Beach Club 14. SBG Punta Cana 15. Dalia’s 16. La Yola

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17. Puntacana Village 18. Blue Mall

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Palladium guides

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ith less than 600 individuals left in the wild, the Ridgway’s hawk is one of the world’s most critically endangered raptors and its only home in the world is on Hispaniola.

Small but mighty, the bird boasts a wingspan of 51–66 centimeters (20–26 inches) and a beautiful barred, rusty breast. Natural ecosystems are even more delicate on islands and Buteo hawks such as the Ridgway’s are essential players in a healthy food chain. Despite their infamous almost-doomsday-level reputation on local farms and plantations, hawks only eat chickens out of desperation. In reality, reptiles (primarily snakes and lizards) make up over 90% of the birds’ diet. Scientists have even observed a male Ridgway’s hawk bringing a snake to a female during courtship and sharing the meal with her Lady-and-the-Tramp style. Strong and endearing, the Ridgway’s hawk is a magnificent bird to see in action, and can only be spotted within the Dominican Republic. Ridgway’s hawks are friendly (by

raptor-standards) and highly adaptable. They don’t mind living near human communities and successfully inhabit a variety of environments from farms to rainforests to limestone karst to lowland shrubs.

They prefer to nest in hardwoods but aren’t picky about which species. Unfortunately, deforestation, encroachment of uninformed farmers, and parasite issues have severely impaired the population, which now survives almost entirely within the protected forests and mangroves of Los Haitises National Park. Thanks to local conservationists, the Peregrine Fund, and Punta Cana’s Ridgway’s Hawk project, the population has nearly doubled over the past two decades, and a new hawk colony has been established in Punta Cana’s ecological reserve. Thursday and Friday mornings, Grupo Puntacana conservationists lead hawk-focused birdwatching tours through protected woodlands to a four-story viewing tower. Visit in the spring for a chance to see baby Ridgway’s hawks just about to fledge from their wooden nesting boxes.

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hideaway Charcos de los Militares Dominican Republic

The

Dominicans call this place “God’s swimming pool”. Three waterfalls empty into natural ponds filled with impossibly blue water. To reach this divine corner, you have to make an hour’s pilgrimage from Tubagua (Puerto Plata), crossing fields of sugar cane.

When you get there, you’re guaranteed to touch a piece of heaven.

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Palladium guides

Dominican Republic

Photos © Shutterstock, iStockphoto, Unsplash : Asael Peña, SJ Obijo, Taylor Wilcox, Raúl de los Ssantos.

Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa

Grand Palladium Bávaro Suites Resort & Spa

Grand Palladium Palace Resort Spa & Casino

El Cortecito Playa Bávaro Phone +001 80 9 221 07 19

El Cortecito, Playa Bávaro Punta Cana Dominican Republic.

Phone +1 809 2218149

El Cortecito, Playa Bávaro, Punta Cana Dominican Republic Phone +18 092 210719

TRS Turquesa Hotel Avenida Francia s/n, Punta Cana 23000, República Dominicana +1 809-221-8149

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TRS Cap Cana Waterfront & Marina Hotel Boulevard Fishing Lodge, Punta Cana 23000, República Dominicana +52 984 873 4825

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