DK Travel : Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a country of surprising contrasts and extraordinary variety. From the chilly peak of the Caribbean’s highest mountain to some of the region’s most delightful beaches, the country boasts lush valleys, spectacular waterfalls, and sun-baked deserts. The past and present also blend in a fascinating mix of colonial buildings and modern hotels, sleepy rural villages and lively tourist resorts. The people, too, reflect a kaleidoscope of influences — Spanish, African, indigenous — creating a culture that emphasizes both creativity and fun in the fields of music, sport, and art.

Comedor Gladys

Go for the menú del día , served with rice, beans, salad, and any other vegetable in season.
Comedor Loli

A cheerful place to relish Dominican cuisine, mainly chicken, beef, and fish. Check out the menú del día .
Conde de Peñalba

This is a great place for the special local dish, la bandera Dominicana .
Conjunto Quisqueya

One of the 1970s big bands that has adapted traditional folk rhythms into urban dance music.
Constanza

This idyllic, cool valley is the starting point for many recommended trails, which take you through pine forests and into flower-covered mountain meadows. Bird-watching is a big draw here, with Hispaniolan woodpeckers, parakeets, and hummingbirds in abundance. The trail to the Salto Agua Blanca is manageable and often spectacular (see Constanza & “The Dominican Alps”).
Constanza & “The Dominican Alps”

Only two hours from the capital, the rugged interior is a walker’s paradise of green meadows and clear rivers, surrounded by pine forests and mountains. Pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean, lies here.
Convento de los Dominicos (1510)

This building became the first university in the Americas in 1538.
Coral de los Indios

Reputed to be the site of an ancient Taino city, a large open space contains a ring of boulders with what seems to be a ceremonial slab in the middle. It was here that Anacaona, the legendary widow of Caonabo — who was tricked into captivity by the Spanish — attempted to galvanize anti-Spanish feeling among the differing Taino chieftains into a revolt. She was captured and executed, and the settlement destroyed. From what remains it is not clear how much is reconstructed, but the carved stone face on the slab looks authentic enough.
Corbanito

A long, gray-sand beach backed by a few fishermen’s huts and palm trees faces the Bahía de Ocoa, a calm inlet of glittering water ringed by mountains. The view across the bay is a marvelous mix of distant hillsides and sky, while the imposing Sierra El Número mountain rises behind.
Costa del Coco

The modern face of Dominican tourism, this long and idyllic coastline of white sand and swaying palms is home to a cluster of all-inclusive resorts. It’s a paradise for windsurfers and surfers alike.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal and a beer for one including tax and service.
- under $10
- $10–$20
- $20–$30
- $30–$40
- over $40