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The southeast tip of the country is everyone’s idea of a desert island idyll – a sweeping panorama of soft sand and gently swaying palm trees facing a turquoise sea. Mass tourism may have brought many thousands of visitors each year to the complexes of Punta Cana and Bávaro, but even the arrival of all-inclusive hotels has done little to affect the majesty of this coastline.

Only a short taxi ride away from the busy center of Puerto Plata, the beach is just west of town, offering a complete change of atmosphere from the city itself and from the highly developed tourist strip to the east at Playa Dorada. There are no big hotels here, but rather a cluster of tasteful waterfront villas and condominiums, mostly owned by well-heeled locals or foreigners. The beach itself is an extensive strip of soft white sand with calm water and very safe swimming, even if shade is in short supply. The settlement also has a good range of refreshment options.

The rooms and service here are of an excellent standard and offer great value for money as breakfast is included. Free Internet access is available in the lobby. They also have a gym, self-service laundry, a pool, restaurant, and delivery service from other restaurants.

One of the better hotel discos, the music changes from steamy tropical rhythms to hiphop to techno. There’s something for everybody (see Crazy Moon, Puerto Plata).

The only pine widespread in the Caribbean, this tree flourishes at altitudes above 6,500 ft (1,981 m), as on the flanks of Pico Duarte. The dense forests of the interior are filled with their distinctive fresh odor, creating an illusion of the Alps in the tropics.

Like their relatives in Lago Enriquillo, the Northwest’s American crocodiles are not remotely aggressive, fleeing approaching humans and thriving on fish. Their preferred habitat are mangrove forests.

Prodigiously gifted and versatile musician credited with fusing African and Cuban influences into mainstream merengue.

This complex of grottoes and labyrinths is a fascinating exhibition not only of Taino art forms but also stalactites, stalagmites, and other geological curiosities. The 472 pictographs and 19 petroglyphs depict human figures and various animals associated with death rituals.

Farther into Parque Nacional del Este and accessible only in the company of a park ranger, this cave holds 1,200 Taino pictographs referring not only to religious beliefs but also to the coming of the Spanish. Black charcoal drawings on white limestone walls clearly show a bearded Spanish face and sailing vessel.