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Not to be confused with the magnificent beach of the same name near Río San Juan, this more modest stretch of sand is Luperón’s local seaside attraction, backed by a hotel complex. The sea here is inviting, the row of palm trees provides welcome shade, and the sand is pleasantly soft and clean. Nearby are a handful of bars and eating places.

A long stretch of perfect golden-hued sand, bordered by forest and demarcated by high cliffs, Playa Grande is unsurprisingly attracting a good deal of tourist development after years of isolation. There are several large-scale all-inclusive resorts, including the Caribbean Village Playa Grande, which boasts a spectacular oceanside 18-hole golf course. The sea is more suitable for surfing than swimming, but at weekends the beach becomes very busy, especially at the end nearer Río San Juan, where food and drink are on sale. This spectacular beach is open to all.

Only a robust four-wheel-drive vehicle or a 20-minute boat ride from Las Galeras will get you to the splendidly isolated and spectacular Playa Rincón, hidden by the steep bluffs at each end of the beach. Aficionados claim that this is the best beach on the Peninsula, and it’s easy to see why. A 2-mile (3.2-km) stretch of bleached sand is bordered by azure sea and leads back inland to an expanse of coconut trees. While hardly a secret, sheer inaccessibility means that this piece of paradise will stay uncrowded for some time to come.

This magnet for yachties, 2 miles (3.2 km) out of Luperón village, draws a good number of visitors. The marina is located in the estuary, framed by mangrove forests and sheltering hills, with boats moored in the calm anchorage. The bar and restaurant are normally busy, and non-sailors are always welcome. From here it’s easy to take a catamaran tour of the estuary and the coast with Rancho Veragua, and to hire diving and snorkeling equipment. With its cosmopolitan crowd of sailing aficionados, the marina has a different feel to the rest of the region.

The biggest town on the North Coast with a long and interesting history, Puerto Plata is sometimes overlooked by visitors in their all-inclusive resorts. This is a shame, because this bustling place has much to offer: not only historic sites but also a range of atmospheric bars and restaurants. The San Felipe Fortress is certainly worth a visit, as is the charming Parque Central, but the highlight is the amazing cable car ride to the top of Pico Isabel de Torres, the lofty mountain that looks over the city and ocean.

A left turn off the coastal Carretera 5 takes you into the small and still unspoilt village of Río San Juan, until recently an isolated rural outpost but now increasingly on the tourist map. There’s still a working fisher-man’s harbor, and the gridiron Barrio Acapulco is filled with boats and other fishing paraphernalia. The village’s beach is pretty but very small, so most visitors tend to head farther east down the coast. Rio San Juan’s relaxed and friendly atmosphere can be easily sampled in the cafés and restaurants that line the central Calle Duarte.

Santa Bárbara de Samaná is the main town on the Peninsula, a busy little port overlooking the huge bay. While much less of an obvious tourist destination than Las Terrenas, it has plenty of charm, despite the fact that most of its Victorian-era architecture was demolished in an ill-advised 1970s modernization scheme. The mostly concrete buildings are laid out in a grid system. The focal point is the wide seaside Malecón (boulevard) – a magnet for those who enjoy a walk, especially in the evening. Look out, too, for La Churcha (see La Churcha, Samaná).

The vast, glittering expanse of Samaná Bay comes into view as you drive along the Peninsula’s southern coast road. This magnificent natural harbor, sheltered by surrounding hills, forms a perfect haven from hurricanes. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, several European powers as well as the US saw the Bay’s potential as a naval base. Luckily, the plans never materialized, and the bay remains largely unspoilt, with beautiful beaches, seaside villages, and fantastic views across the placid water. The bay attracts not just sailors and devotees of water sports, but also humpback whales, which mate and raise their young here.

Another starting point for a Pico Duarte ascent, this airy and laid-back mountain town provides a fascinating insight into everyday agricultural life. The surrounding countryside is dotted with coffee plantations and small farms, and the town itself acts as a trading center for local farmers. Apart from the fiesta patronal , staged every August, you can go on plenty of pleasant excursions to nearby rivers and swimming spots. The town also offers spectacular views over densely wooded hillsides and valleys, dotted with palm trees.