Explore Destinations
Punta Cana
Santo Domingo
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, sharing the island with Haiti and claiming some of the Caribbean's most diverse terrain. Punta Cana's coconut palm coastline draws the resort crowd, while Casa de Campo near La Romana has cultivated a polo-and-golf enclave since the 1970s. The Samaná Peninsula feels wilder — humpback whales breach offshore from January through March, and the town of Las Terrenas retains a Franco-Caribbean character from its settlement by French expats decades ago.
Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial, a UNESCO site, holds the Western Hemisphere's oldest cathedral and cobblestone streets lined with sixteenth-century architecture now housing restaurants and boutique properties. The dining scene spans traditional sancocho and mofongo to contemporary Caribbean cuisine from Dominican chefs trained abroad. Beyond the capital, the Cibao valley's fertile plains produce the tobacco for the country's renowned cigars, while the mountainous interior around Jarabacoa offers cooler temperatures and river adventures — a counterpoint to the beach-focused stays along the north and east coasts. For other Caribbean escapes, consider Bahamas or the quieter shores of Anguilla.