Puerto Plata is a province in the north of the Dominican Republic, a rapidly developing tourist center. It is worth noting that this place is still not the most promoted, so that even on the most famous beaches there are no huge crowds of people here, but there is also no such vibrant nightlife as in the capital.
People come here first of all for a comfortable and rich sports recreation. The coast has several reefs and wrecks, huge schools of fish swim in the sea, and in addition, most of the beaches are windy and have waves. So these are great places for diving, surfing, ocean fishing. You can relax here all year round, even in February the temperature does not drop below 22 degrees Celsius.
There are historical sights in Puerto Plata, because it was in these places that Christopher Columbus first landed. Here you can see the remains of the first European settlement in Haiti, a 16th century fort, ancient temples and many interesting museums.
Areas of Puerto Plata
The northern province of the Dominican Republic of Puerto Plata is formally divided into 9 municipalities, and they, in turn, into districts. The center of the province is the city of Puerto Plata. It is adjoined by several tourist villages on the coast from the west and east, and tourists most often generally choose not so much a village as a specific beach. So for visitors, the following areas can be distinguished:
- Puerto Plata City;
- Playa Dorada;
- Sosua;
- Cabarete;
- Luperon.
Puerto Plata city
Beaches: Acapulco Beach, Costa Rica Beach, Long Beach, Costa Drama, Costanbar, Cofresi.
Puerto Plata is one of the first settlements in the Dominican Republic. The very name, "the silver port", according to legend, was given to the bay by Christopher Columbus himself - the ocean here shone so brightly in the rays of the sun. There are no beaches in the very center of the city, but there are many interesting sights. This is the fortress of San Philippe, built in the 16th century, the old port, the city center, in which the colonial buildings have been preserved, the beautiful cathedral of St. Philip, several parks.
The city lies at the foot of Mount Isabel de Torres, on the slopes of which there is a beautiful park. A cable car leads to the top of the mountain, and at the top there is a huge statue of Christ, a smaller copy of the famous statue from Rio de Janeiro.
The Dominican Republic is one of the few places in the world where there is amber, and these places are called the Amber Coast. It is very different from the Baltic amber we are used to: the amber of the Dominican Republic is more transparent, and frozen insects are much more common in it. Puerto Plata has its own amber museum with a shop.
The main entertainment on the coast is the huge Ocean World Adventure Park: a water park, an aquarium, a zoo and an amusement park at the same time. It is located a few kilometers east of the city near the town of Cofresi.
Another place worth visiting is the remains of the city of Isabel de Catolica, the first full-fledged Spanish settlement in the New World, founded by Columbus.
If you are primarily interested in sights and not too expensive entertainment, then you can stay in the city of Puerto Plata. The nearest beaches are east of the city center and port. This is a small beach of Acapulco and Costa Rica Beach, which turns into Log Beach - this strip of sand is considered the main beach holiday in the city. The next beach to the east is called Costa Dorama, after the largest five-star hotel. Sometimes it is singled out as a separate area - it is compact, has a blue flag and is considered the most elite on the coast. To the west of the fortress is the Kostambar beach - it is within the city limits, but it is quite far from the sights. All these beaches are municipal and quite crowded, but there is a lot of entertainment here.
There are a lot of restaurants and shops in the city for every taste - there are several shopping streets, there is a large Mercado market in the very center. The center has nightclubs, casinos and bars - everything for a rich evening life. Hotels in Puerto Plata are quite diverse, there are budget apartments in the depths of the quarters, and very beautiful hotels on the coast - far from the beach, but with views of the fortress and the port, and there are coastal hotels very close to the beaches.
Playa Dorada
Beaches: Playa Dorada, Playa Cano Grande and Playa el Chaparral.
Playa Dorada, "Gold Coast" is a resort village 6 kilometers east of Puerto Plata. All sights of the city can be reached from here even on foot, and the sea is nearby. The beach here is considered one of the best on the coast. It is divided into three parts: Playa Dorada, Playa Cano Grande and Playa el Chaparral.
Playa Dorada is located in the lagoon. There are windy places with waves on the promontory (just near the Playa Dorada beach), and there are also places designed specifically for swimming in the lagoon itself. There are no coral reefs in this bay, there are several wrecks that can be viewed. If you are interested in diving and snorkeling, then it is better to stay even further east. But you can take an excursion on a boat with a transparent bottom to the nearest reef and flooded ships. Here you can also rent a yacht for fishing: Playa Dorada and its surroundings are one of the most fishing places in the Dominican Republic.
The local population lives on tourism and fishing. They fish for themselves, for sale, and for the fun of tourists. Here you can catch barracuda, yellowfin tuna, blue and white marlin and many smaller fish. You can fish all year round, but depending on the season, fishing places and specific fish will differ, schools migrate along the coast. The only thing that should be borne in mind is that during ocean fishing, boats and yachts always shake strongly, it does not happen otherwise, so if you feel sick, it is better to just enjoy fish dishes in restaurants.
Playa Dorada is also a recognized golf center, there is just a huge field for this game, and there is also an equestrian center here.
This town is the center of shopping in Puerta Plata. There is a large shopping center Playa Dorada Mall in the village, and on the way to the city - the largest shopping center in this part of the coast - Plaza Turisol.
Luperon
Luperon is a resort village west of the city of Puerto Plata. It is located quite far from the provincial capital, so it is cheaper here. The area is named after Gregorio Luperon, a 19th century political leader who ruled the country for several years. In Puerto Plateau itself, there is a museum dedicated to him.
The beach here is not very wide, but a strip of tropical weasel stretches along it, in which you can hide from the heat. Part of the beach is sandy, part of it is rocky: the sand was brought here on purpose. The city is located in a huge picturesque lagoon covered with gardens, so there are cozy places just for swimming in the bay, and a beach with ocean waves where you can surf. This is perhaps the quietest resort in the province. There is nothing special in the village itself, from here you can only go on an excursion. Natural attractions, caves and forests inland are closer from here than to Puerto Plata.
Sosua
Sosua is a resort center west of Puerto Plata. It is not too noisy, but also not deserted: there is a market, bank branches, there is its own shopping and pedestrian street Pedro Klisante, which has nightclubs, bars and the famous BBQ restaurant Big Dees. Of the attractions there are two churches, but they are in the residential center of the city, far from the beach.
This place is the center of diving and snorkeling. The fact is that the coral reef is located here literally 50 meters from the coast. It is quite shallow here, so it is the large slave who does not enter, but there are many smaller and very colorful inhabitants of multi-colored corals: octopuses, crabs, starfish, sea anemones. The reef protects the coast from strong ocean waves, so this is the place for diving and snorkeling, not surfing. But this is also one of the centers of deep-sea fishing, and in the interior of the mainland there are several places for mountain rafting very close - in the El Choco National Park.
There are public areas on the beach, there are closed areas of large hotels. Their advantage is that obsessive sellers are not allowed there, but in general they are no different from the general ones.
Cabarette
Cabarette is the next major tourist center to the east. He is not that far from Sosua, but very different from him. Cabarette is built on a flat stretch of the east coast, where there are always waves and wind, so it is considered the most sports resort in the province. Most of all here are those who are engaged in kitesurfing - come here for this from all over the world. It looks incredibly beautiful: in the evening, when the strongest waves rise, hundreds of kites soar in the sky. Cabarette yarn stretches for 6 km - it is huge, and therefore it seems that there are not many people here. There are strong currents, powerful ebb and flow, so this resort is not suitable for those who just want to swim, especially with children.
El Choco National Park is nearby. The entrance to the park and its administration are located at the western end of the village. In the park, you can see the famous karst caves, go trekking and rafting - there are incredibly beautiful mountains covered with tropical forests.
