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Guide to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Puerto Plata
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Puerto PlataPuerto Plata
The Dominican Republic isn't always at the top of the list for vacationers in search of the perfect Caribbean locale. Bordering Haiti, it is often overlooked, being separated by a few dozen miles of water from such sought-out destinations like Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas. It's capital is a hectic city of crowded markets, dirty streets, and buildings almost too much alike. If there is one place keeping the DR on the map it is Puerto Plata, a waterside oasis with seemingly more hotels and sand than the most frequented sites in the Caribbean and cultural and artistic scenes that have knowledgeable collectors and critics praising its people and their productions year after year. The city is surrounded by enclaves where small towns thrive from the business generated by visits from wandering tourists looking for a different piece of the Dominican pie. The expansion of this region has been progressing fast, and some may perceive it to be a little too much to handle, but walk the streets of Puerto Plata or any of the villages and towns nearby and life is actually very breezy and docile. As the years pass the number of visiting folk does rise, but the inflation is hardly alarming.Book your flight to Puerto Plata to stake your savings on one of the most enjoyable places unknown to the traveling world. It may be a departure from the ordinary tropical scene, but a departure might just be what you're looking for.
When to go:
Situated close to the Equator, temperatures will be the least of your worries in Puerto Plata. What you should be concerned with is the frequency of rainfall. There are beautiful stretches of dry days that hit during all four seasons, but pack extra sets of clothing and umbrellas or raincoats if mother nature decides it is time for a good soaking. The area's flowers keep their vibrancy wonderfully, but other than the appealing visuals, things tend to get bleak and boring soon after the clouds set in. Spring tends to offer the best balance in terms of weather, but you'll miss the crowd, which means a quiet city will have an added touch of unfamiliarity in proportion to the lack of fellow travelers.
Getting there and around:
The main airport serving those coming to/from Puerto Plata is a few miles to the west of the city. Gregorio Luperon International Airport receives a good number of flights to/from North America and Europe; finding a connection to Puerto Plata from elsewhere may prove more difficult. Direct flights from the UK are available, but they're not too common, so grab a seat(s) while you can! There is a whole array of transit options for visitors to choose from, whether it is public service via the bus system to private call-only taxis. Bicycles are for rent at the shoreline, and rates are ridiculously low in the shoulder seasons. You're not limited to bike paths by the coast, but the rules change as you go further inland.
Attractions:
Both kids and adults will love the zoo/theme park located just outside Puerto Plata. Ocean World Park is home to an aquarium in which ordinary visitors can commiserate with underwater creatures, and a dolphin lagoon said to be the largest in the world. Prepare to be dazzled. Also within and around the city are the Isabel de Torres Botanical Gardens (accessible via slope-style cable car), the Taino Art Museum, the famed Brugal Rum Factory (third-largest producer of sugar cane rum in the world), and the beautiful Puerto Plata Lighthouse, a recently-restored 19th-century creation.
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