The Dominican Republic is the Caribbean at its most generous. Over a thousand beaches line the coast, the capital is the oldest European-founded city in the Americas, and humpback whales migrate through its waters every winter. It is also one of the most affordable Caribbean islands for UK travellers, which means your budget stretches further here than almost anywhere else in the region. The country averages around 300 days of sunshine a year, and the warmth goes beyond the weather. Dominicans are famously welcoming, and merengue music drifts out of every open doorway. Beyond the all-inclusive resorts of Punta Cana, there are colonial fortresses, jungle zip-lines, mangrove kayak trails, and mountain towns where you can still find locally grown coffee and hand-rolled cigars.
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Dominican Republic
Beaches, Culture & Caribbean Adventure
RESORT COAST
The resort coast
The Dominican east coast runs for thirty miles of fine white sand and shallow turquoise water, sheltered by an offshore reef that keeps the waves down and the snorkelling good. Punta Cana International is the airport name; Bavaro is the original beach strip where the big-name chains landed in the 1990s, RIU, Iberostar, Bahia Principe, and where most UK package holidays still send you.
South of Bavaro, Cap Cana is the newer luxury enclave: gated, marina-led, where the adults-only 5-stars cluster, Eden Roc, Sanctuary, Secrets. North of Bavaro, Uvero Alto is quieter and skews toward couples and honeymooners. Inland, a 60-minute transfer south, Bayahibe opens onto Saona and Catalina Islands, two of the Caribbean's most photographed beaches, both reachable as day-trips.
What sets the DR east coast apart is the sheer volume of resort choice at every star rating, the year-round trade winds, and a price floor that runs 5-10% under Mexico's equivalent. For UK couples, families, and honeymooners who want guaranteed sunshine without thinking about logistics, this is the Caribbean's most reliable beach week.
COLONIAL HEART
Where the Americas began
Santo Domingo is the oldest European city in the Americas. Founded in 1496, its Zona Colonial is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of cobbled streets, courtyards, and the first cathedral, hospital and university the New World ever built. Calle Las Damas, where colonial governors once paraded, is the oldest continuously-paved street in the Americas.
The Zona is small enough to walk in half a day, but layered enough to take days. The Alcázar de Colón, once Diego Columbus's palace, sits above the river that brought Spain's gold-laden galleons home. The Parque Colón opens onto the cathedral and an evening rhythm of merengue cafés, rum on terraces, and a city that doesn't perform for visitors.
Most UK travellers fly into Punta Cana for the beach, drive west once or twice during their week, and call it a culture day-trip. The better version is to start or end in Santo Domingo, two nights in a Zona Colonial boutique hotel before the beach week reframes the entire trip.
QUIET COAST
Samaná's whales and hideaways
The Samana Peninsula is the Dominican Republic's wild side. It juts out from the northeast coast into the Atlantic, and from mid-January to mid-March, thousands of humpback whales gather in its protected bay to breed and calve. Whale-watching boat trips leave from the town of Samana daily during the season, and sightings are almost guaranteed.
Outside whale season, Samana still delivers. Los Haitises National Park is a maze of mangrove-fringed inlets, karst hills, and sea caves once used by the Taino people. Kayak tours through the park are quiet and atmospheric. Inland, the mountain town of Jarabacoa is the base for white-water rafting, canyoning, and hikes to the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua, where you jump, slide, and swim through a chain of natural rock pools. This region suits travellers who want more than a sunbed.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 humpback whales migrate to the warm waters of Samaná Bay each year to breed and give birth, making it one of the largest whale-watching concentrations in the world. Boat excursions run from Samaná town throughout the season. Inland, the El Limón waterfall drops 40 metres into a natural swimming pool, reachable by horseback ride or jungle hike. The beaches here are a different class, Playa Rincón and Las Galeras are routinely ranked among the Caribbean's finest, accessible only by boat or rough road, which keeps them blissfully uncrowded. Los Haitises National Park, across the bay, contains the highest biodiversity in the Caribbean, limestone karst formations rising from mangrove channels, with Taíno cave paintings dating back over 2,000 years.
ORIGINAL COAST
Puerto Plata and the north shore
The north coast is the Dominican Republic's adventure playground. Puerto Plata combines colonial history with natural beauty, take the cable car to Mount Isabel de Torres for panoramic views, then explore the Amber Museum (Dominican amber is world-renowned, and the museum holds pieces with prehistoric insects trapped inside). The city's Umbrella Street and the 16th-century Fortaleza San Felipe make for a colourful afternoon walk.
An hour from Puerto Plata, the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua is one of the most exhilarating experiences in the Caribbean, you climb, slide, and jump your way through a chain of cascading waterfalls in the jungle. Further east, Cabarete is a world-renowned centre for kitesurfing and windsurfing, with consistent trade winds drawing athletes from around the globe. The annual Master of the Ocean competition (February) combines surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and stand-up paddleboarding in one extreme event.
Practical Information
UK citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 30 days. Your passport must be valid for the duration of your visit. You will need to complete an online entry and exit form up to seven days before arrival, which generates a QR code for immigration. Stays can be extended up to 120 days through the Dominican Republic Immigration Service. No vaccinations are compulsory, but check the latest FCDO advice before travelling.
WHAT TO SEE
Dominican Republic highlights
Real reviews
What our customers say
From travellers who visited Dominican Republic with us
We took the kids (aged 9 and 12) to the DR and it was perfect for families. Snorkelling at Isla Catalina, exploring Los Haitises National Park by boat, and the children loved the zip-lining near Puerto Plata. Fabian recommended a family-friendly boutique hotel in Bayahibe that was far better than any chain resort. Already looking at Cuba next.
Claire & Rob A.
First time in the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic did not disappoint. Santo Domingo's colonial zone was fascinating, the oldest cathedral in the Americas, cobblestone streets, and fantastic rum bars. The drive out to Punta Cana for a few beach days at the end was a nice wind-down. Only giving four stars because the internal transfer was a long drive, but that's the country not the service.
Marcus T.
The DR was brilliant. We based ourselves in the Samaná Peninsula rather than the big resorts and it felt like a completely different country. Whale watching in the bay was magical, we saw a mother and calf from barely twenty metres away. The local restaurants in Las Terrenas served incredible mofongo and fresh lobster. Travelfab knew all the best spots.
Jenny & Paul C.
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