Dominican Republic Holidays

This little island is a firm holiday favourite – and for good reason. Beyond the amazing beaches, it lines up rainforest-covered mountains, lively towns, and locals with a laid-back approach that’s textbook Caribbean.

Up on the north coast you’ve got lively Puerto Plata town, with its pretty old quarter and seafront fortress. For beaches backed by emerald hills there’s Playa Dorada or Costa Dorada. And a little further up the coast there are the palm-lined beaches of Bahia Maimon.

On the eastern tip of the island is Punta Cana, where the resorts skirt a 50-kilometre ribbon of white sand. Golfers can tee off at the Punta Cana Golf Club, where the greens come with sea views. Bavaro is the liveliest resort, while sleepy Uvero Alto sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.

On the south coast, La Romana’s got long sweeps of sand, pastel-painted fishermen’s huts and a sprinkling of luxe hotels in the resort of Bayahibe.

Then you’ve got the Samana peninsula. It’s all half-empty beaches and jade green countryside here, with go-slow towns like Cayo Levantado and Las Terrenas.