Top 10 must do things - North Coast

1) Read about the Victorian houses built 1870-1930, visit the Casa Museo Gregorio Luperon, the Centro Cultural.
2) Loma Isabel de Torres -- take the skylift and take a leisurely walk in the botanical park at the top. Take a light jacket, because can get chilly up there. Go early at 9am so that the view is not hidden by clouds.
3) Ocean World Park. In Cofresi, another all day event.
4) Ambar and Taino museums in the city.
5) Fortaleza San Felipe. Take the tour.
6) Brugal Rum factory. Take the tour.
7) Fun City (for go karting fun in the evening)
8) Play golf at Playa Dorada, or do a leisurely stroll through the ccomplex.
9) Sosua. Check out the beach, the marine sanctuary, the Jewish Museum.
10) Cabarete. Go on Saturday and Sunday to see the kites, check out surfing at Playa El Encuentro. Visit Monkey Jungle. Visit El Choco park for caving and hiking.
11) Damajagua. Mix of 27 waterfalls. Take good hiking schools that can go in and out of water. Don't take anything that can't get wet.
12) La Isabela ruins. Check out where Columbus built his first settlement in the Americas. All day trip. Check out the lovely modern church on the site.
13) Cayo Arena (Paraiso). The out island is a paradise for swimming and snorkeling. Take a boat trip that will also tour you through the mangroves. Go at 8am to get there before the tours.
14) Laguna Gri Gri. For boat oatings.
15) Playa Grande. Golf and a lovely beach for long stroll. Best to go to this beach in summer, as in winter is better for surfing.

In no particular order


Damajagua Falls (if you are fit enough)
Puerto Plata Cable Car up mountain
Ocean World Park during day and/or Bravissimo Show
Sosua Beach during the day.
Day trip Santiago
Cabarete beach at night on a Friday or Saturday night
Day or Weekend in Las Terrenas/Samana
Monster Truck or Outback Safari (or better yet, take private Jeep or ATV and do your own tour in the country side)
Puerto Plata Malecon on the weekend
Dive trip or Catamaran-boat ride
Eat at Tres Cocos Restaurant near Cofresi

Just some ideas, I am sure others will disagree with some but it depends what you like to do, e.g. drinking/music/dancing etc. you might wanna go to some Car Wash or Bachata/Merengue event.

in no particular order:
luperon museum in the city center if you are into culture and history
fortaleza san felipe, for the same reason
damajagua waterfalls if you are fit, can swim and it does not rain
teleferico/botanic garden if you are into nature
old cemetery in POP to see how different is it from what you have seen so far
ocean world followed by drinks in marina (but i hate to see animals in captivity )

out of town trips:
drive in a countryside, loma la bestia and surrounding areas
day trip to la isabela
day trip to playa grande
day trip to santiago and/or jarabacoa

Leisurely lunch at Los Gringos at Playa Magante...

Watch frank12 of Cabarete in his natural environment...

1. Get a prescription for strong Antibiotics and condoms after arriving.
2. Get Rabbis shot to protect you from crazy locals and even crazier expats.
3. Get Tetanus shot to protect you at night from Vampires.
4. By a basket of garlic and weave it into a necklace and door wreath to wear around your neck while you walk home at night.
5. Visit 27 waterfalls.
6. Take a motorcycle tour of either North coast or South Coast with Motorcaribe.com (situated in Jarabacoa--stunning mountain town--elevation around 4000ft.)--it will be the highlight of the entire vacation. Guaranteed!
7. Avoid feeding the wild zoo animals on the beach--i.e--plastic jeweler salesmen, shoe-shine boys, prostitutes, etc.
8. Rent a car and travel down the north coast to Samana--stopping at the new Marina--Bahia del Mar.
9. Visit Passions in Sosua and study the food menu (for adults only!)
10. Get checked for venereal diseases before boarding your flight back home.
11. Don't fall in love or propose marriage!

I got a least 10 or 15 more. but we'll start there as a warm-up.

Frank

Dont forget # 12- If you take the women out of this country, she will turn into exactly the same type of women you left in your home country.


((Do i hear burning torches outside?))

cobraboy said:

Leisurely lunch at Los Gringos at Playa Magante...

Watch frank12 of Cabarete in his natural environment...

Click to expand...

I didn't put a like on this for nothing. Home Page Edit: (ah... this is Los Gringos home page. ??)

A day trip is still easy and worth it but getting a cabana for a night or two is difficult. So if staying a night, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, then get your reservation in ASAP.

frank12 is nuts but somehow has a down-to-earth understanding mixed with just about everything. His adventures, stories and experiences are well known.

As frank12 pointed out, a visit to Jarabaco for a couple of days is great and can only be topped by an Island motorcycle adventure with cobra boy with his MotoCaribe Motorcycle Adventure Tours

POP and Sousa can be done in a day and other places easy. But these will quickly WOW you and get you acclimated very quickly. I can not think of a better start to coming to the D.R. then with these guys.

Good luck.

My wife and I have done the following
1 puerta Playa city tour with cable car and brugal rum factory
2 outback jungle safari
3 ATV and buggy rides
4 paradise island
5 waterfalls ( we done 12)
6 zip line and horseback riding

Let me know if you need details on any of the above. Some of them we have duplicated so others we have brought here with us could experience them as well

- Sosua beach on a weekday at sunrise.
- Playa sin salida (aka Playa Alicia) at sunset in Sosua, drinks at the tables there in the park or Waterfront restaurant
- Dinner at Velero Beach Resort at sunset in Cabarete, go earlier to see amazing kite surfers displayed and amazing food for the price
- Monkey Jungle zip line and monkey visit
- 27 falls in Damajagua when there is no rain falling or expected to fall
- Playa Caleton on a weekday, just after Gaspar Hernandez, then Playa Grande lunch on the beach, then Cabo Frances in Abreu/Bergantin and then waterfall in Cabrera, then Playa Diamante, then backtrack to a fresh fish dinner on the beach at Playa Hermita, and back to home base, all in one day.
- Do the ultimate tourist experience at Ocean World on the west end of Puerto lata, in Cofresi. Pay the $$ for the dolphin swim experience.....you only live once....and being picked outta the water by 2 trained dolphins is memorable.
- Relatively new Gregorio Luperon museum is nice, and take in the Fortaleza, Amber Museum, and downtown Puerto Plata and the malecon beach bars all in one day. Do the cable car up the mountain, but earlier than 10 a.m., it gets cloudy often after that and the views are diminished.
- The Jewish Museum in Sosua is interesting if you like history.

Stay outta the casinos unless you know your way around crooked casinos and don't play any "progressive" games, where seemingly easy money becomes a nightmare for innocent gamblers.

Don't make decisions after you're drunk!

Forgot to mention Tubagua Plantation Eco Village, in the mountains above Pto Plata, 1,ooo feet up. A rustic eco experience. Well worth a sleep over; the views, the food, the experience. Very cool spot to chill. 15 minutes up the Turistica road, 30 minutes from the POP airport with hikes, waterfalls, all the ingredients for a nice weekend.

I loved the old cemetery!

dv8 said:

in no particular order:
luperon museum in the city center if you are into culture and history
fortaleza san felipe, for the same reason
damajagua waterfalls if you are fit, can swim and it does not rain
teleferico/botanic garden if you are into nature
old cemetery in POP to see how different is it from what you have seen so far
ocean world followed by drinks in marina (but i hate to see animals in captivity )

out of town trips:
drive in a countryside, loma la bestia and surrounding areas
day trip to la isabela
day trip to playa grande
day trip to santiago and/or jarabacoa

Click to expand...

The museum of haitian art in Sosua !

If you are moving to the North Coast just remember it ain't no holiday!! I did most of what was listed on Holidays or taking family. LIVING HERE IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE! Although you will have time to do this stuff just don't think it is going to be like a holiday! Still fun to live here just A LOT different!!

Check out Big Lee's Beach Bar on the Malecon in Puerto Plata. Great fried fish and expat socializing.

I am liking that place. Fair prices it seems. If my guys go for it we will be there next week!!

And that site is pretty cool and it seems to work.

Talked to Patrick...


HB

in no particular order:

1. Passions
2. D'Latins
3. Passions
4. D'Latins
5. Passions
6. D'Latins
7. Passions
8. D'Latins
9. Passions

:laugh: