CNN reporter Matt Tettelbach recently visited Punta Cana and acknowledged the attractions of beach resort relaxation. However, he also encourages tourists to take the US$9 4-hour Expreso Bavaro bus into Santo Domingo. “If you never leave the high walls of your tourist compound, you’re missing out on a gem of a capital city,” he writes. “So when you begin to tire of the antics of the ‘animation team’ at the resort, and the color of your skin starts to resemble the papaya or watermelon you’re eating, consider a short trip to Santo Domingo.”
Although Tettelbach says it is possible to see it all in one day, he recommends an overnight stay. He advises visitors to hit the Colonial City and do the round tour from the Parque Colon, up Las Damas Street and down Calle Hostos and on to Calle El Conde for shopping, and to Plaza Espana for meals. In keeping with the authenticity of the whole trip, he also encourages travelers to find out who is serving the traditional Dominican lunchtime meal known as “la bandera dominicana” and to check out the stews, fried plantains, cassava (yuca) and delicious tropical fruits.
“And if you still feel like dancing the night away, hop in a taxi to the Malecon, Santo Domingo’s seafront boulevard, where the large hotels have popular dance clubs pumping merengue until the wee hours of the morning,” he observes.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/getaways/09/25/…