Travel – Page 219

Catering to travelers seeking upscale accommodation, weddings, meetings and events in Santo Domingo, the city’s newest hotel JW Marriott is in its inaugural first month. President Danilo Medina and Vice President Margarita Cedeno attended the first tour of the 150-room hotel on 28 August 2014. The hotel occupies the 12th to 20th floors of the …

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Iberia is marketing flights to Santo Domingo for EUR450-EUR493 from several Spanish cities. The airline returns to Las Americas International Airport after discontinuing the flights in April 2013 due to internal problems. Iberia is renewing its flights to Santo Domingo from Madrid on Monday, 1 September and is offering attractive fares to retake its market …

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Most hotels in Punta Cana are new or have been refurbished, and rates are hard to beat in the Caribbean. As a result, occupancy remains high along the eastern beach strip. Ernesto Veloz, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism Projects for the East forecasts that by the year’s end around three million air …

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The beaches of Uvero and Miches are now easier to reach. The Ministry of Public Works recently opened the northernmost stretch of the highway known as the touristic boulevard that starts at Punta Cana International Airport. The new highway was built by Brazilian company Odebrecht and Dominican company Sinercon and tourists headed to Uvero Alto …

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Coco Bongo, the famous Cancun discotheque, is recruiting staff for its Punta Cana opening. The disco will be located in the Downtown Punta Cana center at the intersection of the Boulevard Turistico with the Avenida Barcelo in Punta Cana (Cruce Coco Loco). Chief promoter Roberto Noble estimates that US$10 million have been invested. Coco Bongo …

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Now in its fifth year, the Estatuas Vivas Festival brings living statues to public spaces in Santo Domingo and Jarabacoa on 29, 30 and 31 August 2014. Fifty artists are taking part this year, competing for prizes ranging from RD$45,000 to RD$20,000. The event is organized by Guillermo Liriano Bass and Claudia Lizardo. The mannequins …

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Cellist Jonah Kim will be the guest soloist at the National Symphony Orchestra’s Wednesday, 27 August 2014 concert. Maestro Jose Antonio Molina will conduct the orchestra. Kim’s recordings and live performances have aired on US national and local radio and TV networks such as NPR and PBS. He also records for many pop musicians and …

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A butterfly conservatory being created at the National Botanical Gardens in Santo Domingo is expected to open in September. The Botanical Gardens receive 200,000-300,000 visitors a year and director Ricardo Garcia says that some 30 species will be included in the initial phase. http://www.jbn.gob.do

Tourist excursions to the Cayo Arena sand bank off Punta Rucia in western Puerto Plata province have been suspended. High tide has reduced the sandbank to a minimum, reducing the attraction for hundreds of tourists who visit to snorkel around the coral reefs. The suspension of excursions is expected to be a temporary measure until …

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Sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Ron Macorix and residential developments in Puerto Plata (Sea Horse Ranch, Millennium Hotel, Ultravioleta and Casa Linda), the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival returns to the north coast once again this November. Organizers bring jazz to local residents and tourists who gather under the stars. Last year, the festival enjoyed …

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