mid-January to the first week in February as the championship unfolds to decide who will represent the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean World Series.

   Pomier is the largest cave system in the Caribbean, comprising 54 caves, 30 of which contain more than 4,000 wall drawings and rock carvings left behind by the Pre-Columbian Igeneri and Taino Indians. Pomier lies in the neighboring southern province of San Cristóbal, a short drive away. An area within the cave has been equipped by the Ministry of Environment to receive guided visits.

   Km. 20 Duarte Highway, Santo Domingo
Tel: 809 372-7441
Fax: (809) 372-7446
Year opened: 1989
Number of holes: 18 holes par 72
Course description: Widely spread over hilly terrain with the lush vegetation reflected in several small lakes.

   Avenida Belice, Urb. Isabel Villas, Cuesta Hermosa III, Arroyo Hondo, Santo Domingo
Tel: (809) 549-6841
Fax: (809) 567-9475
Year opened: 1997
Number of holes: 9 holes par 36
Course description: Located in northern Santo Domingo alongside the Isabela River.

  Santo Domingo is home to hundreds

of beauty parlors, some very upscale, and the city is well-known for its beauticians and hair stylists and spas for a day of pampering. Among the better known facilities are Daisy Gran Salón, the Payot Institute at Salon Llongueras, Hermanos Dueñas or Virginia Spa. Day passes can be purchased to city gyms, such as Body Shop and Gold’s Gym, to keep up the bodybuilding routine. Some hotels feature onsite sports facilities, such as Renaissance Jaragua, Meliá Santo Domingo, Inter-Continental V Centenario, Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino or Hotel Santo Domingo.

  Santo Domingo is built for shopping, with several malls located in the Sarasota to John F. Kennedy avenue environs, including Plaza Central, Plaza Lama, Plaza Naco, Americana Departamentos, Hache, Torre Acropolis, Centro Cuesta, Bella Vista Mall and Diamond malls. Other city shopping areas are El Conde Street, Duarte Avenue, Carrefour and the Luperón Avenue shopping district.

   A farmer’s market that has converted itself into the country’s largest display of arts and crafts. Located on Mella Avenue, the market lies within walking distance of El Conde pedestrian shopping district and the many souvenir shops that line the streets of Arzobispo Meriño and Isabel la Católica in the Colonial City.

   Santo Domingo is the preferred choice for shopping for fine Dominican art in the city’s many fine galleries.

   Jorge Caridad, one of the country’s leading amber jewelers, opened the Ambar and Larimar Museums to share his personal collection of outstanding pieces and impart his vast knowledge of these semi-precious gems to visitors. Within walking distance of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, the museums feature adjacent jewelry stores for shopping.

   The extraordinary combination of a sophisticated, modern metropolis with a historically significant cityscape, fine dining and busy cultural scene and night life, as well as city parks and a beautiful tropical seaside location, with proximity to world-class beaches, make the capital city of the Dominican Republic a prime choice for meetings. Capital city hotels can accommodate small meetings to large groups of up to 2,000 in the ballrooms of the Dominican Fiesta Hotel & Casino and Renaissance Jaragua. The Barceló Gran Hotel Lina, Hilton Santo Domingo, Hotel Occidental El Embajador, Meliá Santo Domingo and InterContinental V Centenario also offer covered venues for large meetings. There are also many auditoriums with capacity of up to 5,000 that can be booked for events. Convention and meetings planners are experienced in orchestrating the perfect balance of substantive business meetings with entertaining “theme nights”, intriguing excursions, and visits to cultural attractions.