DR Adventure

Playa Dorada Golf Club

Attraction | "Nice Golf Course"

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My boyfriend went golfing by himself and enjoyed it. His caddy was not especially talkative but very nice once approached.

Fire ants can be a problem - you might get a little surprise!

The club house is a nice spot as well overlooking some of the holes and also offers dinner but be sure for gentlemen to wear long pants. (This is true of many restaurants in the area)

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Playa Dorada Golf Club

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
+809 320 3472

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Brugal Rum Factory Tour

Attraction | "Short, Sweet (or Rummy!)"

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It is not actually in Cabarete as the description above implies. It is between Puerto Plata and Playa Dorado I believe.The tour itself is free which we actually skipped and just had a gentleman give us a private quick overview of the factory outside instead of standing in the factory. Its interesting, not incredibly so however. The inside tour is also fairly quick but you do get to see the factory although its not particularly involved. One of the most interesting points is they use the old jack barrels which are discarded after one use but still good for adding flavor.There is of course then free rum tasting! They offer the cheapest to the more expensive which is supposed...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Brugal Rum Factory Tour
On the way to downtown Puerto Plata
Cabarete, Dominican Republic

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Cigar Museum

Attraction | "Small, Short Activity, and a Bit Pushy"

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If you like cigars and are doing a city tour anyway, its a good little stop. We went on a slow day I think and thus were the only ones there. We were ushered in and given the grand tour and explaination (I think it lasted 5 minutes). We were then shown how to roll our own cigar (they helped) and got a photo op with cigar guy who looks a bit odd in the pictures looking back at them. They have a humidor room where you may select cigars to buy - the vanilla are fantastic!And then you're done... oh wait, no you are ushered into the jewelry shop where they show you the workers in a tiny workshop room creating the pieces and the jewelry store where they want you to buy more things. They do o...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

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Snorkeling in Sosua

Attraction | "Great Snorkeling!"

Sosua Beach Photo - Sosua, Dominican Republic

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We opted to sign-up for the ~$30 snorkeling trip that drives you to Sosua and then in a small boat takes you just out into the water to snorkel. This is cheaper than the catamaran $65 trip and you have the opportunity to explore Sosua for a bit after snorkeling. We were on the truck with some people going Scuba-ing as well and they said it was the best spot.The truck circles around and picks up from the resorts like every other tour then heads just around the coast to Sosua. You are given a brief intro and taken right off the beach to the reef area where there are colorful fish. The tour booking guy suggested we bring bread and bananas and that was a great call! Also bring a plastic b...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

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27 Charcos of Damajagua

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Attraction | "Amazing - a Must Do - All 27!"

Jumping off the last waterfall Photo - 27 Charcos of Damajagua, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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The 27 waterfalls of Rio Damajagua is a must do - I'll get into that last. First, most tours that claim to do the waterfalls bring you up the first 7... which isn't very much as some are smaller - while nice and if it is all you have time for, do it, but try for all of them. There is one tour, iguana mama or something I believe, that is supposed to do more but we didn't go this route.Now this is where it gets interesting... we decided we would just head up to the falls ourself. The entrance fee is extremely cheap, $460 Dominican peso or ~$13 USD. This includes life jacket, helmet and a trained guide. So all you have to do is get there, right? Right!Looking at a map, judgi...Read More

The 27 waterfalls of Rio Damajagua is a must do - I'll get into that last. First, most tours that claim to do the waterfalls bring you up the first 7... which isn't very much as some are smaller - while nice and if it is all you have time for, do it, but try for all of them. There is one tour, iguana mama or something I believe, that is supposed to do more but we didn't go this route.

Now this is where it gets interesting... we decided we would just head up to the falls ourself. The entrance fee is extremely cheap, $460 Dominican peso or ~$13 USD. This includes life jacket, helmet and a trained guide. So all you have to do is get there, right? Right!

Looking at a map, judging the distance from Playa Dorado to Puerto Plata and then up to the falls, it seems pretty close. It's not that close - its a solid 45 minutes from what I recall. You have a few options - find that one tour that does all 27 and therefore your transportation cost is split between the whole truck of people, get a guagua to town and then find the guagua that heads up, or try to get a "taxi"/random person with a car who wants to earn a few extra dollars that day.

We ended up with the last option after the guagua directions we were given indicated it would be nearly impossible to figure out. (This was probably partially accurate as there is no sign from the road when you get to the falls to known to be let off but you are welcome to try as I'm sure its not actually that bad if you speak a little Spanish especially.)

The random stranger at the entrance to our complex offered us a moto-taxi to the falls for $10 - no helmets... which I'm really glad we didn't take - that would've been a long ride, especially with our towels and wet the ride back. He finally hailed us a random car who agreed to $15 but once inside and driving said it had to be $20 because it was far. Then he offered to wait and return us for $30 - great deal! For him it would've cost him the gas there and back regardless so this was his best option. (note: they also don't use gas, its petrol or something). So, since he didn't have any money, he preferred to be paid some in pesos ($10 USD) in advance so he could purchase the gas in town. We paid, he stayed, it all worked out and we paid the balance when he returned us! Another note, money is relatively waterproof - I stuck it in a secure pocket of my shorts and kept it with me in the falls. Also, bring a waterproof camera - you'll want pictures!

Now for the falls - they are AMAZING! You climb up shoots with ladders, ropes, around the rocks, hike up along the side, etc... its a bit tiring and there is swimming against the current but it keeps you cool - I did almost give up around #8 and #12 I think. It does require arm strength or a friend to help but the guide literally pulled me up a full shoot of water one of the times. My shoes got sand in them which hurt so if you have water shoes with holes, that's probably better also.

Once at the top you get to go down! You can slide down shoots, jump off cliffs into pools (sometimes multiple times), and its very relaxing/exhilarating to head down! There's just no way to describe it - its well worth the effort of getting there.

There is a bar at the complex and we also made sure to tip our guide as he did a lot of work getting us up the falls. We went first thing when it opened, maybe 30mins after or so and had the whole place to ourselves with our own private guide. Definitely the way to go rather than waiting for a whole slew of 20 people to climb up around you. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

27 Charcos of Damajagua

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Yasika Adventures (Zip Lining)

Attraction | "Fun!"

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http://www.yasikaadventures.com/Currently there is only one ziplining tour in the Puetro Plata area although we were told they are planning on putting in another and opening it up to offer competition which will also bring the prices down. The current prices are set by the owner so there is one set price for this tour - its not really negotiable and we've been told the owner isn't very nice on this point. (Turned out he was at the final platform when I came careening in and almost took him out - oops!)Ziplining in any country is pretty fun - I've done it a number of times. Here they spent a lot of time on the "training" before they let you get started which was pretty boring ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Yasika Adventures (Zip Lining)
Carretera Turistica Puerto Plata - Santiago La Cruz de Yasika, Yasika
Puerto Plata
+809-650-2323

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Dune Buggies

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Attraction | "So Much Fun!"

Dune buggies on the highway Photo - Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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As I'm sure you've figured out, its not necessary to plan every detail before arriving in DR; most trips are booked there or can be arranged last minute... things are pretty relaxed. I say this because you will not find any information about the dune buggy tours before you arrive other than reviews. Just head to a tour booking person (my favorite was the native english-speaking gentleman in the scuba shop in the mall because he tells you everything straight and honest and never pushes a sale) and they can give you the info on all the trips including dune buggies!The dune buggy place also offers 4x4 tours. Now how often are you going to get to ride around in a dune buggy though? The 4x4...Read More

As I'm sure you've figured out, its not necessary to plan every detail before arriving in DR; most trips are booked there or can be arranged last minute... things are pretty relaxed. I say this because you will not find any information about the dune buggy tours before you arrive other than reviews. Just head to a tour booking person (my favorite was the native english-speaking gentleman in the scuba shop in the mall because he tells you everything straight and honest and never pushes a sale) and they can give you the info on all the trips including dune buggies!

The dune buggy place also offers 4x4 tours. Now how often are you going to get to ride around in a dune buggy though? The 4x4s are more reliable however but thats half the fun! The guide will of course make sure you get running again and its really mostly a trick of dealing with the breaks properly. When you first get in they tell you never hit the brake with the gas. But... in some if you let off the gas completely, you stall... hence the always keep the gas going and brake at the same time to stop. Regardless, it only takes once to learn this trick and if your buggy really has issues, they can get you another or a 4x4 if you are annoyed.

That behind us... I've done 4x4 tours and you are pretty far off the ground. Now they SAY don't go through massive puddles in the buggies, but everyone does and its great - you get splashed and covered in mud and thats half the fun. Of course, you can avoid the puddles for the most part as well but bring clothes you might even be ok throwing away after (I washed mine and all but my white socks were fine).

Hint: BRING bandanas! They do not provide them, they offer them for $5 I believe. Also, bring tight-fitting sunglasses - there are no goggles like other countries.

The tour takes you to a small down where you are allowed to order beer (bring cash) and other drinks and then keep driving! Then you head out to a beautiful secluded beach where you can get in the water to wash off. I was wearing a bathing suit but everyone just ran in with full clothes to rinse out.

You do get to drive the buggy down the highway, then down the wrong side of the highway! This is to get to the dirt paths... it doesn't last for long but it is a trip!

Hint: If you bring a camera - put it in a plastic bag. Don't bring a nice purse - it'll be covered in a thick mud that doesn't come out of non-washable materials.

You can get a buggy per person or share one - I think its about $60 for two people in a buggy.

All these hints aside, everyone had fun - even if they weren't prepared and even the less outdoorsy people! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

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Easter-Time

Story/Tip

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If you google around a bit, and plan on heading to DR the week before Easter, you will see there are warnings regarding beach closures, etc.Well, the most officially information I could find stated that the government in DR will announce a week before the exact restrictions for that year. Of course, this doesn't help much if you plan to be there a week before! But do not fret, you can work around it.We headed to the mall in the Playa Dorada complex behind our hotel the first evening we were there and found a wonderful native english-speaking gentleman who works out of the Scuba shop. He will give you the details straight (and I'll write another review about him)... and he wa...Read More

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Fuerte de San Felipe

Attraction | "Nice Old Fort, Good Trip to Get There"

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When we headed to the fort, it was closed for the day. From the outside it was a neat looking fort - the doorways are maybe 5 feet tall and it is located on the tip of land just at the entrance to the harbor. From the fort you could see an interesting lighthouse, the entrance to the harbor, and out to sea. The lawn and area is a popular place for locals to come relax after work and enjoy the breeze off the water. There was also an interesting donkey - see the pictures I've included.The drive to get to the fort was pretty neat as well if you aren't going to spend time at the public beaches on another occasion.Given we didn't enter the fort, I can't say how amazin...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Fuerte de San Felipe
West of Av General Luperon
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Pico Isabel de Torres

Attraction | "Nice View, Not Much to Do at the Top"

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The cable car is pretty small and can be pretty intense when its very warm out. The view heading up was nice and it was great to pass through the clouds. The clouds of course did not make it easy for photos from the top but the cool mist was refreshing and it was pretty neat to go through the clouds.Do not accept one of the "tours" from the people at the bottom - while there are botanical gardens at the top, there isn't much and you probably don't need to spend money to have someone take you around. From what I hear of those who had paid for them, the "guides" didn't know much at all.We wandered around and circled back to the next car down and felt we had fully experienced e...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Pico Isabel de Torres
1 Km West Of Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Gran Ventana Beach Resort

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Hotel | "Solid, Clean Resort with Friend Staff"

Our room at Gran Ventana Photo - Gran Ventana Beach Resort, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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Upon checking in, we were taken to a room with two double beds so we wandered back to the front desk to inquire about a king. We were taken to the annex complex (the other side of the circle entrance), and shown a beautiful room with crisp white sheets over a down comforter with plenty of space and natural light. They wished to ensure we liked the room prior to switching which we accepted. While it faced the "road", we never had a problem with noise as it is just the entrance.The pool has 3 clover leaves, one shallow up to a beach like slope, one medium depth where the volleyball net is, and another deeper area to stay fully underwater to your shoulders. In the middle was a great swim-...Read More

Upon checking in, we were taken to a room with two double beds so we wandered back to the front desk to inquire about a king. We were taken to the annex complex (the other side of the circle entrance), and shown a beautiful room with crisp white sheets over a down comforter with plenty of space and natural light. They wished to ensure we liked the room prior to switching which we accepted. While it faced the "road", we never had a problem with noise as it is just the entrance.

The pool has 3 clover leaves, one shallow up to a beach like slope, one medium depth where the volleyball net is, and another deeper area to stay fully underwater to your shoulders. In the middle was a great swim-up bar with frozen drinks and others - only sad part was it didn't open until 10am, so you had to walk to the other very nearby bar if at 9am you craved something. (Not really a big deal!)

The second pool in the annex where we stayed had less children activity and was meant to be "quiet". There is also a bar just next to the pool for convienence and chairs partially submerged in the water to lay out. This pool did not have any of the event coordinator activities to keep it more peaceful.

One down side was while the entertainment was good most evenings, it ended very early. In talking to other guests when we were on excursions, they had much later activities going past 9pm given the clubs do not open until later. Their entertainment was also potentially more "adult" than our hotel which during the day focused on water exercising, volleyball, frisbee toss, etc. (compared to beer can crushing, etc)

Food here was reasonable and given the large buffet, something was always pretty good. You can contact the hotel in advance to reserve your 1x week at each of the a la cartes if you wish to dine your first or second day. The beachfront dinner a la carte was pretty horrible however and we cancelled our second stop there. During the day, the beachfront cafe is much better. The Octopus was our favorite and the italian of course was pretty standard.

The beach offered kayaks and snorkels for the 1hr a day included activities which was very pleasant.

I would recommend this hotel as it was very clean, no bugs anywhere and very friendly staff but I will warn its not a 5-star like you think of in a major US city. Its a beachy-carribbean chill destination, not a modern, cool-edgy resort. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Gran Ventana Beach Resort
PLAYA DORADA
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
809-320-2111

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Al Fresco

Restaurant | "Amazing Restaurant!"

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Living in New York, and previously Philadelphia, in addition to traveling to a number of countries, I've experienced some really great food. This place did not disappoint...It's amazing how a restaurant can survive in the middle of an all-inclusive cluster of hotels but once you eat here, you understand. The hotels have decent included buffet and a la carte restaurants (which you may only dine 1x week or other restrictions) but when you have a restaurant with fresh ingredients, large portions, and great friendly staff, we ended up eating out every day after we discovered this little place, either for lunch or dinner. The tuna carpaccio was so thinnly sliced and fresh and mar...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 14, 2010

Al Fresco
Playa Dorada
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
320-2230

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