Things To Do in La Romana

If you’ve had your fill of sand and sea, explore La Romana’s rolling hills and plantations on a scenic truck safari. You’ll trundle through sugarcane fields, cocoa farms and dusty villages, stopping off at little homesteads to refuel with coffee. Most tours include riverside lunches, with the chance for a quick dip afterwards.

La Romana’s beaches are knee-deep in watersports, boat trips and cruises. Jet off on water-skis, skipper your own speedboat, or land a tuna or billfish on a deep-sea fishing trip. Divers and snorkellers aren’t forgotten, either. You can scuba down to shipwrecks and sponge gardens, or float about in Bavaro’s colourful offshore reef.

The Dominican Republic is one of the Caribbean’s golfing meccas, so if you’re a fan of the game, there’s every excuse to get a round in. Book tee-times at any of the courses around La Romana and you’ll be greeted by velvety fairways, devilish doglegs and palm-swathed greens. Topping the lot is Pete Dye’s legendary Teeth of the Dog course, which is perched above the sea.

Founded by Christopher Columbus in 1504, Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the New World. It’s home to a colonial zone that’s chock-a-block with churches, museums and palaces. Check out the Alcázar de Colón, a coral-stone mansion built for Columbus’ son Diego, and the futuristic, cross-shaped Columbus Lighthouse, which is said to contain some of the explorer’s remains.

‘La Capital’, as it’s known to the locals, is the Havana of the Dominican Republic. Around an hour’s drive from La Romana, it was founded in 1504 by Christopher Columbus. Head for the Zona Colonial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Packed into its square mile is the Americas’ first cathedral, Alcázar de Colón – a mansion built for Columbus’ son Diego – and Columbus Lighthouse, which is said to contain some of the explorer’s bones.

Baseball is as popular in the Dominican Republic as footie is the UK. If you’re visiting during the season – October to February – it’s well worth catching a game. In La Romana, roaring crowds gather at the Francisco Michelli stadium to cheer on the local Azucareros team. And in Santo Domingo you can watch the country’s top team – the Tigres del Licey – at the Quisqueya Stadium.

With its calm waters and soft white sand, this stretch in La Romana definitely pulls in the bucket-and-spade brigade. The shack cafés lining the sand serve up a fine line of fish dishes, and you can buy drinks straight from the sellers wandering the beach.

Bayahibe’s main beach teams a crescent-shaped stretch of white sand with glass-clear water that’s perfect for snorkelling. It’s got a sleepy vibe, but there are plenty of places to grab a cold Presidenté. And come evening, 20-somethings congregate here for beach parties that pump out merengue music.

La Romana’s best beach is a playground for wealthy South Americans, who flock here for the pristine white sand and top-notch restaurants. You can do everything from windsurfing to fishing, or just remain firmly on your lounger and book in for a massage. Just be aware this beach is private, so you’ll need to pay a small entrance fee.

The Dominican Republic’s ‘cayos’ – or islands – live up to their Robinson Crusoe reputation, and Saona is no exception. Marooned off the coast of Bayahibe, this palm-fringed isle was once the backdrop for a Bounty ad. With white sands, coral gardens and giant red starfish, it’s certainly a taste of paradise. It’s got national park credentials, too. Behind the beach are palm-filled gardens with tropical birds – and butterflies that are almost as big.

Columbus discovered this idyllic island in 1494 – and now it’s your turn. Lying just off the Republic’s south-east coast, it’s part of a National Park, which means you can look forward to powder-white sands, nodding palms and turquoise waters. Behind the beach, you’ll find tropical gardens filled with rainbow-bright birds and butterflies. Getting there is easy – boat trips run from Bayahibe daily.

From mid-January to the end of March, around 10,000 humpback whales travel to the Samana Peninsula, around an hour’s drive from La Romana. They come from as far away as Norway. Huge colonies come here to breed, using the bath-warm waters as a giant nursery. Jump on a whale-watching boat and you can see them at play – some get so close you can almost touch them.

This vibrant festival kicks off with a colourful parade along the Malecón, Santo Domingo’s seafront strip. Over the following few days, the city’s streets are filled with street bands, DJs and dancing crowds. Big stages are set up for performances from famous merengue bands, and food stalls and fairs pop up all over the place.

Bayahibe’s sleepy main beach is a curve of white sand edged with laid-back beach bars, watersports huts and fish restaurants. Join a snorkelling trip and you can visit the offshore reef – it’s jam-packed with luminous fish and quirky-looking marine creatures. Come evening, things get a bit livelier, with dancing and merengue music on the agenda.

Dominicus Beach is next door to Bayahibe Beach. It’s a photogenic spot, with a belt of rosey-white sand sloping down into pale blue and green waters. And it’s not just a pretty face – it’s picked up a Blue Flag award for cleanliness, too. It’s a great choice if you’re big on watersports – you can try out things like sailing, canoeing and windsurfing.

La Romana City is home to Tabacalera de Garcia, the world’s biggest handmade cigar factory. Book yourself on a tour here and you’ll see the 4,000 workers making them from start to finish. Highlights include the curing room, where mammoth amounts of tobacco are carefully dried, and the rolling room, where cigars are made in seconds. You can even try a few smokes as you go round.

This palm tree-backed cove has soft white sands and calm waters that are great for children to splash about in. It’s a popular spot with locals at weekends, but visit during the week and there’ll be plenty of room to spread out. Local vendors cook up fresh-from-the-net seafood – order a plateful and they’ll put out a table and chairs so you can dine on the sand.

The ribbon of white sand at Playa Las Minitas is part of the posh Casa de Campo resort, so you’ll have to pay a small entrance fee if you want access. It’s worth it, though – there are swanky restaurants serving up fresh seafood dishes, and watersports like canoeing, kayaking and windsurfing to have a go at.

While it’s got the Caribbean-standard white sands and swaying palms, the real attraction at Bavaro Beach is under the waves. The offshore reef is like the Piccadilly Circus of the marine world – the coral beds teem with candy-coloured fish, drifting lobsters, flame-red starfish and exotic sponges. On top of the water, meanwhile, you can have a go at watersports like sailing and windsurfing.

Between January and March each year, around 10,000 black humpback whales make the journey to Samana Bay, on the Dominican Republic’s north coast. They come to breed in the Jacuzzi-warm waters. Take a boat trip out into the bay and you’ll get to see them turn tail in the water, hear the eerie mating calls of the males, and maybe even see a calf or two.

Everyone from nervous newbies to mambo kings – and queens – can get their kicks at this event. Held at the Grand Palladium Palace Resort on Bavaro Beach, it’s a full-on celebration of salsa. As well as workshops where you can learn the basics or perfect your moves, there are first-rate performances from the Punta Cana Salsa Team, and late-night discos where you can strut your stuff until the early hours.

Turn your back on the beach for a day and go off-road to see the real Dominican Republic. Sign up for a monster truck safari and you’ll head off through the countryside in a 4x4 with a difference. You’ll climb into an 8x8 that’s so huge you need a ladder, then clock sugar cane plantations and tropical rainforests, and power through rushing rivers.

Perched high above the Chavon River, about half an hour’s drive from Bayahibe, this replica 16^th-century village boasts movie-star credentials. Scenes from Apocalypse Now were filmed here, and Frank Sinatra has performed here, too. Altos is also a cultural showcase for the Republic’s handicrafts and cottage industries, so it’s crammed with chocolate-box workshops, museums and souvenir shops.

Cigars are big business in the Dominican Republic, and La Romana has the world’s biggest handmade cigar factory. Take a tour to peek into its curing rooms, where the tobacco’s dried, before seeing the rolling stations where staff twist the cigars in a few super-quick flicks of the wrist – the fastest can roll a staggering 1,500 a day.