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SANTIAGO – DINING

If you want decent Dominican food, along with a eagle’s eye view of the Santiago area, as well as a bit of history, you can’t get better than “Camp David Ranch Restaurant” (Carretera Luperón. Km 7.5), which is part of a hotel of the same name.  At over 2,000 feet above sea level, this classy […]

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“Pro Cigar Festival”

The region’s indigenous roots live on today in the form of tobacco production.  Over the years, due to the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, the U.S. cigar market has increasingly bought hand-rolled fine cigars from the Santiago region (a.k.a. El Cibao).  E. León Jiménez’s best-known label is “La Aurora”.  There are also foreign-owned cigar labels […]

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Centro Leon

  In further exploring the history of that part of the country, the best place for that would be the sleek, modern museum known as “Centro León” (built within the property of Dominican manufacturer E. León Jiménes).  That firm is best-known for its line of hand-rolled cigars, as well as being the Dominican affiliate of […]

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The Monument

For Dominicans residing overseas, as well as for tourists, Santiago has at least one conspicuous historical site:  “El Monumento” (The Monument) – located in the heart of the city, and built to commemorate Dominican independence from Spain after that country’s war of restoration in 1863.  This part of Santiago is also distinct, because it is […]

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SANTIAGO — THINGS TO SEE AND DO

Santiago (a.k.a. Santiago de los Caballeros), the island’s second-largest city (with nearby two million residents) grew in importance thanks to the large presence of its former residents in the USA, especially in New York City (which has half a million Dominican immigrants, and New York-born Dominican residents there).  The city’s airport, Aeropuerto Internacional del Cibao […]

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Helicopter Tours

Helidosa Air Group ( Carretera Arena Gorda, próximo a Manatí Park) – Cap Cana developer Ricardo Hazoury happens to own this company, which provides more adventurous tourists with aerial tours, offering them a birds-eye view of the entire Punta Cana-Bavaro area, as well as other parts of the island.  With a fleet of 15 modern […]

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Sports fishing

Sports fishing – needless to say, the area’s pristine turquoise blue waters invite sports fishing expeditions.  Guests at Cap Cana who are already yacht owners (or have friends who own one) are at a distinct advantage in venturing into the open seas to catch sports fish (with such events often organized from Cap Cana’s marina). […]

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Cueva Taina

Cueva Taina – this is an underwater cave located near “Imagine” nightclub in Bávaro. This cave was named for the country’s aboriginal inhabitants (the Taino Indians).  The Taino settled in this area where the cave is located and used it as their drinking water source.  Tour guides like “Pelicano Water Sports” (809-729-4242) can arrange dives […]

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Ecological Park

Bird watchers vsiting this site will likely be interested in learning about the Ridgway Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) — which is found only in the Dominican Republic and is one of the rarest animals in the world. With a total population of just 300 remaining individuals in the wild, the Ridgway Hawk is highly threatened with […]

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PUNTA CANA – RECREATION

This area cannot be called a luxury enclave unless it offered golf.  PCRC has three golf courses:  “La Cana” and “Corales” (both of which are seaside and designed by golf architect Pete Dye), and “Hacienda” which is further inland.   Cap Cana has the seaside “Punta Espada” golf course (designed by golfer Jack Nicklaus).  The […]