2017 Vacation to Punta Cana / Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic takes up the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola and is one of the most varied countries in the Caribbean. Punta Cana on the east coast is a strip of all-inclusive resorts and long white beaches. The capital, Santo Domingo, has the Zona Colonial, a UNESCO-listed old town founded in the 1490s with the first cathedral built in the Americas.

Inland, the Cordillera Central rises to Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean at just over 10,000 feet. On the Samaná Peninsula, thousands of humpback whales gather each year from mid-January to March to mate and give birth.

Photo: Desox7x via Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Santo Domingo is a short flight from Jamaica, and regional carriers have offered direct service between the two countries in recent years. Routes come and go, so check what is currently flying. Otherwise, connections through Miami or Panama City are common.

Air travelers must complete the free Dominican e-ticket (entry and exit) form online before arriving.

The DR feels bigger, busier and more Latin than Jamaica. Spanish is the language, merengue and bachata fill the air instead of reggae, and baseball is the national obsession. The food is hearty: la bandera (rice, beans and stewed meat) for lunch and mangú (mashed green plantain) for breakfast.

For resort holidays, the DR is often cheaper than Jamaica, with a huge range of all-inclusives. Outside the resorts, you will need some Spanish to get around comfortably, and road travel between regions can take longer than the map suggests.

Photo: Anton Bielousov via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

• Explore the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo, with its cathedral, fortress and lively plazas.
• Watch humpback whales from Samaná between mid-January and March.
• Hike Pico Duarte, usually a two- or three-day trek with guides and mules.
• Climb and slide down the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua near Puerto Plata.
• Go to a baseball game during the winter league season, when the stands are full of music and noise.
• Take a boat to Isla Saona, a protected island of palm-lined beaches off the southeast coast.

December to April is dry and busy. Summer is hotter and brings a hurricane risk, but prices drop.

Punta Cana and Bávaro are the all-inclusive heartland, with long beaches and resorts at every price. Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial has boutique hotels in restored colonial buildings, ideal for history and nightlife. On the north coast, Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete offer a more varied mix, with Cabarete known for kitesurfing. The Samaná Peninsula, especially Las Terrenas, is quieter, with small hotels and a European feel. Consider where you want to spend your days, since long drives between regions eat into a short trip.

Rough monthly budget for one person: $1,000 to $1,600 (US dollars), covering a modest rental, utilities, groceries and getting around.

The cheapest place in the region on most measures. Rent outside the tourist zones is low, local food is inexpensive, and public transport (guaguas and motoconchos) costs very little. Living in Punta Cana or central Santo Domingo pushes costs up.

Overall, living in Dominican Republic is cheaper than Jamaica, where a similar lifestyle runs about $1,300 to $2,000 a month. It ranks #1 of 24 on our list of the least expensive Caribbean islands to live on.

See the least expensive Caribbean islands to live on

Estimates only. Prices change, and your costs depend a lot on where and how you live.

• Currency: Dominican peso (DOP); US dollars are accepted in tourist areas
• Language: Spanish
• Driving: right-hand side, and driving can be aggressive
• Best for: budget-friendly resort holidays, whale watching, hiking, history and nightlife

Like Jamaica, the DR has tourist-area crime and hustle, so use the same common sense you would at home. In the north, Puerto Plata has a cable car up Mount Isabel de Torres, and the waterfalls at Damajagua are a popular day of climbing and sliding.