Dominican Republic

Antoine's view

Tourism in the French Antilles has suffered from social trouble and excessive urbanization caused by tax exemption. It has to face a strong concurrence : tourism in the Dominican Republic : the country, first, is magnificent, from the endless beaches of Punta Cana to the mountains in the island's centre, the rich historic districts of Santo Domingo and the waves of Cabarete...
Salaries are much lower in the Dominican Republic than in the French Antilles, so service is better.. And tourists rush to this country, that has more than its unique beaches: a sum of qualities that make almost as fascinating- dare I say it - as Brazil !

It's true that it would be sad to know, of this country that occupies the eastern half of the large island of Hispaniola, only the beaches and the -all inclusive- holiday resorts of Punta Cana, when the island boasts scenery, a culture, a music that are unique.

If you wish to discover them, you should travel by your own means, rent a car, discover the capital city, the peninsula of Samanà, with the wonderful little village of Las Terrenas ; go sail as I have done at the foot of the astounding sugar loaves of Haitises National Park. Lodge in one of the small boarding houses in Cabarete or Sosua, go see the island centre's craftsmen make wonderful carnival masks.
Discover the gigantic, crazy -Faro a Colon- where are said to rest the remains of Christopher Columbus; the strange village, a copy of an Italian village of the 16th century, of Altos de Chavon; go watch the whales that play in the bay of Samanà, and surf the waves coming from the North Atlantic.
Discover countryside cooking in a small restaurant of Santo Domingo, and Dominican music : the Merengué, a rhythm that's famous in the whole world; but most of all, the music I love, Bachata, whose unchallenged leader is Antony Santos, who sings "Il Vizio de tus Labios" "Give me the vice of your lips".

And you will understand why numerous travellers, backpackers who had come from all over the world, have been charmed by the Dominican Republic to the point that they have settled here, and started a new life, for instance along the golden beaches of La Terrenas.