Art and culture lovers who are visiting or live around Santiago will find the León Jimenes Cultural Center worth visiting. An art lover myself, this is one of my favorite places to go and spend a relaxing few hours, when I have them to spare. Here’s some history and general information you may find interesting to know before you go.

Don Eduardo León Asensio Jimenes, a famous santiagueño and philanthropist, had a special penchant for encouraging growth in the visual arts, and sought in particular to contribute in the development of young artists’ talent. In harmony with this thinking, the León Jimenes Art Contest was started in 1964, in an effort to promote and exhibit the work of Dominican artists of varying ages. He also established a foundation to continue this work, and that foundation went on to construct the León Jimenes Cultural Center in 1999. (more…)

While in the Dominican Republic you might be interested in a few holes of golf. The Dominican Republic has some world class golf courses such as the Punta Espada golf course where the Cap Cana Championship tournament is held. The temperate weather and beautiful surroundings make the DR a great place to have a golf vacation. This list of available golf courses, golf clubs, and golf resorts can help you get started.
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Here in the Dominican Republic there are many things that you aren’t always used to. One of these things that we are not always used to is the fruit stands.

Now, there are some fruit stands in the U.S. and probably in other places too, but I doubt that they are like the fruit stands in the Dominican Republic. To start off, a quick description of the stands here, they are made of anything that you could think of, a lot of them being on the side of a house or in a house. But to make it even more different, (more…)

It gets hot in the DR and well, you’re not always near a beach to cool off. One of the great ways to get around that minor problem is the Kaskada Water Park (Kaskada Aqua Park) in  Santiago.

Pools: There are two main swimming pools, one in front of the grandstand and the other attached to one of the bars. Both are good for lounging around and taking a swim. One of them had a low and a high platform to dive from.

Water Slides: There were 6 water slides. Three that required tubes and three that did not. (more…)

It’s a small town (60,000 inhabitants) in the central part of the Dominican Republic. It’s a place from which it is easy to get pretty much everywhere, you can take the gua-gua and in 2 hours you are in Puerto Plata, it is 2 hours to Santo Domingo, about 40 minutes to Santiago and about 3 hours to Samana.  City itself has very little to offer unless you are there in February. It’s a month of Carnival, one of the oldest Dominican traditions. (Check our website for updates and photos in February.)

If you happen to visit La Vega any other time, there are basically two things you may want to see:

1. 

   La Vega Cathedral

   The Cathedral – it is situated next to the main park, impossible to miss. It’s a grey, concrete building, a mixture of Gothic and neo-industrial styles. Nothing impressing I am afraid.

2. The ruins of the original city of Concepción de la Vega (now called La Vega Vieja) It was founded in 1495 by Bartolomeo Colombo at the Concepción fortress, which had been built by Christopher Columbus in 1494. When we arrived at the place we realized we were the only tourists. The entrance fee is 50 pesos. Even though the guide books say you can have a tour in different languages, the guide spoke only Spanish. He showed us the ruins of the Fransiscan monastery explaining where the library and bedrooms were. He also showed us the graves of the Taínos (pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles). He mentioned that there was a custom to bury them in a fetal position. (more…)

Boca Chica beach is located on the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola. It’s a unique reef-protected lagoon of tranquil blue waters and powder-white sand. It is perfect for families with children as it is only waist deep even up to a mile from the shore and hardly ever there are waves. The crystal clear and shallow water are great for swimming and snorkeling, paddle boating, kayaking, especially around the coral reefs. Boca Chica has two small islands, Los Pinos and La Matica (later there maybe something more about those two islands).

Boca Chica has a many Hotels and all inclusive resorts within walking distance of the beach. For a list check out our Boca Chica Hotel Reviews.

Boca Chica is the most crowded beach of the Dominican Republic especially on weekends and holidays because it is only 19 miles away from the capital city – Santo Domingo. Only Monday morning the beach is empty and cleaned up of any trash left from the day before. It is so close to the capital that it pays off to go there even for one day. It is small and basically everywhere you can get on foot. You can always take a motoconcho for 10 pesos and they will take you whenever you want to. If anyone gets tired of the beach, it is also close to other places such as a small horseshoe bay that offers great boogie boarding or if you are interested in playing golf, there is San Andres Caribe Golf Club in the area.

People call it “shopping beach”, (more…)

The Dominican Republic is an amazing a place to visit and have your next holidays, I personally know that because I live there and I perfectly understand why this is a natural paradise in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic is the main destination in the Caribbean and a top exotic destination in the world. In regards to beaches –most of them are located in all-inclusive hotels and resorts are a natural marvelous with white sands and crystal water.

If you visit the eastern provinces of the Dominican Republic you can take a boat to the Catalina Island which is a very colorful paradise and is part of the territory of the Dominican Republic. While you are moving over there, it takes about 30 minutes or less, you start realizing that in the middle of the sea between the Dominican Republic and Catalina Island crystalline parts where you can clearly see the button of the sea. It is incredible the way you can see that and the beauty of this place. When you arrive to the Catalina Island immediately you see you are experiencing a marvelous delight.

I think the beaches of the Dominican Republic are the most beautiful beaches of the world. Definitely are the best in the Caribbean and are visited every year by tourists from Europe, Canada and United States but its beauty and exquisiteness are incredible. Beaches in the Dominican Republic are basically divided in those which are located in the north of the country –touristic zone of Puerto Plata-, those that are located in the south of the country –basically in provinces such as San Cristobal, Bani and Barahona- and those that are located in the eastern zone of the Country such as Bavaro, Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and more.

-Wonderful paradise with white sands: Sand is so white in the beaches of the Dominican Republic that you will be enticed to eat it. (more…)

Dominican Republic is know by Canadians, American, European and more as a great destination that being the second largest country in the Caribbean is the main destination in this zone. There are several reasons why beaches is the foremost attraction of tourists that come –millions of them each year- to its beaches and take even some weeks in all-inclusive hotels and resorts. I would like to share with some of the reasons why you should visit the Dominican Republic in your next holidays. Discover the richness of this country and why its beaches are the best option for you during your next vacations in the Caribbean.

-Exotic place: I personally think that Caribbean is one of the most exotic places of the world and everybody like visit exotic places such as beaches, hotels and resorts of the Dominican Republic. This is the perfect place for your honeymoon or even if you are attempting to have a second or third romantic holiday it is also a great place for you. There are places –all inclusive hotels and resorts- in the Dominican Republic that are specially prepared for single people. (more…)

So far one of the more interesting sources of pictures of the Dominican Republic has been using Google Maps. Dominican Republic

Once you get to this page, click on the “more” link and then check the Photos checkbox. You will then see a bunch of thumbnail images of different places around DR. You can click on these to blow them up. It’s a nice way to see images and know which area they come from.

DRs a beautiful place. We will likely be starting off moving closer to a city and then later moving further into the country. Looks like there is going to be a lot of great places to explore.