Compare Dominican Republic Holidays

Overview

There are two sides to the Dominican Republic, just like thereare two sides of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola on which theRepublic is situated. The Dominican Republic shares the island withneighbouring Haiti. Inside the confines of the many resort hotelsalong the beautiful coastline, tourists languish in luxury, sippingcocktails under the palm trees and bathing in beautiful bluelagoons. The other face of the Dominican Republic can be foundalong the country roads, among the sugar cane, coffee and cocoabean fields, where people labour in the sun and men play dominoesoutside tumble-down shacks. For the local people (there are 8.5million people on this well-populated part of Hispaniola island)tourism is an important source of income, and the thousands ofvisitors who come to enjoy the resorts and explore the SpanishColonial legacy in this country 'where America began' arewelcome.The South Coast contains some of the country's bigger cities andnational parks. The capital, Santo Domingo, was the first Spanishsettlement in the Americas. Christopher Columbus initiated thefirst European New World settlement here in 1496. His legacy ispreserved in the bricks and mortar of the historic old section ofSanto Domingo, which has been turned into an entertaining andinteresting Colonial 'theme park'. The other tourist spots in theDominican Republic are the northern Amber Coast region aroundPuerta Plata, the beautiful Samana Peninsula, and the resortcommunities of the east coast, where stretches of pristine tropicalbeach have been bought and developed into all-inclusive resorts.However, those who take the trouble to explore a little behind thescenes will find plenty of unspoilt tropical paradise off thebeaten track in the Dominican Republic, and locals ready andwilling to offer warm hospitality.

Money

The currency is the Dominican Republic Peso (DOP), divided into100 centavos. Many of the hotels and restaurants in the maintourist destinations display their prices in US dollars as well asin Dominican Pesos, as US dollars are widely accepted and someplaces will also accept Euros. The peso cannot be exchanged outsideof the Dominican Republic. Major currencies can be converted intopesos at Central Bank approved bureaux; only 30% of the pesosbought can be re-converted and this only if the original receiptsare produced, so it is best not to buy more pesos than you arelikely to need. Major credit cards are accepted everywhere, but acommission is usually charged and it is recommended that you onlyuse your credit card at your hotel as fraud incidents have beenreported. The best exchange rates are paid on US travellers chequesand secondly on US dollars cash and are best exchanged at exchangebureaux (casas de cambio). Banking hours are Monday toFriday from 8.30am to 4.30pm; some banks also open on Saturday.ATMs are widespread.

Time

Local time is GMT -4.

Language

Spanish is the official language, but English is spoken in the main tourist centres.

Climate

The Dominican Republic is hot and tropical, with little seasonalvariation in temperatures, which average about 77°F (25°C).Seasons can, however, be determined by rainfall, with October toApril being the rainy season on the north coast, while May toNovember is the wettest month in the south of the country. Thedriest area is the west. Cooler temperatures and less humidity aregenerally experienced between November and April, while themountainous interior is always cooler than the rest of the country.Hurricanes occur on average once every two years on the island,most striking the south of the country and most happening in Augustand September. The busiest time of year to visit the DominicanRepublic is between December and April when North Americans take atropical break from their winters, and from June to September, which coincides with European summer holidays.

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