Puerto Plata is the largest coastal town in the north and the eye line is dominated everywhere by the dramatic 2,600ft high Peak of Mount Isabel de Torres. Worth a trip up the scarey but safe cable car (named the Teleferico) to amble slowly around the crumbling walls of the botanical gardens. Always cool and refreshing after the quivering heat waves in the town, the botanical gardens also retain a slice of rain forest and nature reserve with over 30 species of protected birds.

The town itself holds an air of shabby elegance reflected in the architectural grace of the Victorian “gingerbread” houses scattered through out the town. If you do venture down town  you must stop off at ‘central park’, the town square, surrounded by shops, the Amber Museum and the Church named Iglesia de San Felipe. The central hub of Puerto Plata where you can just sit back on a bench at the pretty La Glorieta pavilion (built 1872)and slurp quietly on a delicious ice cream bought at the Italian Ice Cream Parlour across the square and watch the world go by! (This is also a good place to exchange money in the Ice Cream Parlour named Mariposa).

Also worth checking out nearby is the Fortress of San Felipe (Click here to see our Puerto Plata City and Sosua Tour details) and also the Brugal Rum Factory. The promenade or ‘malecon’ has just been completely renovated (December 2005) enabling one to walk the whole length from the Fortress to Long Beach - quite far- however there are plenty of watering holes along the front to have a pit stop. A good halfway point is a little bar/restaurant called Los Almendros (the almond) owned by a French Canadian lady, Denise. Frosty cold Presidente beer and a good bite to eat with the mesmerizing view of the Atlantic Ocean opposite, cheap as chips too and very clean toilets/washrooms!

Puerto Plata itself does not have any large hotels, however for the back packer or those not wanting to be part of the ‘all-inclusive’ resort in nearby Playa Dorada there are plenty of bed and breakfast type accommodations available. A word of warning for the independent traveller is try and keep away from the port/harbour as it is a rough area at night and also the Long Beach vicinity (this is at the opposite end of the Malecon away from the Fortress). Both are renowned red light districts so whilst it is fun to see the colourful and lively side of life do keep a close check on your wallets and purses as pick pockets of both sexes are plentiful!

Casa Nelson is the one and only department store in Puerto Plata and it is worth going to have a look. Time has stood still in this department store for the last fifty years and retail management skills are still an unknown entity. On the upside though any budding Imelda Marcos’s will be in heaven as the shoe department is full of hundreds of cheap bargains and with the introduction of the “Free Zones” (Industrial sites) you can pick up a pair of Calvin Klein jeans or Adidas trainers/sneakers cheaply as they are island made!

To get around during the day depends upon how adventurous you are feeling at that particular moment! If you are staying in the Playa Dorada resort then there will be taxi’s waiting at your hotel and a taxi tariff will be displayed at reception. If you are out and about outside the resorts then you will see minibuses in varying degrees of dilapidation, these are known as “gua gua’s” and are the local bus network. For the amazing price of 5 to 20 pesos you can pretty much travel up and down the north coast line! No set timetable really these buses run all day into early evening time and generally cram as many people and farm animals as they can humanely and animally possible. Great fun in an Indiana Jones way - try it!