What to do in Santo Domingo - Travel - Travel Tips

The Dominican Republic is known to be paradise for shoppers, sunworshippers, and water sports enthusiasts. Occupying 60% of the island of Hispaniola (part of the Greater Antilles island chain), the Dominican Republic has two different faces: the wild north side of the island is buffeted by strong trade winds for much of the spring and summer. Combined with the blue waters of the shallow, warm Caribbean, the north coast is a surfer's paradise. Surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding are all popular here in places like Cabarete and Bozo beach. The relaxed rural atmosphere, when combined with new condo developments and amenities made possible by a booming tourist industry, make the north coast a hidden destination that's hard to beat. It's no wonder that real estate in Dominican Republic is starting to pick up.

The southern coast of Hispaniola has a gentler face. The sand is whiter here, the seas, protected in the lee of the island, are calmer, so beaches such as Boca Chica, on the southern coast are perfect for relaxing family vacations or intimate, slow-paced honeymoons. The southern coast, nicknamed the "swimming pool", is easily reached from the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. Tourism has helped boost the economy, and the government is stable. While there are opportunities to shop at the world's leading stores and purchase top brands, the capital city, which is more than 500 years old, also provides an ornate window into the colonial past of not only the Dominican Republic, but also much of the Caribbean.

First settled by Christopher Columbus in 1492 (Hispaniola was his first landfall in the Americas), the Dominican Republic has witnessed a history that is by turns breathtaking and heartbreaking. Now the country is a stable, thriving democracy, with a well-preserved history. Tourists are enchanted by Santo Domingo's Cathedral, as well as its Museum of the Royal Houses, and Santo Domingo Palace.

The Cathedral (Catedral Santa Mara La Menor), is at once the first cathedral to be built in the Americas, and also its first castle, and was constructed and inhabited by Don Diego Colon, the son of Christopher Columbus.

The National Palace serves as the President's office, while the Museum of the Royal Houses ( Museo De las Casas Reales), once a colonial mansion dating back to the 16th century, features the most expansive collection of colonial artifacts in the Caribbean. When it's discovered that Dominican Republic real estate for sale is close to such cultural treasures, noone can resist the call of Hispaniola.

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