Puerto Plata

A few out there who would disagree that an appreciable level of scenery makes a huge difference to a holiday destination. You can have all of the tourist amenities that you desire, a comfortable hotel and food that would make Gordon Ramsay cry, but at some point on a holiday you will just want to stop and drink things in. You have come on holiday to get away from the rush after all, and if you are going to stand still then you want to be able to enjoy your surroundings. This is something that makes a huge difference. If you take the time to relax and look around you and all you see is tower blocks and shopping malls, it will hardly feel like a holiday at all. As humans we are conditioned to be soothed by natural beauty, and this is why a holiday resort without great scenery can never be a great tourist resort.

Fortunately this means that Puerto Plata qualifies for the echelons of great resorts, as the scenery here is some of the best that the New World has to offer. The name Puerto Plata itself translates into English as “Port of Silver”, and there are a few competing theories as to why this is. Some say that it is because of the silvery mists that occasionally shroud the mountain – Isabela de Torres – which acts as a background to the port and gives it its unique character. Others contend that the name was given because of the silvery guayaba trees that grow on the mountain. Still others theorise that the many silver coins in the port’s waters, when caught by the sunset in the evening, gave the silvery sheen that brought the name about. Whichever of these is absolutely true, it is some combination of these and other factors that has seen the port bestowed with the nickname La Novia del Atlantico – Bride of the Atlantic.

There is much to see and do at Puerto Plata. A port of importance ever since Christopher Columbus landed here, it has retained a powerful old world charm, while being one of the original entry points to the New World. It is the ideal place to come if you have been on holidays before which led you to question what was unique about where you were. Take a look at the historic Fuerte de San Felipe and the cannons which line its walls. From there look out over the port itself, and gasp in wonder.

There are plenty of ways to spend an idle afternoon in Puerto Plata. Its amber museum will scintillate with the fragile beauty of some of its pieces. Meanwhile the Brugal rum factory allows you to watch how they make the region’s famous rum (and you may even find yourself moved to sample some of the product). You can experience the sensation of being right at the heart of a town that moves at its own pace, and gets everything done in plenty of time, and is one of the finest resorts in all of the Dominican Republic.