15 Interesting Facts About The Dominican Republic
Before heading to the Dominican Republic, we actually had no idea what awaited us. Truth is, we didn't research any facts about the Dominican Republic when we decided rather spontaneously to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve 2020 on this island during our year-long world trip.
We were actually in Peru, busy exploring Cusco and its surroundings, when that choice was made.
After getting a first glimpse of the Caribbean lifestyle in Costa Rica, we felt that a tropical Christmas holiday might be a fun experience. We actually never had this before.
We spent a total of three weeks on the island and learned some very interesting, surprising but also shocking facts about the Dominican Republic - read on to find out more!
DISCLAIMER: this blogpost contains affiliate links which means that we earn a tiny commission every time you book or purchase through one of our links. It doesn't cost you anything, it just helps us keeping this blog afloat.
Don't want to read this now?
Pin it for later!
What and where is the Dominican Republic?
The Dominican Republic is one half of an island called Hispaniola in the Caribbean that is shared with Haiti. It is part of the Greater Antilles archipelago and the most populated nation in that area.
With a tropical rainforest climate, the Dominican Republic has warm temperatures and rainy episodes all year long. The mild climate, beautiful beaches, lush green forests and mountains that are perfect for hikes, make it a very popular tourist destination.
The Dominican Republic in a nutshell
How to get to the Dominican Republic?
Since the country is located on an island, the only way of getting to the Dominican Republic is either by plane or boat.
By air
The main international airports are located in Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana. Either one is a good base to start your Dominican Republic adventure. Santiago and Samaná have international airports as well, though smaller and less frequented.
One interesting fact about the Dominican Republic is that most tourists visit it as part of a package deal. Which means they will usually book their (charter) flights, hotels and food options in one go. And with that, they will most likely stay at impersonal, all-inclusive hotels for a sweet price.
That's definitely not our travelling style but luckily, you can just book flights to the Dominican Republic from pretty much anywhere in the world.
And if you happen to catch one of these charter flights, the extra seats that aren't occupied by package-deal-tourists are cheaper than the regular airfare.
From the US and Canada | There are connections from most major airports in the US and Canada, the most popular and frequent ones being New York, Miami, Montreal and Toronto. All require a stop-over in New York City.
From South America | We actually came straight from Cusco with a stop-over in Lima. But other major cities offer direct flights too.
From the UK | There are several direct flights per week connecting London to Punta Cana with British Airways. The other airports require a stop-over in Miami.
From mainland Europe | All major airports offer flights to the Dominican Republic, some of them being direct ones like from Madrid, Paris or Frankfurt.
From Australia and New Zealand | Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Oceania to the Dominican Republic and most of the flights in general are quite expensive. The stop-overs will most likely be somewhere in the USA.
By sea
As with all Caribbean islands, the Dominican Republic is a very popular destination for cruise-tourism. With a coast that stretches over 1200 km (800 mi), there are quite a lot of entry ports and marinas for yachts(wo)men and sailors as well.
Instant vacation-feeling at Punta Cana's airport
How to get around in the Dominican Republic?
It's no secret that we absolutely love road trips.
And since we visited the Dominican Republic during the Covid19-pandemic, we wanted to keep our distances from other travellers and rented a car for the larger part of our trip.
We did get on the bus that brings you from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo in about 2 hours, though. And we were actually surprised at how well organised these transportations are.
If you don't feel comfortable driving in a foreign country - and believe me, driving in Santo Domingo for example is no joke - public transportation is your best option.
In and around the capital city, taxis and Ubers work perfectly.
Read more | What to pack for a road trip in Europe: a complete guide
Western Austria: a travel guide for road trips
Where to stay in the Dominican Republic?
Obviously, where to stay in the Dominican Republic depends greatly on your travelling style and what you plan on doing or visiting.
If it's all-inclusive hotels with little to no movement on the island at all that you are after, Punta Cana is the place to be.
But if you are more our kind of traveller, meaning explorers, wanting to mingle with the people and get a real feel of the authentic Dominican culture, here are some places to stay at in the Dominican Republic:
Santo Domingo: colonial flair and great food
Like I already mentioned, Santo Domingo is the capital city of the Dominican Republic. If you want to get a real good impression of the city's more than 500 year old history, you should definitely stay in the zona colonial.
The latter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 and the mix of Spanish buildings and Caribbean culture is fascinating.
Expect gorgeous historic buildings from when Christopher Columbus' little brother Bartholomew resided here - after casually founding the city - and cute little squares that offer a fantastic lunch-break setting with merengue and bachata music all around you.
Bartholomew Columbus' mansion
Santo Domingo is also where you need to be when you are looking for something specific to buy. There are lots of big commercial areas where you can literally find anything.
My iPad was broken (one of the downsides of a blogger's life on the road) and we were so glad to find repairers in Santo Domingo as the one we had in Cusco totally messed up.
Hotel Class Colonial | This is where we stayed the first time we arrived in Santo Domingo. Convenient, with a lovely little inner court, perfectly located in the zona colonial, good breakfast and friendly hosts.
Hampton by Hilton | We chose this hotel due to its proximity to the airport when we came back to Santo Domingo after our trip. Absolutely loved the rooftop-pool!
Cosy bar at the Hotel Class Colonial in Santo Domingo
Bayahibe: for diving pleasure
Beaches with still a bit of wilderness and a fantastic marine ecosystem make Bayahibe the perfect place to stay in the Dominican Republic if you are fond of diving adventures.
Apparently, there are even a few historical shipwrecks to explore nearby - how cool is that?
We would choose this over neighbour Punta Cana anytime. Alternatively, you could stay in La Romana for the same experience.
Bayahibe Village | Little boutique apart-hotel about 2,5 km (1,5 mi) from the beautiful Dominicus beach.
Bayahibe Guesthouse Hotel | Located right in the centre of Bayahibe, only 200 m from the sea; sea-views from some of the rooms.
Las Terrenas: whale watching and international vibes
Las Terrenas offers several beautiful beaches with lovely restaurants serving delicious and fresh seafood with amazing views. Try the crab, it's insane! Or a seafood-paella! Or a traditional mofongo with langoustine!
Dominican seafood-mofongo in Las Terrenas
Las Ballenas beach is famous for whales passing by which means you can spot them without having to suffer from potential seasickness on a boat.
If that doesn't bother you, get to the cute fisher-town Samaná (the colourful facades look more like Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco than Dominican) to head out on a full whale-watching expedition by boat.
Samaná
From Las Terrenas, one of our favourite beaches, Playa Rincón, is only 20min away and in 30 min you get to the starting point of our favourite hike to the Salto El Limón, a gorgeous waterfall.
Lots of French expats found their paradise in Las Terrenas which means that, if you are a bit tired of rice and beans, there are several shops where you can actually get French produces to cook something else for a change.
However, it's not a cheap place to stay at, compared to the rest of the Dominican Republic.
Casa Delfin Guest House | Colourful facades, about 50 m from the beach and 5 min walking from Fisherman's Village, one of the spots to visit in Las Terrenas.
Takuma Boutik Hotel | About 500 m from the Fishermen's Village, very cute rooms with an interior decoration I'd love to have in my house and a big pool along the restaurant.
Beautiful (and empty) Playa Rincón
Cabarete: kitesurfing and lots of expats
We absolutely loved Cabarete's vibe. We spent a few days there at the beginning of our trip, then drove around the island before deciding to come back to Cabarete for New Year's Eve.
A mix of expats, backpackers, artists and surfers give this town a truly bohemian colour. All spiced with Caribbean feel and Dominican cuisine.
Cabarete is especially known for kite- and windsurfing thanks to the strong winds on this side of the coast.
'Kite Beach' (duh!) in Cabarete
Nightlife is pretty active here as well. Pack some earplugs if (like me) you are a light sleeper. Or choose to stay a bit away from the centre like we did.
From Cabarete it's a 1 hour drive to one of the coolest beaches we've been to in the Dominican Republic. Playa Caletón (not to confuse with Playa El Caletón near La Romana in the South) is located in a beautiful cove with rocks all around. We hardly encountered any other tourists but locals come here instead. They like to pack all kinds of food and drinks and have a picnic on this beach.
Fresh piña colada at Playa Caletón
We came twice for some yummy lunch with a piña colada served in a fresh pineapple, our feet in the sand and our gaze out on the turquoise water. Don't mind the creepy looking heads, though. It's art...
Surfbreak B&B | A cute little B&B 5 min from Encuentro beach with an outdoor kitchen, two pools and a yoga studio. You're gonna love the furniture and decorations made by local artisans.
El Encuentro Surf Lodge | This is where we spent New Year's Eve ('NYE special Dominican dinner' included) and we chose one of the three bungalows that lie a bit secluded. We had the pool all to ourselves and it was amazing.
Our little terrace at the El Encuentro Surf Lodge
Jarabacoa: rainforest and waterfalls
In order to explore the centre of the island with its mountains, green forests and numerous waterfalls, try to stay somewhere in the area of Jarabacoa.
The most famous waterfall you will encounter is the Salto de Jimenoa Dos. There is a Salto de Jimenoa Uno but it's a lot smaller. Nevertheless, hiking the region is supposed to be awesome.
Due to my mishap with the iPad, we spent the day we were supposed to be hiking, driving back and forth between La Vega and Santo Domingo.
Hotel Anedi | We stayed here in this little village called Concepción de La Vega which was actually a perfect base to explore the surroundings. Super friendly hosts, lovely little cabins and good wifi, very cheap. They even have a pool now.
Hotel Gran Jimenoa | For a bit more 'colonial grandeur' (at least from the looks of it) at a decent price, this is a good address.
Hotel Anedi's cosy breakfast area
15 interesting facts about the Dominican Republic
Without any further ado, here are our 15 interesting, surprising and possibly shocking facts about the Dominican Republic.
Although you can imagine that with an island this big and a history that long, there are a lot more Dominican Republic facts to name. But that would go beyond the scope of this blogpost.
1 - The Columbus brothers
Technically, this is not one big fact about the Dominican Republic but rather several little ones: the whole island used to be called Hispaniola, comprising both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It's actually the only island in the world that holds two separate countries.
With its capital Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic has the first continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas. Christopher Columbus arrived on the island in 1492 and his brother Bartholomew founded Santo Domingo in 1496.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, though, the Taíno people occupied the island for several hundreds of years. No need to explain why there aren't hardly any Taíno people left after our 'heroic' conquistadores came by.
Christopher Columbus (and a bird on his finger), Santo Domingo
2 - Endless summer
Like I already mentioned, the Dominican Republic has a tropical rainforest climate, alternating dry and wet episodes. The temperatures stay pretty much the same all year round, which is why the weather is also referred to as 'endless summer'.
Unfortunately, tropical climate also means the occasional hurricane sweeping by, mostly between June and October. The last major one was hurricane 'Georges' which occurred in 1998.
Summer vibes in Cabarete
3 - A Jewish community
An interesting fact that I have been totally unaware of is that Jews have been around in the Dominican Republic at least since the 1700s, when they migrated mainly from Spain.
Much later came World War II with all its atrocities and a great number of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany got accepted in the DR as part of a refugee program organised by the government.
There is still quite a large Jewish community today around Sosua where they have settled as farmers and sell their produces on the local markets.
4 - Traffic
Traffic in the Dominican Republic is wild, especially in Santo Domingo, and right of way or even indicated lanes are more of an abstract concept.
Two-lane-streets are used like four-lane ones and you will have to take into account all the mopeds jumping between the cars.
Also: honk your horn to adapt to the local driving-style.
From all the road trips we've been on, this was one of the more aggressive driving experiences we had. At least in the capital city Santo Domingo.
Read also | Driving in Costa Rica: useful tips and information
5 - Something interesting about the currency
The currency is the Dominican peso. That's not unusual or overly interesting, is it?
No, the more interesting fact about the Dominican Republic is that you can't bring Dominican pesos when entering the country, unlike in many other countries. You will have to either change the money at the airport or get pesos at an ATM upon arrival.
6 - Tap water
Here's one very little but probably one of the most important facts about the Dominican Republic: tap water is unsafe to drink! You can use it to brush your teeth.
However, if you travel with an inflammatory bowel disease like I do, it's best to use bottled water even for that.
Having some kind of water purifier in your travel pharmacy is a must.
Read also | Travel pharmacy: the essentials for the journey
7 - Dominicans and the environment
Urgh! Here's an interesting but mostly shocking fact about the Dominican Republic: they couldn't care less about the environment!
In the stores, everything you buy is stuffed into an insanely big number of plastic bags. We're talking literally one bag PER ITEM.
Dominicans dispose of their trash everywhere. We drove by several foul smelling garbage dumps where the huge mounts of waste just get burned. There is no recycling or waste separation whatsoever.
We even witnessed tour guides telling their clients to just throw away there stuff in the bushes during the hike to the El Limón waterfall!
I mean: come on!!
Hiking to El Limón: who would want to trash this gorgeous place?
8 - Language
The official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish. Logically, street signs and restaurant menus are in Spanish as well.
You'd think that with so much international tourism, English would be widely accepted too. But nope. Dominicans generally don't speak English very well. Except in very touristy places like the all-inclusive resorts, the sort you find in Punta Cana.
Luckily, I studied in Barcelona and I never really lost my Spanish thanks to travelling in Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru and the likes.
9 - Tourist scamming and police corruption
Ah! Here's one of the most annoying facts about the Dominican Republic: while criminality is generally low compared to other countries in the area, Dominicans are masters in scamming tourists.
Be it as fake police officers, with unlicensed taxis or even as fake 'lovers', taking it as far as getting you to marry them to get out of the country.
'Gringos' are the most targeted.
10 - On tips
Per law, a 10% tip is ALWAYS added to the bill.
The problem with this is: in some places, it's the owner that cashes in the extra 10% instead of the employees - so just pay a little something more, even though the tip technically is included.
11 - Getting around with Uber
I talked about getting around in the Dominican Republic earlier.
What surprised us the most, and thus counts as one our 15 interesting facts about the Dominican Republic, is that Uber works extremely well in the Dom Rep!
We used it a lot in Santo Domingo the first days when we didn't have a car, since we wanted to avoid crowded buses in Covid19-times, and we didn't have one single bad experience.
Uber Eats works too! And even in the tiny town of La Vega where there weren't even restaurants in sight close-by.
12 - Expat heaven
With housing prices being so much lower than in North America, Canada or even Europe, so many expats choose the Dominican Republic as their new home.
I mean, who can blame them? There are beaches, turquoise sea, lush green nature and an endless summer awaiting them on the island.
Amongst our hosts during that trip we had several Austrians, Americans, Italians and Germans.
A personal welcome by our hosts Helmut from Austria and Sarah from the US
13 - (Un)punctuality
Ever heard about the 'island time'?
I guess it's the same pretty much everywhere. I had this in the Kingdom of Tonga, it was the case on Easter Island and even Maupiti, Fakarava and Bora Bora, even though French Polynesia technically belongs to France, have the same rhythm: they are always late.
Don't you dare rushing people! And if you have an appointment at, say, 10 am, don't expect anyone to show up before 11 am.
Funny thing, though: it's not like this in Europe. Yes, people on the islands of Malta, Gozo, Crete or Santorini also take their time. But that's nothing compared to what's going on in the Caribbean or Polynesia.
Ahhhhhh island time... to be enjoyed at Playa Rincón amongst others.
14 - Whale watching heaven
If you haven't done this before, this should definitely be on your list!
The Bay of Samana in the Northwest of the Dominican Republic is a popular mating area for humpback whales. They always show up between December and March.
Whale watching is an insanely fascinating activity and if it weren't for my seasickness, I would gladly do this more often.
15 - Dominican food & drinks
If you've been following this blog for a while, you will know by now that, although I'm not a food blogger, I love to compile the occasional food post.
To me, food is an intrinsic part of travelling and helps to really get to know a culture. The various influences of distinctive heritages, the way of cooking, the spices: it's all part of the experience.
Because I will most certainly write about the Dominican cuisine and their mangús, chicharrones, sancochos and mofongos, I will only leave it at this: Dominicans would die for coffee, the 'Dominican flag' we had on New Year's Eve consists of chicken, beans and rice and their national beer is the Presidente.
Us enjoying some national Dominican drinks
Don't want to wait to get some food content?
Read this | Food in Barcelona: amazing tapas and more
Costa Rican food is amazing and here is why
Facts about the Dominican Republic: final words
And that's it! These were some of the most interesting facts we learned about the Dominican Republic!
Sure, there are many, many others. But these are the ones that are either
a) important to know before even travelling to the Dominican Republic, or
b) just very peculiar, surprising or some even shocking.
I hope you enjoyed reading through this list and getting to know this pretty cool island.
If so, feel free to leave a comment or tell us your own DR experience below.
Also, please pin and share this post for others to see.
As ever,
xx
Cyn
Don't forget to subscribe to get our latest blogposts, useful travel hacks or just some entertaining stuff!
