La Romana, Dominican Republic – Vacation Packages

The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean’s second largest island, Hispaniola (between Cuba and Puerto Rico), with Haiti. Located on the eastern half of the island, the Dominican Republic, with an area of 19,376 square miles, is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Its central portion is sculpted by four great mountain ranges with peaks over 10,000 ft. Its coastline varies from rocky cliffs to sandy beaches. Reefs and ancient wrecks surround much of the shoreline.

La Romana thrived as a sugar port years ago, until the 1970’s when Gulf & Western developed Casa de Campo, one of the world’s most famous resorts. It includes three 18-hole championship golf courses, one of which is part of a private country club. Pete Dye designed the inland “Links” course and the “Dientes de Perro” (Teeth of the Dog), which provides spectacular views along the coast and seven holes right on the shoreline.

Near to Casa de Campo is Bayahibe, the beach of your dreams. Nearby, is the site of Coral Hotels & Resorts’ newest property, fringed with palms that shade perfect white sand. Boat trips to the nearby islands of Catalina and Saona uncover beaches that are straight out of Robinson Crusoe. They are the jumping-off points for the country’s best Caribbean dive and snorkeling sites, including La Caleta National Park and the Eastern National Park (Parque Nacional del Este), which encompasses the islands of Saona and Catalina. The marine portion of the parks is a sanctuary for manatees, turtles and waves of passing dolphins. Dependably calm seas and miles of virgin reefs prevail. The brilliance of color underwater must be seen to be believed.

For more on Dominican Republic, check out the Dominican Republic Travel Guide on BootsnAll.