Excursions in Puerto Plata

view of Puerto Plata from Torre Alta

 Our family has been to both Punta Cana and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. If the objective of your getaway is to chill at the beach for a week then Punta Cana is for you. The beaches are nicer. If you want a mix of some beach and other things to do, I recommend Puerto Plata.

Our group couldn’t just be at the resort so we spent a few days exploring outside. Here are some top recommendations:

1. Paradise Island/Cayo Paraiso—this was by far the best excursion. It entailed about a 2-hour car/bus ride and a 15 minute boat ride to get to the island, but it was totally worth it. The white, powdery sands and the clear, emerald waters were just perfect! There were just a few huts on the island including one for snorkeling gear and a snack bar. All of these were included in the package (along with lunch as it is pretty much a full day). There were some reefs close by and while hubby and I have seen more colorful fish in the Philippines, the variety and colours were very nice. The girls enjoyed their first snorkeling adventure and what better place than Paradise Island for this! DD#2 claims this is the best beach ever. It appeared that folks can only stay on the island for a couple of hours. There are no trashbins or toilets on the island, of course. So, to help preserve the island and give chances to other folks to visit, time on the island is limited. 

Paradise Island/Cayo Paraiso, Puerto Plata, DR

Paradise Island/Cayo Paraiso, Puerto Plata, DR

From the island back to the shore near Punta Rucia, we took a short detour to check out the mangroves near the outskirts of Monte Cristi National Park. It was like boating through the Amazon. Amazing.

mangroves near Cayo Paraiso, Puerto Plata, DR

2. Puerto Plata City tour—we went around Puerto Plata, driving by the Malecon --seafront boulevard where there was a King Neptune statue on one of the rocks on the water. At the western end of the Malecón, we checked out Fuerte de San Felipe--the fort is the only remnant of Puerto Plata's early colonial days built to protect against pirates.

Fuerte San Felipe, Puerto Plata, DR

We also checked out some of their bigger stores (Jumbo and La Sirena) to get some local vibe (and local shopping). My family especially liked the downtown where they had the Umbrella street, rum and cigar stores as well as an Amber museum. The plaza/town square was vibrant with hundreds of pigeons about and colourful buildings surrounding it.

Amber Museum, Puerto Plata, DR

Cigar-making, Puerto Plata, DR

Umbrella Street, Puerto Plata, DR

downtown, Puerto Plata, DR

plaza, downtown, Puerto Plata, DR

Catedral San Felipe, Puerto Plata, DR

3. Santiago City tour—we drove over an hour to get to the second biggest city of the Dominican Republic. It was busy, as expected. We walked around the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración which was beautifully maintained, surrounded by a lush park, atop a hill in the middle of Santiago. It is dedicated to the heroes of the Dominican war who fought against colonists. For a small fee, we went to the top to get a nicer view of the entire city and its surrounding mountains.

Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration of the Republic, Santiago, DR

Santiago, DR

4. Sosua beach—some excursions offer catamaran tours and snorkeling on the Bay. We just drove to the beach and hung out. The beach was much nicer and cleaner than the Cofresi beach, but as this is public area, the crowd was quite diverse. The beach had many stores and restaurants so it had a different vibe—more for partying. It did feel safer for us in the resort, however.

Sosua, DR

There are many other excursions offered. And if we had unlimited time (and money), we would have tried them all! Some of the notable ones were

• 27 Waterfalls of Damajaqua—where there is hiking, jumping, swimming. Adrenaline-packed, but was not for everyone in our group.
• Cable car (Teleferico) trip to Mount Isabel de Torres where they have the Christ the Redeemer statue atop (similar to Brazil’s). This is just about a 10-minute drive from Puerto Plata
• I cannot not mention Ocean World, which was a stone’s throw away from our resort. They offer marine animal encounters and shows. It is quite pricey and has attractions similar to Sea World or Marineland.

Ocean World--view from the Cofresi beach, Puerto Plata, DR

Trying out some classic Dominican food

beaches at Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort

In our stay at the Lifestyle Tropical in Puerto Plata, we went for ala carte dining in El Pilon for some Dominican food.

We had the classic, Sancocho, which is a hearty soup made of pork, chicken and beef as well as local vegetables, including pumpkin, plantain bananas, and sweet potato. It was very tasty, a full meal in itself. It would be nice to have this at home once in a while!

Sancocho (Dominican cuisine)

We also tried some Conch Fritters –tender lambi (conch meat) pieces battered with a slight spice and golden fried. Yummy.

Conch Fritters (Dominican cuisine)

I got some Mangu croquettes (made of mashed plantain) which was a nice change from the traditional potato croquettes I am used to.

Mangu croquettes (Dominican cuisine)

For dessert, we had a sampler of: 

• Majarete--puree of sweet corn pudding with local spices
• Arroz Con Leche or rice pudding with sweet sugar cane and cinnamon
• Dulce De Coco--shredded sweet local coconut stewed in milk.
• Habichuelas Con Dulce--sweet bean dessert mixed with coconut milk, cow’s milk and brown sugar cane with just the hint of spices

Majarete, Arroz con leche, Dulce de coco, Habichuelas con dulce (Dominican cuisine)

When we went to La Sirena, we continued on trying some local cuisine and had some "lasagna" at the food court—but made of plantain. I liked it especially with the cheese, but DD#1, who is not too fond of bananas, found it really odd.

mashed plantain meal (Dominican cuisine)

Of course, no trip will be complete without some goodies. So we got some Dominican rum, yucca chips, cassava crackers and some ultra delicious dulce de leche bars (the ones with guava jelly were divine).

goodies from the Dominican

A Puerto Plata getaway: Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort and Spa

Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

Sharing memories of our pre-pandemic trip--

We stayed at Lifestyle Tropical (same group as Cofresi Palm) in Puerto Plata. It was a pretty big resort where there was a shuttle to take you around. If you do not want to wait for the shuttle or line up with many other shuttle-riders (especially during peak dining hours), it is walkable.

lobby at Cofresi Palm, Puerto Plata, DR

We managed to get rooms in the newer/renovated buildings. They were very nice, clean and comfortable. We had some issues with the hot water in the shower which we had requested to be fixed multiple times, until we gave up—I had forgotten to put this in the survey! Outside of that, the rooms were great. We had heard that the rooms in older buildings were not as good.

our room at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

resident peacock (among many) at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

While we brought our own reusable mugs/cups, we still had to use the water from the bottled spring water. Tap water was not safe. Also, the bar drinks mostly came in plastic cups and straws!-- and while the resort was free of litter, there was garbage on the beaches. A local we spoke to said there were no clear recycling efforts, unfortunately. The Dominican (and other Caribbean nations) should find some way to address this.

Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

Service was good from the restaurant servers and bar tenders (even better with tips). Service from the reception folks on check in and check out were also good, but not as amiable during the stay. Mostly the Dominican people were very friendly and keen to help.

some of the pool cabanas at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

Food was good and the buffet at the Casablanca offered something different every day. We got ala carte dining at the Rodizio (Brazilian) and the El Pilon (Domincan). The Brazilian dining was not quite like the rodizios we have in TO where they just keep serving meat until you give up. The variety was limited, but the steaks were pretty good. It was also good to be exposed to some nice Dominican food, which we do not have regular access to.

actually taking pics of the peacock and peahen at the top of Casablanca, Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

The resort offered a nice beach area, but you have to be fast (or tip heavily) to get the nicer ones (double-decker or swing beds as well as the covered cabanas).

cabanas at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

In the evenings, there are casinos (they have shuttles for this too), shows and bars. They also have a couple of stores (including a Duty Free store) in the complex. And as this is a resort and spa, they have the Yin Yang Spa as well which we didn’t get to try.

one of the shows at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

spa at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

stone's throw away from Ocean World, at Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR

Overall, this was a good resort for our stay. But we don’t have to spread the word—according to their tag line, tell it only to your best friends.

Lifestyle Tropical Resort, Puerto Plata, DR