I don't have so many photos as I'm no photographer but I wanted to share some thoughts from my trip (as when I was planning there wasn't so much on the DR!)
We were there 9 days in total and visited Santo Domingo, Las Galeras, El Valle and Las Terrenas.
Santo Domingo
We flew into Santo Domingo and spent one day here but easily could have spent another. Learning the history of the city was really interesting and it had a really cool buzz. I never felt unsafe, you just have to be sensible as you would in any big city. I'd definitely recommend spending at least some time here!
Las Galeras
We stayed by La Playita and it was so beautiful and not crowded at all. The town itself is small but there's plenty of options - there's one main road with different shops/bars/restaurants on it. It's by no means a party place (all bars etc shut at 12.30am) but there always seemed to be something happening somewhere and people to chat to!
We also went to Playa Rincon spending some time at both ends which were equally beautiful. Unfortunately at this point in the trip we got bad weather so couldn't visit some of the other beaches we'd planned to but what can you do!
El Valle
The bad weather followed us to El Valle and unfortunately we didn't love our time here. Maybe if the sun had been shining I'd have felt differently but it just was way too quiet for us (I think most people stay at these hotels/hostels tucked away from the main road and probably just stay there for all food/drinking). We walked up Castaño waterfall which was very pretty and a good cloudy day activity. If you want peace and quiet then this is definitely the spot!
Las Terrenas
I was really pleasantly surprised by Las Terrenas. I was worried it was going to be entirely new build hotels and feel like a fake tourist town but I didn't feel like that to me. Obviously there are nice hotels and lots aimed at tourists but it wasn't soulless at all! We stayed by Playa Bonita at Hotel Atlantis which I really liked as the beach was so pretty and you could walk up/down easily to go to the different hotel beach bars (and snoop on the fancy villas) but easily drive into town on an evening. I'd have definitely in hindsight spent more time here and skipped El Valle but I just prefer being somewhere with more of a buzz to it.
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Although flying out of Punta Cana we didn't choose to spend any real time in that area as I got the impression it was quite built up/all inclusive vibes which wasn't what we wanted. But we did spend a night at Las Maria's Ecolodge before our flight which I can't recommend enough, Felix the owner is the warmest host I've ever met and his place is so lovely.
Food/Drink
Some places I'd recommend...
- Caney tropical, Santo Domingo - amazing Venezuelan food!
- El Conuco, Santo Domingo - a fun restaurant with some typical Dominican food
- Caciba Bar, Santo Domingo - this place do a mean Margarita (and if you still listen to indie music from the 2010s like me you'll love their playlist).
- Colmado Omar I, Santo Domingo - casual spot that blast the tunes in the afternoon and you can sit by the park and enjoy some beers.
- El Conuco, Las Galeras - BBQ spot and the best place to eat in town imo
- El Central Bar, Las Galeras - the best Pina coladas!
- Casa Yadira - Hotel & Pizzeria, El Valle - I really enjoyed this pizza as it tasted like the ones I make when I make them from scratch at home (and I mean that in a good way!) plus the portions are big and the prices good!
- Hotel Atlantis, Las Terrenas - we stayed here and ate once, I had the prawn pasta which was delicious. it's on the expensive side of things but they have a really cute evening setup if you wanted a fancy meal one night.
- Fulanito's Burgers, Las Terrenas - if you like big meaty burgers this place is for you.
- Sol y Sombra, Las Terrenas - really beautiful tucked away location and nice fresh food
- Restaurant Luis in Coson, Playa Coson - nice outdoor setting just away from the beach, I could have eaten 5 plates of their fries.
- Restaurante Santi, El Limon - we stopped here just cos we were starving on our drive to Las Terrenas but it was genuinely so tasty (we got the goat stew).
- ETNO, Las Terrenas - if you want a bit of a party this is a good spot, they had fun music, dancing..just a good time!
Other stuff
We rented a little Fiat Picante and in hindsight it would've been easier if we had a car with a higher suspension. A lot of the roads (especially past Samana) aren't well maintained and there are lots of very big speed bumps. But we got by fine (even in El Valle).
There are a lot of Italian restaurants in the DR (apparently linked to an influx of Italian immigration in the 1800s), so I know you're in the Carribbean, but you will eat pizza/pasta while there!
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All in all I'd definitely recommend a trip to the DR, it's a beautiful country and there's so much to see/do.