Golden- or white-sand beaches shaded by palm trees and crystalline waters teeming with rainbow-hued fish -- it's all just a few hours' flight from the East Coast of the United States.
To the southeast of Cuba, the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with the less-developed and dangerous Haiti.
Spicy food, spicier merengue, and the gentle, leisurely lifestyle of the islands draw increasing thousands to the Dominican Republic every year. Most of these visitors are middle-class Americans, Canadians, and Europeans. Except for the Casa de Campo, the D.R. is a moderately priced island -- not a pocket of posh like St. Barts and Anguilla that draws movie stars and CEOs. Its long, palm-lined playas -- or beaches -- such as Punta Cana, Boca Chica, Bávaro, and Playa Dorada have become world famous.
One big thing that is making the beach-loving world take notice of the island is its spectacularly affordable prices, especially those charged at its all-inclusive resorts.
Frugal travelers from Canada and America, and from such European countries as Britain, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and France, have combined forces to make the Dominican Republic the most popular country to visit in the Caribbean.
