Things To Do in La Romana

Parque Nacional Del Este

The National Park of the East lies in the southeastern part of the island, comprising some 310 sq. km (120 sq. miles) of dry forest, one of the largest such forests in the Caribbean. The park is home to 112 known species of birds, a total of eight endemic to the Dominican Republic including the Hispaniolan lizard-cuckoo, the black-crowned oriole, the black-crowned palm tanager, the limpkin, and the red-legged thrush.

This is a most intriguing park to explore as it is the site of trails, cliffs, caves, mangrove estuaries, sandy beaches, and even Taíno Indian ruins. Traversing the park is hell, however, as no roads lead into its luxuriant interior. The usual method of exploring it is to hire a boat in Bayahibe and travel in a direction that's parallel to the shoreline, checking out the terrain along the water's edge. Often you'll see trails where, if you can convince the pilot to moor his craft for a while, you can hike into the interior.

The road leading into Bayahibe ends at a car park, often filled with tour buses. If you're not part of a group, you can negotiate with one of the captains for a tour of the park, going as far as Peñón Gordo on the park's western coast. A 2-hour trip usually costs RD$2,100 per person.

At one of two park ranger stations you must pay a RD$105 entrance fee. The ranger station is at the park's western entrance near Bayahibe. It is from this point that tours are offered along a marked trail leading to a nearby cave filled with bats and owls. This trail is the most visited because it is the most scenic on the island, although there are several wilder trails as well, but one should hire a guide or sign up for an organized excursion before attempting to explore in the wilderness. Note: You should not try to visit this untamed park on your own.

Yet another ranger station is set near the town of Boca del Yuma on the eastern side of the park. Rangers here will guide you along the most scenic trail, which runs parallel to the coast.

Although nothing is particularly organized here, if you are an adventurous person you can usually negotiate with one of the local boatmen at the dock to take you to Isla Saona, where you'll find good beaches, a handful of fishermen's cottages, and lots of sand flies. Speedboats, catamarans, or trimaran take passengers over, but there is no central booking station.

An artisans market, El Artístico (tel. 809/556-2273), lies on the northern side of Carretera Romana, Km 3.5, at a point 1km (2/3 mile) east of Yina Bambu Shop. This is set up almost exclusively for tourists and offers a limited selection of arts and crafts. It mainly offers souvenirs, most of which are of dubious quality. The market is open daily 7:30am to 7pm.

For more substantial shopping, head to Yina Bambu Shop, Km 4.5, Carretera Romana (tel. 809/550-8322), open daily 7:30am to 7pm. Lying on the south side of the main road into town, this is the best showcase in the area for Dominican handicrafts and furnishings, even amber necklaces and bracelets. The merchandise dims when compared with what's available in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, but you may not be going there to shop.

If you're a true shopper, seeking some quality items, we suggest you head to Altos de Chavón.

Some of the terra-cotta pots and planters manufactured in this part of the D.R. are deeply respected and appreciated by homeowners and gardeners in places as far away as Florida. A purveyor of garden pots and statuary, set about 5km (3 miles) west of Higuëy, and about 60km (37 miles) west of Casa de Campo, is El Mundo del Tarro, Km 4.5, Higuëy, Otra Banda (tel. 809/383-1909). The raw clay for many of these pots is mined in Mocca, a town in the central D.R. made famous as the home of many generations of political dissidents (including some who participated in the assassination of dictator Trujillo). The clay from Mocca is hauled to workrooms here, near Higuëy; crafted into pots and statuary, glazed or not glazed, depending on the pot; and sold. Whereas the store can, after some negotiations, arrange for shipping, you'll probably find that it's a lot easier to simply carry the smaller of your purchases with you. The selection is enormous, and many of the forms were directly inspired by models from Iberia.

The best entertainment is at the hotels, where programs can change weekly or even daily based on their house count (or lack of guests thereof). Since we can't predict where the action is on any given night, you can ask at your hotel to find out what's happening. The best hotels for entertainment include Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach, Casa de Campo, and Coral Canoa.

One popular place is El Pirata, Km 12, Carretera San Pedro, Hotel Santana Beach Resort (tel. 809/412-5342). Since this is an all-inclusive, you can purchase a night pass for RD$875 entitling you to dinner and drinks. Shows on Wednesday and Friday at 9pm are followed by dancing from 10:30pm to 2am when a DJ plays salsa, merengue, and pop. On-site is a casino, open daily 8pm to 4am, where the usual games of chance, such as blackjack, are offered.

Within the artists' colony of Altos de Chavón, you'll find a dance club, associated with Casa de Campo, which manages to thrive year after year with every new class of students and every new group of dance-aholic outsiders. It's Discoteque Genesis (tel. 800/877-3643, ext. 3165), which is open every Thursday to Sunday 11pm till at least 2am and often later. Entrance costs RD$200, but on some party nights, the doorman might ask for RD$800, which will include access to an open bar throughout the evening. The preferred musical selection is merengue, and whatever Latino nightclubs in Miami might be focusing on at the time.

At the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach in Bayahibe (tel. 809/686-5658), La Locura, a dance club, is the scene of much of the local action. DJs play the latest international hits along with a selection of salsa, merengue, and pop. You have to call the management during the day and arrange for a night pass since this is an all-inclusive resort. The cost of RD$700 entitles you to dinner, drinks, and any entertainment being presented that night. The club is usually open from 11:30pm or 12:30am to about 4am, though it may close earlier on less busy nights.

At Casa de Campo the Pot Bunker Sports Bar (tel. 809/523-3333) is a popular gathering spot at night, especially for male guests, or for anyone who lingered too long at cocktails and suddenly discovered that all the other restaurants at the resort were closed. Major sports events are broadcast live via satellite transmission on large-screen TV sets while visitors cheer their home teams. From 1pm to midnight, a light menu, where platters, including an array of burgers and deep-fried shrimp, costing from RD$300 to RD$700, is available. The bar itself, with its table games and pool table, remains open daily from 3pm to midnight.