Things To Do in Puerto Plata

Ocean World, Calle Principale 3 at Cofresi (tel. 809/291-1000; www.oceanworld.net), is the largest entertainment complex in the country, lying 5km (3 miles) west of Puerto Plata. It combines a plush casino and a world-class marina with such mass-market venues as a kiddie park and an aquarium for marine life. There is a series of watery "pens" and habitats for the care, feeding, and display of dolphins, sea lions, sharks, stingrays, piranhas, and other denizens of the Amazon rainforest. A number of close encounters with these nautical creatures, especially dolphins, are offered, but these encounters are not cheap, ranging from RD$1,677 to RD$9,313 per person, depending on your age and the length of exposure you opt for. Supervision of man and beast is carefully monitored by trainers, and reservations are recommended. For those 13 and up, charges are RD$2,049, and RD$1,490 for ages 4 to 12. Free for children 3 and under.

Fort San Felipe, the oldest fort in the New World, is a popular attraction (tel. 809/261-6043). Philip II of Spain ordered its construction in 1564, a task that took 33 years to complete. Built with 2m-thick (6 1/2-ft.) walls, the fort was virtually impenetrable, and the moat surrounding it was treacherous -- the Spaniards sharpened swords and embedded them in coral below the surface of the water. The doors of the fort are only 1m (3 1/4 ft.) high, another deterrent to swift passage. During Trujillo's rule, Fort San Felipe was used as a prison. Standing at the end of the Malecón, the fort was restored in the early 1970s. Admission is RD$20, free for children 11 and under. It's open daily 9am to 4:45pm.

Isabel de Torres (tel. 809/970-0501), an observation tower that was heavily fortified during the reign of Trujillo, affords a panoramic view of the Amber Coast from a point near the top, 780m (2,560 ft.) above sea level. You reach the observation point by teleférico (cable car), a 10-minute ascent. Once here, you're also treated to 3 hectares (7 1/2 acres) of botanical gardens. The round-trip costs RD$190 for adults, RD$70 for children age 12 and under. The aerial ride runs every hour Thursday to Tuesday 8:30am to 5pm. There's often a long wait in line for the cable car, and at certain times it's closed for repairs, so check at your hotel before you head out.

You can see a collection of rare amber specimens at the Museo de Ambar Dominicano (Museum of Dominican Amber), Calle Duarte 61 (tel. 809/586-2848; www.ambermuseum.com), near Puerto Plata's Central Park. It's open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm. Guided tours in English are offered. Admission is RD$40 or RD$7 for children.

Rum drinkers might want to head out for the Brugal Rum Bottling Plant, Carretera Luperón, Km 3.5 (tel. 809/586-2531; www.brugal.com.do), on the outskirts of Puerto Plata, 1km (2/3 mile) from Puerto Plata. Admission is free, and it is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm. Some 350,000 bottles -- maybe a lot more -- of rum are filled and boxed annually for shipment. On a guided tour, visitors are taken through the plant to see how rum is bottled. At the end of the tour, you're treated to a fruit daiquiri and can purchase Brugal hats and other gifts or souvenirs if you wish.

One of the most visited attractions in the Dominican Republic is Parque Nacional La Isabela (tel. 809/472-4204), open daily from 9am to 5:30pm, charging RD$130 for admission. In spite of its fame, there isn't a lot to see once you're here. Nevertheless, this park contains what's left of Columbus's second settlement on Hispaniola.

At the park, excavations have revealed the outlines of what may have been the explorer's house, the church where the first Mass in the New World was conducted, and an observation tower where Columbus used to gaze at the stars.

The buildings were constructed of mud and limestone. The settlement established by the sailor of Genoa was ill-fated, one-third of the population falling sick within 4 or 5 days.

The ruins of La Isabela are reached along a paved road lying 15km (9 1/3 miles) west of the town of Luperón. It was declared a national park in 1998. The government has messed with the site and added more to the ruins, so its original remains have been tainted. A little museum displays artifacts believed to have been owned by these early settlers from Europe.

Getting to the park isn't easy. The most direct route is to go by one of the guaguas leaving from the center of Puerto Plata heading for Imbert. At Imbert you must take yet another minivan to Luperón. From here, motoconchos go to La Isabela. All this takes 2 hours or so. Alternatively, you can drive here by rented car, or ask at one of the hotels if any tours to La Isabela are being organized during the time of your stay.

The neoclassical house sheltering the Museo de Ambar Dominicano also contains the densest collection of boutiques in Puerto Plata. Many of the paintings here are from neighboring Haiti, but the amber, larimar, and mahogany woodcarvings are local.

Although the marketplace at Puerto Plata hardly resembles the greater one at Santo Domingo in the Zona Colonial, the Mercado at Puerto Plata merits a visit. It lies at the corner of Avenida Isabel de Torres and Calle 2, and is open Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm (it starts winding down after 3pm, however). Everything is sold here, from both Dominican and Haitian art (loads of it) to handicrafts, along with the inevitable T-shirts, as well as luscious fruits and vegetables. It's a photo op.

Plaza Turisol Complex, the largest shopping center on the north coast, has about 80 different outlets. You may want to make this your first stop so you can get an idea of the merchandise available in Puerto Plata. This complex also has the most upscale and tasteful merchandise. You might want to stop in here if you don't have time to visit all the shopping centers. It's about 5 minutes from Puerto Plata and Playa Dorada, on the main road heading east. Nearby is a smaller shopping center, Playa Dorada Plaza, with about 80 shops selling handicrafts, clothing, souvenirs, and gifts. Both it and the Plaza Turisol are open daily 9am to 9pm. The Amber Shop, in the Playa Dorada Plaza (tel. 809/320-2215), is associated with the Amber Museum. This shop sells the best collection of Dominican amber in town, artfully displayed on racks and on shelves. It features necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and rings crafted from amber ranging in color from oil-clear yellow to dark blue. A competitor, Galería de Ambar, Calle 12 de Julio (tel. 809/586-2101), is both a museum and shop. On the ground floor, both amber and larimar are sold along with Dominican and Haitian arts and crafts and with bottles of rum. Upstairs, a museum displays rare samples of Dominican amber, often with prehistoric insects imbedded inside. It is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 5:30pm, charging an admission of RD$40. Tobacco Shop, in the Playa Dorada Plaza (tel. 809/320-2216), is the best shop selling cigars around Puerto Plata. Don't overlook the benefits of cigars rolled in the Dominican Republic from tobacco grown with Cuban seeds. They're a lot less expensive than most of the Cubans, and many of them are surprisingly good. Plus, you can take them into the U.S.

Plaza Isabela, in Playa Dorada about 450m (1,500 ft.) from the entrance to the Playa Dorada Hotel complex, is a collection of small specialty shops constructed in Victorian gingerbread style, although much of its inventory has a Spanish inspiration or flair. Here you'll find the main branch of the Dominican Republic's premier jeweler, Harrison's (tel. 809/586-3933), a specialist in platinum work and a favorite with celebrities. The store has a special clearance area; tours are available. Another branch is in the Centro Comercial Playa Dorada (tel. 809/320-2219) in the Playa Dorada Hotel complex.

Back in Puerto Plata, you can also patronize Cuevas y Hermanos Fabricantes de Cigarros, Tan Tan Café, Malecón 6 (tel. 809/837-8866), open Tuesday to Sunday 1pm to midnight. This is the best outlet at which to purchase Dominican cigars, which some aficionados prefer to Cuban cigars. Those considering purchasing a box of cigars can smoke one for free.

A particularly attractive outlet for jewelry is La Canoa, Calle Beller 18 (tel. 809/586-3604). If you drop into this place, you can wander around, noting the difference between what's in front (a well-ordered, glossy-looking jewelry store) and what's in back (a much more workaday and less glossy series of workrooms where a crew of locals polishes and sets amber and larimar into gold and silver settings.) There is a wide range of prices, suitable for modest to extravagant budgets. Although there are the predictable array of gold, diamonds, and precious colored stones, our favorites are the chunks of amber -- some pale, some tawny, and some of them blue -- set into gold frames and configured as pendants, brooches, earrings, or rings.

Casino action dominates the night. Newest with the most imaginative decor is the Casino at Ocean World, Calle Principale 3 at Cofresi (tel. 809/291-1111). Its cabaret show staged here, with gorgeous dancers, is the best in the D.R., rivaling some of the spectaculars in Las Vegas. A well-recommended way to experience the charms of this place involves booking a place on the "Ocean World Magical Nights," wherein, for RD$2,460 per person, you'll get round-trip transfers by minivan from most of Puerto Plata's hotels, unlimited access to a well-stocked dinner buffet, access to a dolphin night show and a sea lion night show, access to the casino and the location's many bars, and access to a Las Vegas-style revue replete with views of performers artfully outfitted in a minimalist style. Your hotel desk can usually book such tours for you. Less modern, but within the Playa Dorada hotel complex, is the sprawling, blockbuster-style casino at the Holiday Village Golden Beach (Playa Dorada; tel. 809/320-3800).

The Playa Dorada Hotel complex contains about 15 hotels, some of which have dance clubs that welcome anyone, guest or not, into their confines. These after-dark diversions tend to be filled mainly with foreign visitors, although they occasionally attract locals looking to hook up with tourists. None charge a cover, and the almost-universal drink of choice, Presidente Beer, costs RD$150 a bottle.

At least three clubs pulse out dance music every night of the week within the Playa Dorada complex beginning at 10pm. (Be aware that, in the words of one Dominican night owl we know, "Things don't get interesting till around 11:30pm.")

The hands-down most entertaining dance club at Playa Dorada, the one that everyone says is the most animated and raucous, is Mangú, Playa Dorada (tel. 809/320-3800). Its designers positioned it adjacent to the Holiday Village Golden Beach Resort, but with separate entrances. You'll find an attractively balanced blend of both local residents, many eager to score with an off-island visitor, and holiday makers, who merge and mix in an animated blend of hot bodies and hot merengue. Entrance is free for residents of the Holiday Village, but around RD$100 for nonresidents. Expect flashing lights; hundreds of writhing bodies; and a skin, glitter, and feathers show that begins at 11:30pm.

Mangú's most visible competitor is the Roadway Western Bar and Mix Grill, in the Playa Dorada Plaza (tel. 809/320-4502). Set within a simulated recreation of a log cabin, on the back side of the resort's busiest shopping center, its walls are outfitted with campy slogans like "Gringas are forever." There's no cover charge, and a Presidente beer goes for RD$140.

A final contender for the nightlife circuit in Puerto Plata is Crazy Moon, adjacent to the lobby of the Paradise Hotel (tel. 809/320-3663). Though not as sweepingly popular as either Mangú or the Roadway Bar, it can be a lot of fun, and the music is always danceable.