The island of Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Caribbean, after Cuba, and the Dominican Republic covers its eastern two-thirds, with Haiti occupying the western third. Unlike its disaster striken neighbour, the Dominican Republic is a beautiful, relatively prosperous nation with a thriving tourism industry.

Hispaniola and the Dominican Republic are located right in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, in between Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east. For holidaymakers planning on visiting several islands in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic’s central location makes it a great starting point.

Arts and Culture in the Dominican Republic

Like all Caribbean islands, the Dominican Republic has a long, colorful history that represents the fusion of western Europe, Africa, and the Americas. From Spain and Latin America, the Dominican has inherited its Spanish language, along with a strong Latin influence in its music and dance.

Salsa and Latin jazz are very popular in the dance halls and nightclubs, but it’s merengue and bachata dancing that are native to the country. Just like salsa, merengue is a sexy, hip-waggling dance with up-tempo beats and creative lyrics that range from the explicitly sexual to the political. Bachata, influenced by the Cuban bolero, is a slower dance music based in guitar melodies rather than the large merengue bands.

If you’re a lover of Latin music, be sure to visit the Dominican Republic during the last week of July or the first week of August to catch the annual Santo Domingo Merengue Festival. Alternatively, visit Puerto Plata the third week in October for their annual merengue festival, which draws over 100,000 tourists and locals each year.

For somewhat tamer entertainment in the Dominican, visit one of the regional museums that trace the country’s heritage. With an eight thousand year history, there are plenty of artifacts, historical buildings, and archaeological sites to see.

Golfing in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican is one of the best places in the Caribbean to enjoy a round of golf, reportedly a favourite destination for recent American Presidents Bush (the first) and Clinton.

The courses in the Dominican have some of the biggest names in golf attached to them: course designers include Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones, Gary Player, Tom Fazio, and Nick Faldo. And golf is only getting better here – five new courses opened in 2008 and 2009.

Water Adventures

There are plenty of islands in the Caribbean, such as Aruba and St. Lucia, where surfers can’t have much fun. In many places, the calm, crystal-clear waters are just too gentle. Not so in the Dominican Republic, where surfing, kiteboarding, and windsurfing are popular with tourists and locals alike.

If windsurfing or kiteboarding is your thing, you’ll want to visit the North Coast, which has some of the best conditions for windsurfing and kiteboarding in the Caribbean. As for traditional surfing, the North Coast has sixteen specific surfing spots with great wave quality. The Dominican Republic isn’t Hawaii, but from December to March the waves still reach fourteen feet in height.

Along the South Coast, surfers can begin at the border of Haiti and work their way east to visit the more than twenty surfing spots. Both the North and South Coasts have surfing spots that will suit every level of surfing interest, from the novice to professional surfers. You might want to check out one of the surf camps, where you can learn to surf while enjoying luxurious accommodations in cottages or apartments.

There’s much more to the Dominican Republic than its music, its museums, its golf, and its surfing – these are just the beginning of what this fabulous holiday destination can offer. Whether you want to spend a dreamy afternoon at sea aboard a yacht, chase marlins on a deep sea fishing trip, or just relax on the beach, the Dominican Republic has what you’re looking for.