Puerto Plata

Why Puerto Plata?
Puerto Plata is for those seeking an attractively-priced R&R vacation with the option of lots of places to visit in the vicinity. Choose Puerto Plata if you like to explore. Playa Dorada, Cofresí, Maimón, and Luperon are the main tourism enclaves located near Puerto Plata city.

Playa Dorada, 10 minutes to the east of Puerto Plata, concentrates the largest number of hotel rooms in the North. This vacation compound includes 14 low rise resorts built in a “U” shape and sharing a common gold sand beach and the Playa Dorada Golf Course, an 18 hole course designed by Robert Trent Jones. Meet guests from other hotels during evening outings at the casinos and night spots which are open to all guests. During the day visit the shopping center, the Playa Dorada Plaza, with its stores and movie theatre. Walking is safe and easy, either on the beach or the sidewalk that connects all hotels. And because all the hotels are close together, this is a great choice for spring break travel.

Cofresí is located West of Puerto Plata City and is also an enclave of several smaller hotels that use the same Cofresí beach facility.

Maimón is located about five minutes from the highway entrance to Cofresí and its beach is dotted with new all-inclusive resorts that used to cater to Europeans but are now attracting large numbers of North Americans as well. Maimón is for those seeking rest and relaxation, with the main attractions being the beach and other comforts provided by the hotel.

Luperón is about an hour’s drive west of Puerto Plata. Luperon Beach Resort is quite isolated and has its own beach. Perfect for those who want to get far away from it all but still enjoy luxury. Nearby is the La Isabela National Park, complete with a small museum that showcases items related to the first European settlement in the New World.

What else is nearby
To the East, about 15 and 25 minutes away are the beach towns of Sosua and Cabarete and beyond that Playa Grande and Rio San Juan. The second largest city in the DR, Santiago, is less than an hour away and to the south.

Port of Entry/How to get there
From abroad, the best way to get there is by flying into the Gregorio Luperon International Airport located west of Puerto Plata. This places you just 15 minutes from Playa Dorada.

Getting around
Within Playa Dorada, bicycle tours are available to visit the other hotels in the compound. Note that everyone wears bracelets to identify the resort where they are staying and whether within that resort they are an all inclusive guest or not. Some hotels may restrict admission to those with the correct bracelet only. Hotels that are not located on the beach will offer shuttles to the beach and back several times a day. But for the most part, the entire complex is walkable. At night, the casinos will pay for your taxi ride to the casino but not back to the hotel. To leave the Playa Dorada complex, request a taxi or inquire if your hotel has a free shuttle bus to the town. At the highway entrance to the complex, you can catch a public bus or guagua in either direction, east or west.