What brings visitors to La Romana?

La Romana is a beautiful destination on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic. Stunning turquoise waters and palm-fringed shores greet visitors to a handful of surrounding beaches. Just off the coast is the secluded island of Catalina, where some of the Caribbean’s finest beaches and wild flora remain untouched by human development. Serene shores and clear waters have made La Romana a perfect destination for scuba diving, snorkeling and a variety of other water activities. You’ll also find a selection of stunning golf courses that are built within Domincan’s jungle landscape. Some of these courses have received international recognition and offer the most magnificent golfing in the Caribbean. Between the mix of stunning beaches, sightseeing, water sports and historic attractions that all make La Romana an ideal destination for family trips, adventure seekers and romantic endeavors.

What are the outdoor activities to do in La Romana?

A variety of water and land sports are available within the La Romana area. Serene shores and clear waters naturally offer excellent snorkeling or scuba diving adventures. Other water sports such as windsurfing, kayaking and body-boarding are also readily available on La Romana’s shores. On land, tennis, volleyball and the open fairways of several golf courses. Check out the resort/hotel descriptions for a detailed list of sports and other activities.

Surrounding the resort areas is a wild landscape featuring magnificent flora and various animal species. Take a jeep safari through the heart of the Dominican or gallop through open trails on horseback.

The National Park of the East lies in the southeastern part of the island, comprising some 120 sq. miles of dry forest, one of the largest such forests in the Caribbean. The park is home to over 100 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 fascinating park to explore as it is the site of trails, cliffs, caves, mangrove estuaries, sandy beaches, and even Taíno Indian ruins. The terrain through the park can be strenuous, as no road leads into its lush interior. The most convenient way to explore is by hiring a boat in Bayahibe where you can often find trails from the shore and head in from there.

What are the beaches like in La Romana?

La Minitas, Casa de Campo's main beach and site of a series of bars and restaurants all its own, is a small but immaculate beach and lagoon that requires a 10-minute shuttle-bus ride from the resort's central core. Transportation is provided by bus, or you can rent an electric golf cart. A bit farther (about a 30-min. bus ride of a 20-min. boat ride), Playa Bayahibe is a large, palm-fringed sandy crescent on a point jutting out from the shoreline. Lastly, Playa Catalina is a beautiful beach on a deserted island, Isla Catalina, surrounded by clear blue waters; it's just 45 minutes away by motorboat, the only way to reach it.

Off the coast of La Romana lies Isla Catalina, which attracts divers and snorkelers, though there are no facilities. It is mainly uninhabited, so bring whatever you need, including fresh water. The tour desks of Casa de Campo or other hotels can arrange excursions, although nothing is organized into a central agency for bookings. Catalina lies only two quarter miles south of La Romana but 11 miles west of Bayahibe.

What are the nightlife offerings in La Romana?

The nightlife of La Romana is surrounded by the lively resorts situated on the oceanfront. Open bars, discos and beach parties are in full swing after sunset. Head to the piano bar from some relaxing music or stroll on the beach for a romantic, moonlit walk. Each of the all inclusive resorts offer their own collection of nighttime adventures. We recommend checking with your hotel for a detailed list of the nightlife offerings at your resort.

When it comes to evening dining, you’ll find La Romana offers a beautiful presentation of native and international cuisine at any of the all inclusive resorts. The specialty restaurants with menus from around the world keep the most varied appetites appeased.

What can I do with kids in La Romana?

The region has a well-developed industry, in particular, the sugar industry. Local factories often hold excursions, however, interesting tours of natural sights are also held in the vicinity of the city. The resort town concentrates many beautiful beaches ideal for family holidays.

Among the tours that every family member will like is Tabacalera de Garcia Factory Tour. Here you can find out how cigars are made, follow the entire production process and look at all the stages of production. At the exit, you can find an interesting shop full of souvenirs and cigars themselves, which can be purchased as a gift or memento of your visit.

A boat tour is an excellent way to enjoy some family time. Equestrian tours are also held in the area, and kids are super excited about this kind of leisure. And, you can also find tours that cater to the kids and the island’s active life by trying out ziplining, canyoning, and diving.

Head to the Chavon River, which may look familiar if you’ve seen Rambo (two parts), Jurassic Park and Anaconda, which were all filmed on the banks of the river. Besides that, the river bank is beautifully picturesque. It is also worth noting that the coast is interesting from both botanical and zoological points of view with a diversity of rare flora and fauna. A few other interesting parks for walking with kids are Parque Nacional Del Este o Parque Nacional Cotubanama, Parque Juan Pablo Duarte, and Parque La Estrella. Extraordinary views fascinate every visitor to the park - great for exploring with the little ones.

What are some of the alternative attractions to enjoy such as museums, theaters, etc.?

The main cultural center of the region is the Altos de Chavon. This open-air museum was opened here more than 30 years ago. This museum is a recreation of a medieval town, the likes of which were located here in the era of the Spanish colonization. All the buildings look very realistic, as they were built in accordance with the 15th-century traditions. Visitors to the museum will have a chance to see beautiful historic houses and villas, stroll along cobbled streets and appreciate the decoration of old houses. Altos de Chavon is often called the `City of Artists.` Since its foundation, this complex has attracted artists from all over the world, providing them with the opportunity to rent housing and workshops here. The museum has a very interesting art gallery, which contains collections of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks. Most of the works presented here are available for sale, many tourists come here specifically to buy interesting souvenirs. This village also provides entertainment daily. It is a place you can spend an entire day with several attractive restaurants to enjoy as well.

Interesting master classes are held for museum guests every day. They can learn to make souvenirs from clay, master macrame techniques and even jewel-crafting. In the museum, you will find an interesting religious landmark - the beautiful church Iglesia San Estanislao de Cracovia. Built in 1979, now it looks like a typical medieval temple.

In the vicinity of the resort is another important historical site - Cueva de las Maravillas. The beautiful cave in which you can appreicate stalactites and stalagmites. Researchers have discovered interesting rock drawings whose age is several thousand years. Now the cave is perfectly equipped for excursions, a convenient lighting system and viewing platforms were built inside.

La Romana is home to García Cigar Factory, the largest tobacco factory in the Dominican Republic, which has long become a popular historical attraction. In recent years, the factory is open to tourists where they can come to tour the facility. Interesting workshops are held for visitors to make their own cigars. The factory houses a large store where you can always buy the best tobacco products.

Fans of exploring historical sites often take trips to Santo Domingo, which is famous for the variety of historic buildings. Since the days of colonization, many beautiful mansions and old churches have been preserved here, creating a unique historical appearance of the city. There are a lot of unique historical monuments here, most of the colonial villas today are converted into museums and art galleries. The old colonial city is great for walking, it has preserved old cobbled streets along with historic architecture.

One of the region's most iconic historic sights is the lighthouse Faro a Colón where regular tours are also organized from La Romana. Today, this lighthouse is one of the most respected historical sites for locals. Part of the lighthouse is occupied by a mausoleum, in which the remains of the world famous navigator are stored. Once the old lighthouse served its intended purpose facilitating navigation for vessels coming here. Today it is one of the main historical symbols of the capital.

What is the culture and lifestyle (traditions, festivals) in La Romana?

Local people are very friendly and sociable, always treating tourists with respect and interest. They enjoy a slower pace of life so don’t be surprised if the service in a restaurant takes a bit longer than you’re used to. Despite the widespread influence of modern culture, La Romana residents still honor their historical traditions. Throughout the year, many beautiful and symbolic holidays are celebrated here, including lush carnivals and historical festivals. You’ll always get to enjoy a unique dance performance with any celebration that takes place in La Romana.

There are several important features to take into account when communicating with local residents. They often speak loudly with emotion and use gestures actively. Please do not regard this as a sign of hostility. They typically are casual and go by their first name, and such an informal address never means disrespect.

Local people are big fans of fun and lively festivities, which are organized here almost every month. In winter, the original ProCigar Festival is held in several Dominican cities at once. The city has several large factories where handmade cigars are produced. They are in no way inferior in quality to the world-famous Cuban cigars, many tourists buy cigars as a souvenir. Many interesting entertainments are available to tourists as part of the holiday, which lasts several days. They will have a chance to visit old tobacco plantations and factories or watch traditional golf competitions, which are also necessarily held during this period.