The wealthy classes of the Caribbean have always had their favorite and exclusive places when it comes to spending their vacations but long before this place was Bavaro Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, the chosen destination was called Puerto Plata, in the same country.

This city is still one of the longest in the country and is located a few kilometers from Playa Dorada, a place with many hotels and resorts all inclusive. It is true that its tourist attractiveness has diminished in the last years but I think that it runs for the benefit of the tourist that chooses it over Punta Cana because it will find a quieter place, with less crowds and beautiful landscapes.

Another of the current advantages of Punta Plata is that the prices are better and that it is really close to many interesting places to visit. For example, Playa Dorada which is only 10 minutes east, Sosua, Playa Grande, Río San Juan and Cabarete. These beaches are located just half an hour from Puerto Plata and the same international airport so the distances to travel are close.

Christopher Columbus arrived here in January of 1493 and soon the bay became an important port from which came many agricultural products that were obtained from the northern and fertile part of the current Dominican Republic. Of course, for these same reasons the pirates lashed the nearby seas and as the merchants tired one day of being attacked they opted to sit down to negotiate, something that angered the King and Queen of Spain. The result? Spain ordered the evacuation of the city.

Little by little it was growing and in the decade of ’90 of the 20th century it was the mecca of tourism in the country, without pirates or kings. Recommended visits: the Cathedral of San Felipe, the Art Deco style Apostle, the Independence Park, the excursion to the Isabel Torres Peak with its 16 meters high Jesus Christ at the top of the mountain, Rio de Janeiro style, the surf beach Cabarete and the fishing village of Sosúa.