Tuesday, December 2, 2008

What Tourists Like To See in the Dominican Republic

When you go on vacation to Cuba or Puerto Rico, you must make time to visit the Dominican Republic. Many people rent holiday villas and self catering apartments when they go on holiday there.

It shares boundaries with the neighbouring island of Haiti. The beaches on this island are among some of the best beaches in the world. They have clean white sand and beautiful blue clear water.

The Dominican Republic is famous all over the world for its culture, art and crafts and warm friendly local people. As a result tourists staying in holiday rental homes are made to feel very welcome and many come back to visit year after year.

When visiting the Dominican Republic many tourists make time to visit the National Pantheon.It was originally built to be a Jesuit church, but has today become a national landmark building. It was even a tobacco house for a brief period, and today is a national museum.

When visiting this wonderful building you will find a rich and detailed account of the history that has contributed towards Dominican Republic's history. With the rich neo renaissance frontage, the National Shield of Dominican Republic stands tall at the entrance, welcoming tourists and making them able to visualize the past history of this wonderful place.

The Espanish Square is also a popular tourist attraction. Here the huge park like area is situated on the eastern side with a statue of Nicolas de Ovando standing tall in the center.

There are plenty of colonial houses, restaurants and quaint stores around this square that tourists can eat and shop in. As the breeze sweeps in from the sea in the evenings, the Espanish square lights up and is buzzing with people, looking to spend some time away from their holiday rental homes.

The Sundial is located opposite the Casas Reales. This Sundial was built by Francisco Rubio, the late governor of the Dominican Republic. It was placed in this position so that people from all across town and the Royal houses could see the time just by looking out their windows.

Holiday makers now visit this historic site and are able to imagine how the locals used to view this place in years gone by.

Jarabacoa is also well worth visiting during your stay in this beautiful island. If you drive for about 45 minutes from Santiago you will reach Jarabacoa. This used to be the playground for the wealthy, with many drawn here by the luxury holiday villas and abundance of adventure sports.

Today, it is a place that offers nature related activities within the forest region, such as river rafting, rappelling, trekking, paragliding, and even horse back riding. The town has a few fine dining restaurants, promenades to stroll in and baseball games in their local fields.

Finally no trip to the Dominican Republic is complete without a visit to Puerto Plata. With the rich deposit of crystal clear amber, it is referred to as the Amber coast. Amongst the largest cities in Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata is a must see.

Pirates, Spanish conquerors and many more have visited this place, making it their home. It has buildings which are filled with Victorian architecture and hidden treasures, making it a popular tourist destination.

There is even a beautiful garden atop the Mount Isabel de Torres. It is the ideal place for visitors to look around, sight see, do a bit of shopping and enjoy the local cuisine, to take back some lovely memories with them.

Andrew Gibson is MD of http://www.Directholidaybookings.co.uk.They are one of the largest holiday home websites with a selection of holiday villas and self catering holiday apartments to rent all over the world.

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