Dominican Republic family holidays and breaks

The Dominican Republic boasts an astonishingly varied landscape that makes it a compelling destination for family holidays, from alpine wilderness to tropical rainforest, from mangrove swamps to cultivated savannahs, from vast desert expanses to the world's oldest city. And then there's the exquisite, palm-fringed, white Caribbean beaches.

This a growing eco-tourist destination but also has an intriguing culture and history embracing the early cave-dwelling Tainos, La Isabela, Columbus’s colony, and Spain’s first new world city, Santo Domingo.

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with the less desirable Haiti, but it's worlds apart, with a stable government and a successful tourist industry.  

12.00

Today

30°C
86°F

Capital City	Santo Domingo
Flying Time	10.75 hours
Carbon Footprint	7.87 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT -4
Local Currency	Dominican Republic Peso

What to do

Head for the southeastern part of the Dominican Republic, where the best beaches and tourist facilities make it ideal for family holidays. The best resorts are Bavaro and Punta Cana, although Playa Dorada is the largest and hence often the one where you'll find the best deals.

Seek out more great beaches on the less-built-up Samana peninsula, where you can view migrating humpback whales. Colonial Santo Domingo is full of old Spanish buildings to admire. At Cabarete, a dynamic watersports centre, laugh at the teenagers trying to look cool kiteboarding or try to windsurf with your own.

Take the kids on an unforgettable boat ride through mangrove swamps and prehistoric caves in the island’s remote southeast, where they can pretend to be some of the Dominican Republic's famous pirates.

Where to stay

Most parents choose to spend family holidays at one of the Dominican Republic's family-friendly resort hotels, some of which offer all-inclusive deals, including Club Med's Punta Cana and the ultimate of family holiday luxury Paradisus Palma Real, Bavaro.

See the right-hand column of this page for our deals and more recommendations. 

When

Temperatures in the Dominican Republic range from 18 to 25°C between December and May, and 24 and 35°C between June and November, with July and August the hottest months.

June to November, the official hurricane season, sees the heaviest rainfall and occasional tropical storms. (If you do depart during hurricane season, book late to avoid turbulent weather and get a cheaper deal.)

The peak season is Dec–Feb, so a great time to schedule family holidays is March–May, when there are fewer visitors but the weather is still gorgeous.

How

Flights to the Dominican Republic land at either Puerto Plata, Punta Cana International/ Higuey Airport or Santo Domingo Airport (SDQ). Airlines include First Choice, Flythomascook.com, Monarch and British Airways.

Flights from the UK to the Domincan Republic take around 10hrs and the time difference is GMT-4 or -5, so be prepared for jetlag.

See also our family holidays car-hire page.

Eat

Heavily influenced by Spanish cuisine, the Dominican Republic has lots of garlicky tomato sauces, served over fresh fish and meat (mainly chicken or goat), rice and beans. Jerk cooking – marinated meat cooked in a pit, smoker or barbeque - is also widespread.

Fruits here are fabulous: think bananas, grapefruit, soursop, carambola, guava and coconuts. Some are used to flavour foods – family holidays here aren't complete without sampling banana bread, guava jelly and coconut meat.

Rum is the tipple of choice, while – unusually for the Caribbean – you can drink wonderful freshly roasted coffee.

Cost

Expect to pay from £30 to £100 a night for a hotel room. Package family holiday deals tend to be the best means of experiencing the Dominican Republic, with prices starting at around £300 for seven days at an all-inclusive resort, rising to around £900 for two weeks in peak season.

Flights also vary quite dramatically, from about £250 to £450+.

• Family holidays
• Breaks & Days Out
• Special Offers
• Features
• Favourites
• Travel Tips
• Family forum