Family Holidays: Dominican Republic family holidays and breaks

Take the Family holiday rating 4 stars out of 5

Why

This beautiful Caribbean destination, the Dominican Republic, shares the island of Hispaniola with its neighbour, the slightly less desirable Haiti, but its worlds apart with a stable government and a very successful tourist industry. The Dominican Republic boasts an astonishing variety of geographical attractions from alpine wilderness, tropical rainforests and mangrove swamps to cultivated savannas, vast desert expanses, the oldest city in the new world and of course the exquisite, perfect palm-fringed, white Caribbean beaches. It’s a growing eco-tourist destination, but also one with some of the more intriguing culture and history of the area: early cave-dwelling peoples called the Tainos; La Isabela, Columbus’s colony and Spain’s first new world city, Santo Domingo.

Top left: Dominican Republic Two Windsurfers
Top middle: Dominican Republic Smile
Top right: Dominican Republic Aerial island view

Bottom left: Dominican Republic Beach scene
Bottom right: Dominican Republic Boats at Sunset

When

Temperatures range from 18-25 ° C between December and May, and 24-35 ° C between June and November, with July and August being the hottest months. June to November, (official hurricane season), sees the beaviest rainfall, with occasional tropical storms. (A tip if you are departing during hurricane season is to book late to avoid turbulent weather and get a cheaper deal.)

Peak season, both busiest and most expensive is between the months of December and February, so a great time to go is a bit later on in March, April and May, when there are fewer visitors and whilst 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 Thomsonfly. Some inter-island ferries also exist in the Caribbean. The time difference is GMT -5 Daylight saving time (GMT -4) from April to October.

Do

The South Eastern part of the country has the best beaches and the best tourist facilities. The best resorts are Bavaro and Punta Cana, although Playa Dorada is the largest and often the one with the best deals. More great beaches are in the Samana peninsular, which is less built up and you can view migrating humpback whales. Visit colonial Santo Domingo which is full of old Spanish buildings to wander around. Go to Cabarete, a dynamic water sports centre, where you can laugh at the teenagers trying to look cool kiteboarding or embarrass them by trying to windsurf yourself. Take the kids on a romantic boat ride through mangrove swamps and prehistoric caves in the island’s remote southeast, they can pretend to be pirates, for which the Dominican Republic was famous.

Eat

Heavily influenced by Spanish cuisine, the Dominican Republic has lots of garlicky tomato sauces with fresh fish and meat, served with rice and beans. Jerk cooking is also widespread, marinated meat cooked in a pit, smoker or barbeque. Fruits are fabulous, bananas, grapefruit, soursop, carambola, guava and coconuts, all used to flavour foods also; banana bread, guava jelly, coconut meat. Most of the meat is chicken or goat and we recommend you concentrate more on the fabulous seafood. Rum is the tipple of choice of course and rare in the Caribbean you can drink wonderful freshly roasted coffee.

Cost

Package holidays tend to be the best deals to the Dominican Republic, with prices starting from around £300 for seven days at an all-inclusive resort, rising to around £900 for two weeks during peak season.

Flights also vary quite dramatically - from between £250 to £450 and upwards; expect to pay from £30 to £100 per night for a hotel room.