La Romana, Dominican Republic

Marj and I started traveling together many years ago. Our first overseas trip was to La Romana in the Dominican Republic in 2005. We stayed at the Hilton La Romana. Considering the time, the majority of our content from this trip was not digital and therefore limited. But let me share our experience with you.

La Romana Hilton, Dominican Republic

The hotel for the time period was nice. It was definitely not great but it worked for our college aged budget. The hotel was guarded by armed security with assault rifles and shotguns. Obviously this made us uneasy. The hotel is situated on an absolutely gorgeous beach though. The locals would walk up and down the beach and try to sell things to you. The rooms were a decent size but very basic. The pool and grounds were very nice though. I remember about 3 different restaurants on the resort and we preferred the “Italian” restaurant the most as they had excellent dishes, and most importantly, it was indoors. The flies in the Dominican Republic are an absolute nightmare. There was also a place outside where you could get pizza and fries. That was always a quick easy snack to grab when on the go. Overall, the hotel was very basic and provided minimal amenities. But now…… it appears the resort has taken a massive overhaul and it looks AMAZING! Just check out the updated reviews and photos on Trip Advisor! WOW!

Things To Do:

ATV’s

We took an ATV trip through the a few towns and very poor areas. Kids followed behind us at every opportunity and we give them candy or food. We were taken deep into the sugar cane fields where we were able to let loose and go full throttle. Overall, this was very fun and at the same time, very sobering.

Horseback Riding to a set of Caves

We went on a horseback riding trip for a few miles to the belly of a cave. We went down into the cave where we had to wait for about 5 minutes until our eyes adjusted. This was one of the darkest caves that we have ever been in and guess what? Our guides forgot flashlights. So we used the flash on the camera to make our way through.

Altos de Chavon

This town was built in the 70’s to replicate a Mediterranean town. It was very interesting and beautiful There was so many photo opportunities here. If this had been the age of social media, I am certain there would have been a ton of posts in this location. We traveled here on an amphibious vehicle through the Chavon River. This was an awesome excursion and a must see in the La Romana area.

Trip to a Waterfall

I don’t remember the name of this waterfall but it was the final destination on this excursion. We had been through the town of Boca Chica where we visited a beautiful church and were greeted by a family that cooked us am amazing meal of chicken and rice. They were a family of coffee bean farmers and they showed us the art of crushing coffee beans. They also owned a small cock fighting arena. They showed us the art of cock fighting but did not let them hurt each other, in our presence. When we arrived at the waterfall though, we swam for about an hour and just relaxed. The water was ice cold and very refreshing in the Caribbean heat.

Saona Island

This was by far the best excursion of the trip! The island was uninhabited and the water was beautiful! We snorkeled, ate pork chops on the grill and had a few drinks. This island was worth the whole trip by itself!

Overall

We went to La Romana before it was a major tourist area. We experienced the this section of the island when it existed in a totally different category of destinations as it does today. With that said, I am grateful and happy that we got to do this trip when we did, however, I do wish it looked then as it does now! The Caribbean has some beautiful locations in the mix of very destitute and polluted areas. You have to explore to find those gems. As far as vacation destinations go, this was a good location for the time but definitely not as beautiful as some of the other locations that we will share with you. Stay tuned for more to come…

About Post Author

Rick

I’m Rick, husband to Marj and father to 3 awesome kids. I will be sharing my love of cooking, home projects, repairs and my opinions on various products.

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Rick

I’m Rick, husband to Marj and father to 3 awesome kids. I will be sharing my love of cooking, home projects, repairs and my opinions on various products.