The North Coast

The North Coast Travel Guide

The Dominican Republic‘s northern coast, with mountains on one side, is also called the Amber Coast or the Amber Riviera because of the large quantities of golden amber found in the area. The sands on its 75 mi (121 km) of beach are also golden. As the area moves up on the luxury scale, the “Riviera” moniker seems more appropriate all the time.

North Coast Restaurant Reviews

You can find lots of independent restaurants in Cabarete and Sosúa, which draw a larger contingent of independent travelers. Since Playa Dorada is primarily an all-inclusive compound, there are not too many choices outside the resorts, but we list a couple as well.

The price of food here keeps escalating, and that is as true in grocery stores as much as in restaurants. Generally, restaurants in Cabarete are priced higher than those in Sosúa. The good news is that the quality of the food on the North Coast is on the rise. Not all restaurants take credit cards (and hardly any take American Express), so be sure to ask in advance if that matters, and if they do take credit cards, there’s usually a 4% or 5% surcharge. The tax and service (which usually totals 26%) are often not included in the menu prices, so be sure to ask about that as well. In supermarkets you’ll pay 16% tax on most of your purchases. If you shop the colmados (grocery stores), tax is not usually added, but prices are higher. The Dominican Republic is no longer a cheap place to dine out; now, as in the rest of the Caribbean, you’ll save greatly on your food bill by staying at an all-inclusive resort, especially if the food there is good.
North Coast Hotel Reviews

Playa Dorada was one of the first resort areas in the Dominican Republic to be developed, and it still has a dozen or so all-inclusive resorts, along with one deluxe boutique hotel, Casa Colonial. What’s interesting is how these older resorts are evolving in order to compete with their increasingly upscale competition to the east. The transformation of the Blue Bay Villas Dorada into an adults-only resort was also a major happening; it’s spa-oriented and well priced. Allegro Puerto Plata (formerly Jack Tar Village, then Holiday Village Golden Beach) has taken the club-within-a-club concierge concept to a budget resort. And perched on a mountain ridge, the new Tubagua Plantation Village appeals to budget travelers and groups.