Puerto Plata may refer to:

• San Felipe de Puerto Plata, a shipping port in the Dominican Republic
• Puerto Plata (province)
• Puerto Plata Airport
• Puerto Plata (musician)

Puerto Plata

Guide to Puerto Plata

PUERTO PLATA BEACHES Reference: www.puertoplata.com Copyright@2008

Beaches are the single greatest attraction in and around Puerto Plata. Its tourist zone includes a stretch of golden sand beaches estimated at around 300,000 square meters. Eleven kilometers of beach, reaching from Cofresi to Sosua are being developed into the needs of the most demanding traveler. The main beach for Puerto Plata is Long Beach, located just to the east, along the Malecon. Playa de Long Beach is the public, urban beach for Puerto Plata. Both Confresi and Costambar beaches are located west of Puerto Plata, and are now dominated by luxury resorts. The beaches in and around Puerto Plata are fronted by coral reefs, so you can dive and snorkel when the tides are good. In the vicinity of Puerto Plata lies Playa Dorada (golden beach), the beach has an amazing 24 km (15 miles) of white sand. Up and down the coast are other beaches like Cabarete, Boca de Cangrejo, Cano Grande, Bergantin, Playa de Copello, and Playa Mariposa. To the west of Puerto Plata is a favorite, the shaded Guarapitao Beach.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE Reference: www.puertoplata.com Copyright@2008

The people of the Dominican Republic represent a unique mixture of the past and present. Although census figures are probably not accurate, a 2005 census claimed 8.5 million people live on the island, with 1.9 million people living in Santo Domingo. Puerto Plata and its surroundings only comprise approximately 200,000 people in comparison. The Creole culture of the island represents a vibrant, ever-changing flow from interacting cultures and social relations in the past. Dominicans can claim a rich cultural inheritance from many parts of the world. The original inhabitants of the island were Taino Indians, but unfortunately during the colonization they all perished. Hispaniola, the land comprising the Dominican Republic and Haiti, has traded hands between the French and Haitians, the Dutch and English, and has been influenced later by people from the Middle East. You can find a global culture here with a unique Dominican twist. French dance and ballet can be found in the Cibao and Santiago, Victorian and English architecture still can be found in Puerto Plata, and the descendents of Jews who fled Nazi Germany still call Sosua home. You can also trace the descendents of Africans and also fleeing slaves form the Americas to the island. In a nutshell, the Dominican Republic is truly a "global village" in terms of its people and cultural mix. This intermix of cultures is best expressed in the merengue dance and music of the island. A rhythmic mix from African and Caribbean origins, merengue is very much part of life here! At the end of the day, even though we have photos of people and can talk about culture on the web site, there is no real substitute for experiencing it than going for yourself. The unique attitude within the culture is what our guests continually refer to as why they return year after year. We hope you have the opportunity to visit and experience this essence of the country for yourself.

HISTORY Reference: www.puertoplata.com Copyright@2008

1492 Christopher Columbus landed on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic and founded La Isabela, a community of 39 sailors (2 hours from Puerto Plata)

1493 On January 11, Columbus reaches the bay of modern-day Puerto Plata

1502 Puerto Plata becomes a town under the direction of Columbus when Nicolas de Ovando establishes a base here. Puerto Plata became a staging point for galleons heading back to Spain until the early 1600s when pirates became a problem. For 300 years since 1492, Puerto Plata as the only good port basically became an export center of bananas and fruit to America and Europe.

1820-1920 With an influx of Cubans, the sugar and farming industries took hold and expanded.

1961 Dictator Trujillo is assassinated

1970s Balguer's government invests in tourism and creates resort area infrastructure of Playa Dorada. The past 30 years has seen major growth of tourism from Canada, Europe, and the United States.

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