La Romana sits on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, an hour by road from Punta Cana but in an entirely different register. The town was born of sugar, around a mill that employed half the population, and tourism came later and more slowly, with fewer resorts and beaches facing a more sheltered sea.
The essentials in four lines
- About four hours on a seasonal non-stop from Montreal to La Romana airport (LRM), twenty minutes from the hotels; otherwise via Punta Cana, an hour away by road.
- The Dominican Republic is one hour ahead of Montreal in winter and on the same time in summer.
- The south coast generally receives less sargassum than the east coast at Punta Cana.
- December to April is the dry season. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Bayahibe and Dominicus
The hotel area is not in La Romana itself but twenty minutes east, around the fishing village of Bayahibe and Dominicus beach. That beach is long, lined with coconut palms, with shallow calm water sheltered by the reef: one of the best family beaches in the country.
Bayahibe has kept its pier, its painted boats and a handful of restaurants. Nearly every sea excursion in the region leaves from there.
The islands
Saona Island, in the Parque Nacional del Este, is the most-sold excursion in the country. From Bayahibe the crossing is far shorter than from Punta Cana: forty minutes by speedboat against more than an hour. The classic programme includes a stop at the natural pool, a sandbar where you stand in waist-deep water a kilometre offshore, then lunch on the beach.
Catalina Island, twenty minutes away, mainly interests divers: a wall drops to forty metres a short distance offshore, with sea fans and tube sponges in good condition.
The national park also protects dry forest, caves with Taíno pictographs and seabird colonies. Outings are made with accredited guides.
Altos de Chavón
Perched on a cliff above the Chavón river, this stone village with the look of sixteenth-century Mediterranean architecture was in fact built in the 1970s by Dominican craftsmen, at the initiative of the owners of the large neighbouring estate. It is not historic, and it works anyway: cobbled lanes, a church, artists’ studios, a design school affiliated with a New York institution.
Its five-thousand-seat amphitheatre, opened in 1982 by Frank Sinatra, still hosts concerts. The view over the river and the forest is worth the detour on its own.
Golf
The large residential estate next door holds three courses, one of which, laid out by Pete Dye in the early 1970s, appears regularly at the top of Caribbean rankings: seven holes run directly along the sea. Golf packages combine with most hotels in the area and should be booked ahead, especially from January to March.
All-inclusive in La Romana
The supply concentrates at Bayahibe and Dominicus, with some fifteen resorts across categories, several of good standard at rates below Punta Cana. The whole area is markedly quieter and more compact: you can walk from a hotel to the village.
It is a good choice for a quiet stay as a couple or a family, less so for anyone seeking lively nightlife. Our criteria for choosing an all-inclusive hotel set out what to check, and our file on value for money places the gap with Punta Cana.
When to go
From December to April the air holds around 29 °C, humidity stays moderate and rain rarely lasts more than an hour. That is the Quebec high season.
May, June and the first half of December offer the best balance of weather and price. Sargassum affects this coast less than the eastern side, but it is not absent: our file on sargassum in the Caribbean takes stock, and our guide on when to travel south from Montreal sets out the pricing calendar.
To plan this trip, see also our Republique Dominicaine page, Cabarete, Michès and Punta Cana or Cancun.
