Michès occupies the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic, between the Samaná peninsula and Punta Cana. It is the country’s newest tourist area: until 2019 there were only fishing villages, coconut groves and a long empty beach at the foot of the eastern range. The first large resorts have arrived since, without the landscape having yet changed in character.
The essentials in four lines
- About four hours non-stop from Montreal to Punta Cana (PUJ), then an hour to an hour and fifteen by road.
- The Dominican Republic is one hour ahead of Montreal in winter and on the same time in summer.
- The coast faces north and receives markedly less sargassum than the eastern side at Punta Cana.
- December to April is the dry season. Hurricane season runs June to November.
The beach and the setting
Playa Esmeralda runs several kilometres of pale sand, with an offshore reef and a generally calm sea, stirred by wind in the afternoon. What strikes you most is the backdrop: the eastern range rises past seven hundred metres directly behind the beach, covered in forest. No other beach area in the country offers that contrast.
The steady afternoon wind has made the bay a kiteboarding spot, with a few schools on site. Numbers remain very low compared with Cabarete.
What lies around
The round mountain
An isolated three-hundred-metre knoll with a flat, open summit, from which you see the ocean on one side and the lagoons and forest on the other. You climb it by off-road vehicle from the road. Swings and hammocks have been set up facing the drop; the place has become much photographed, and the view justifies it.
The lagoons
Laguna Redonda and Laguna Limón, both protected, are crossed by skiff through the mangrove. Herons, ibis and abundant birdlife are seen there, best at first light.
The highest waterfall in the Caribbean
Salto de la Jalda, inland, drops about a hundred and twenty metres, making it the tallest waterfall in the Antillean arc. Reaching it takes three hours on foot or horseback each way, across rivers and through forest: a real hike, not a resort excursion.
All-inclusive in Michès
The supply is still limited: two or three recent large resorts, including a family holiday village and a more intimate property, all built after 2018. There is no tourist village, no shopping street, no nightlife within walking distance.
So it is a choice for anyone who wants a quiet beach, a new hotel and an unusual landscape, accepting that you stay at the resort or book excursions. If you prefer to be able to walk out, Punta Cana or Bayahibe suit better. Our criteria for choosing an all-inclusive hotel help decide.
When to go
From December to April the air holds around 28 °C and rain stays brief. The northeast coast gets slightly more rainfall than the east of the country, especially from November to January, but the showers are short.
The sector’s major advantage is its exposure: facing north, the beach is markedly less affected by sargassum than the eastern side at Punta Cana, an argument that counts from March to September. 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, La Romana, Puerto Plata and Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
