Visit La Romana

La Romana grew in the early 20th century around the Central Romana refinery, still one of the largest in the Dominican Republic. The centre, without much charm, comes down to Parque Duarte, its church and the municipal market, where you get a sense of daily life far from the resorts. An hour's walk is enough. The port receives cruise ships whose passengers mostly head straight to Chavón or Catalina. As a base, the town is cheaper than Casa de Campo or Bayahibe, but a car or a taxi then becomes essential.

East of town, the Casa de Campo resort, opened in the 1970s, covers a vast estate with villas, a marina and several golf courses. On its grounds, Altos de Chavón stands on a clifftop above the Chavón river, lined with palms and cliffs. Allow two to three hours for the village, its church, workshops and amphitheatre, ideally in the late afternoon for the light on the river. Boat and kayak trips run up the Chavón from its mouth; the dry season, from December to April, is the most pleasant.

Some twenty kilometres east, the former fishing village of Bayahibe is the main departure point for Saona Island, at the heart of the National Park of the East. The typical day, from about 8 am to 5 pm, combines catamaran, beach and a speedboat return via the natural pool, a shallow sandbank. Leaving from Bayahibe rather than Punta Cana saves two to three hours on a bus. Divers find wrecks and reefs, such as the St. George freighter, deliberately sunk off Bayahibe. Between June and November, watch the hurricane forecasts and possible sargassum on the beaches.