Santo Domingo: colonial, modern and above all hipster
Santo Domingo is experiencing a great moment. It is the product of a typical evolution of its environment, like what happened before also with neighboring San Juan (Puerto Rico) or not far away Panama. This is one revaluation and restoration of its historic centers and a strong development of new neighborhoods (coupled with the rise of its new cruise port). Both facts are due to its thriving economies and its strategic positioning as a quality tourist destination.
In the capital it is expressed in a flirty Colonial City (the cathedral, the keep, the Parque Colón, the shipyards, the national pantheon, the Alcázar de Colón…) and an emerging new part: the pier , the New city , the street Count , the neighborhood of Gazcue , the park South Lookout , the lighthouse Colon … All this is combined with a non-urban environment where you can enjoy a beach like small mouth (La Caleta) which, at the time, with its Hamaca hotel (ordered to be built by Trujillo in the 1950s) catapulted the area as a tourist destination. Another vacation spot in the area is Juan Dolio , halfway between the capital and La Romana. Beyond the beaches, an insider experience is to attend a seasonal baseball game (from October to January) at the Tetelo Vargas stadium in San Pedro de Macorís.
The Alcazar of Colon
NIGHT IN THE COLONIAL CITY
Focusing on the capital, Grayline Tours (offers tours of the historic center and the modern part that will help the visitor to get into this new Santo Domingo. They even have a night tour to discover the march of the city! When the sun goes down, the experience begins in the bars/restaurants/terraces (more gastronomic leisure multispaces than anything else) of the old town of the city, which have worked as revitalizers of this neighbourhood, to finish the clubbing route through the numerous nightclubs of the East.
Undoubtedly, guides, residents, hotel concierges, taxi drivers and others will unanimously recommend Pat'e Palo, the first tavern in the New World (1505) that sums up the historical and modern duality of the place. It is a lively place, with a charming terrace and in a unique location with great views of the Alcazar of Colon . But, for a more local and chic experience, the same team manages the Lulú bar, with great cocktail bar , a fabulous patio-cloister and live jazz every Monday in the evening. It is the ideal plan for a drink before dinner (or just after). A good way to continue is at La Correa Bajita, a place where you feel at home listening to blues , having a cocktail or one of the dishes to share such as Vietnamese rolls with peanut sauce or ceviche taquitos.
Travesías restaurant interior
You can continue through the anime cacibajagua or the very fashionable Sud. Both show that the gin and tonic culture has also arrived here. And in both places the drinks are accompanied by salads, tacos and sophisticated sandwiches. When the night progresses it is time to dance a little. In Lucia the Dominican soundtrack sounds: they are, salsa and bachata . For more parties, this time in the open air (a bit like a summer festival but every Sunday), ask for the son festival, which is celebrated next to the ruins of San Francisco . gay scene? In Santo Domingo it is also possible. The largest, most modern and international club is the G Bar Lounge & Gallery.
THE NEW HOSPITALITY
After a night out, it's time to rest. It was probably the Nicholas of Ovando (from the MGallery Collection, the premium boutique hotel brand of the Accor group; see Hospitality) the forerunner in restoring and adapting a historic building in the Colonial City (in this case, this governor's mansion dating from 1502) as a luxury hotel. The two most recent options are the Casas del XVI and the Billini. The first, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, offers a style caribbean and colonial distributed in several spaces: the House of the Maps, the House of the Boat and the House of the Tree. Linen sheets, butler service, courtesy iPhone for each guest's stay or multilingual drivers are just some of its five-star details.
Every corner is taken care of in detail and the decoration is elegant, stately and fresh, like that of a summer house but in the center . The porch and pool of the Casa de los Mapas, surrounded by exuberant vegetation, is a good example of all this. In the second case, this 16th century architecture is mixed with tables ustic, contemporary luminaires or retro armchairs by Arne Jacobsen. Its rooms are comfortable and spacious, with all the details an urbanite might miss (from coffee machines in the dressing room to deL'Occitane products in the bathrooms). It has good bars, a restaurant and a rooftop pool/solarium with views over the rooftops of the Colonial City.
City views
SHOPPING TIME
We are in America (with highly imitated North American models), it is hot and it shows in the way of buying. Shopping malls (with frigid air conditioning) proliferate. Ágora Mall is the first shopping center green’ of the Caribbean (in the process of Green Building certification). During its construction, the waste from the works was classified to be recycled, Dominican materials (such as cement) were used, low water consumption systems were implemented in the bathrooms, plants ' cleaners of the atmosphere , controlled lighting (30% LED and 50% high-efficiency fluorescent) and even the carpets at the entrances capture up to 80% of air pollutants.
Inside there are all kinds of stores (Guess, Mango, Brooksfield, Mac Cosmética, Zara Home, Adidas, Náutica, AX, Puma, Timberland, Swarovski, etc.) and a food court (El Jardín de Ágora) with Japanese cuisine ( shops specializing in sushi, temakis and even one of teriyakis), French (crêperie) or Mexican (tacos, nachos…). And for dessert? Its fantastic ice cream parlors, such as Bon or Dolce Italia.
Shopping in Santo Domingo
The Blue Mall is the very image of luxury in the city. Stores such as Salvatore Ferragamo, CH de Carolina Herrera, Hackett, Cartier, Louis Vuitton or Dunhill have their headquarters here. To regain strength, its food court has a wide range that ranges from frozen yogurt from Yogen Fruz to a branch of Sushi Republic. Here is also the Hard Rock Cafe. In both cases, it is a great idea to spend a morning shopping with the family.
For those looking for a more adult alternative, it is worth leaving multi-brand boutiques. In Il Prato there is fashion for women with emerging international brands and shoes from trendsetters. Examples? A colorful Band Of Outsiders dress, with an Alexander Wangs jacket, an Anya Hindmarch clutch with Erickson Beamon necklaces and Giuseppe Zanotti sandals can be the look to succeed in any of the Dominican parties. For men and women deluxe are LMH, with clothes and accessories from Etro, Paul Smith and Ermenegildo Zegna, or moon walk , with top firms to buy Oscar de la Renta looks or Charlotte Olimpia accessories.
A typical city carriage
CULTURAL AFTERNOON
When it's time to get your strength back for lunch, you can choose between the bohemian La Bohème (pun intended), with dishes from the well-known Mesón de Bari (with typically Dominican food). Travesías y Sophias serves new dominican cuisine and creative dishes with an informal signature touch (respectively). Finally, you should also go to Miter , with a very nice terrace, and La Cassina , decorated in a vintage look, with a terrace and also recommended as a cocktail bar.
Cassine
The table talk can begin with a walk through the Museum of Modern Art (with an interesting retro architecture from the 70s by José Miniño; all the information on his Facebook) or the Museo de las Casas Reales. Once these two essential visits have been completed, a more avant-garde route takes place with a stop at the Lyle O Reitzel or Arte Berri gallery. The day can end before dinner with a drink (yes, multispaces and arty bars are popular here) at La Galería (by the curator Francisco Nader, at Rafael Augusto Sánchez, 22, Ens. Piantini. Torre Roberto) or a show at the gallery, bar and stage Casa de Teatro, founded in 1974 by a group of young people who wanted to make an independent and innovative theater and that offers the best in terms of music in the city.
_*_This report has been published in the monograph number 79 of the Dominican Republic, which is now on sale in digital format on Zinio .
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Detail in the street of Las Damas