Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a taxi almost everywhere - you'll sweat just walking from the street to the hotel entrance.
A Crowne Plaza opened up on the site of the former Hotel V Centenario Intercontinental,
the closest of the Malecón hotels to the Zona Colonial, and at the time of our visit the
Hotel Magna 365
809-221-6666;
www.hotelmagna365.com
; 365 George Wash-
MAP
)
, formerly the Melia, was being converted into a Sheraton.
ington Ave;
Hilton Hotel
MAP
HOTEL
$$$
GOOGLE MAP
( 809-685-0000;
www.hiltoncaribbean.com/santodomingo
; Av George Washington 500; r from US$130;
)
Easily the nicest of the luxury hotels on the Malecón, the Hilton is part of
a huge, though mostly abandoned, complex (a casino and movie theaters remain). The
highest of the high-rises, it's a long elevator ride from the atrium to the top. Rooms are
nicer and newer than its nearby competitors, and it has a bar and restaurant with stunning
ocean views.
Renaissance Jaragua Hotel
MAP
RESORT
$$$
GOOGLE MAP
( 809-221-2222;
www.marriott.com
; Av George Washington 367; r from US$90; )
Under the Marriott brand, the spacious rooms in the 10-story tower and low-slung annex
have been upgraded, though furnishings are still dated. It's generally good value consider-
ing the resort-style facilities; there's a popular nightclub, a sports bar and a large casino on
the premises.
Eating
Unsurprisingly, Santo Domingo is the culinary capital of the country. It offers the full
range of Dominican cuisine, from
pastelitos
(pastries with meat, vegetable or seafood
fillings) sold from the back of street-vendors' carts to extravagantly prepared meals in pic-
turesque colonial-era buildings. The Zona Colonial has some of the best restaurants and is
most convenient for the majority of travelers. Gazcue, only a short walk from the Ma-
lecón, has a number of good choices; the downtown area north and west of Gazcue,
between Av Tiradentes and Av Winston Churchill, is another fine area for dining, with a
large number of restaurants.
