Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 809-586-2817;
www.villacarolina.hostel.com
; Av Virginia Elena Ortea 9; s/d incl breakfast RD$1200/
1600; )
This rambling old house with a leafy courtyard is easily the best place for
independent travelers in Puerto Plata. Beyond the security gate at the end of a long drive-
way, several old cars, the family-occupied front house and the vine-covered pergola and
pool area is the carriage house-cum-villa where the tastefully furnished rooms are located.
The colored tile floors add a touch of colonial elegance, both in the rooms and the large
front lounge area. An old kitchen is available for guest use.
Hotel Kevin
MAP
HOTEL
$
GOOGLE MAP
( 829-263-5182, 809-244-4159;
hotel-kevin1@hotmail.fr
; JF Kennedy, btwn Separación & Castellanos;
s/d with fan RD$900/1000, with air-con RD$1000/1200; )
Only a block from the Parque Cent-
ral and housed in a building with Victorian-era facade and structure, this is a good-value
choice. The basic rooms are clean and relatively well furnished, with cable TV and com-
fortable bathrooms. Wi-fi is accessible from the sunny front lobby.
Eating & Drinking
All the restaurants are also good places for a drink, with or without a meal. Along Kite
Beach on the eastern end of the Malecón are around a half-dozen informal kiosks serving
food and drinks, including
Kite Bar
(Malecón 32; lunch & dinner)
and La Carihuela. Regu-
lars, both expats and Dominicans, head here for sundowners and simple meals (RD$200
to RD$300). National flags hang from a few kiosks, announcing the country of origin of
their owners.
Av Luis Ginebra, from the intersection with Av Hermanas Mirabal until it turns into Av
12 de Julio, has close to a dozen restaurants (Weng Yeng for inexpensive Chinese cuisine)
and bars popular with the city's middle class. Topaci and El Furgon are recommended for
drinks (dancing at the latter as well).
is the best place for groceries; several fast-food options, a pharmacy, dry cleaners
(RD$650 per load of machine wash and dry) and banks are also inside. At the
Mercado Mu-
getables and tourist knick-knacks in what looks like an enormous, crown-shaped concrete
gas station from the 1960s.
