The Islands - Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean: Lovetripper Guide - page 198

Dating back to the 16th century, the Fortaleza San Felipe
still stands sentry over the city and the harbor. Built by the
Spaniards to protect the city from pirates, in the 20th century it
was used as a prison. The doors within the fort are only four feet
tall, slowing down would-be attackers (and keeping tourists
alert). The fort includes a small museum with a collection of pe-
riod weapons and cannonballs.

Another fort stands at the top of Puerto Plata's Pico Isabel de
Torres , one of the highest points in the Dominican Republic.
The dome-shaped fortress is topped with a statue of Christ sim-
ilar to one that overlooks Rio de Janeiro.

Today the fortress is a gift shop for visitors who take the cable-
car ride to the summit. The 18-person car travels up the moun-
tain daily except Wednesday. Be warned, however, that lines to
board the cars can be long. Although the ride up the mountain
is slow, the view from the summit makes it worth the wait.
Through a gentle mist, you look down on Puerto Plata, the city
named for its “silver port,” making it easy to see why Christo-
pher Columbus wrote back to Queen Isabella, “This is the most
beautiful land that human eyes have seen.”

When we toured the mountain, our guide pointed west in the di-
rection of Haiti and explained why the neighbor that shares
one-third of this island has so many difficulties. “In Haiti, they
have more people than land.” He gestured out over the Domini-
can mountains, green with vegetation and devoid of any habita-
tion. “We have more land than we have people.”

The steep mountainsides are used for growing coffee, and the
flatlands along the Amber Coast are rich with sugarcane. It is
used in the production of another amber-colored product, this
one produced at the Brugal Rum Factory, 809-633-2907.

Open weekdays, the factory takes visitors through the process
of making 9,000 bottles of rum daily, 95% of which stay on the
island.

Santo Domingo Sights
Founded in 1496 by Christopher Columbus's brother, Santo
Domingo has enough Old World history to fill a vacation. The
city of over two million residents pulsates with plenty of New
World vitality, a mix that keeps many visitors returning year