Sometimes the mere fact that we have not been somewhere is reason enough to go. That is what brought us to the sugar cane-covered hillsides, high peaks and deep blue waters of the Dominican Republic.
We have learned over the years that if an island is good enough for Columbus, then it’s good enough for us. In fact, the Italian lad really landed on some excellent beaches - and the beaches of Puerto Plata are among them.

Wind rustling through the cane fields reminded us of south Louisiana. The difference geographically is that mountains are silhouetted against the tropical sky on one side of the fields, while tan beaches and palm trees meet the cane just before it reaches the sea. Put it all together and you have the genesis of Caribbean rum.

The Dominican Republic is just east of Cuba, sharing real estate with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola. The islanders are mostly Spanish-speaking blacks, with broad smiles and yellow moon eyes. In addition to cane, the island is famous for its tobacco and skilled cigar makers. The cigar craze of the 1990s has given the industry a boost, as many cigar makers are refugees of Castro’s regime, and some Cuban cigar brands have shifted operations to the island to take advantage of United States sales.

The country and countryside are rustic. Most resorts are some distance from towns. To make the trip a vacation for the family we searched the internet for an all-inclusive resort with a tropical pool that the kids would enjoy, plus on-site restaurants and bars that put everything just steps away without us ever reaching into our wallets.

Fortunately, we found an Iberostar Resort. We have thoroughly enjoyed other Iberostar Resorts throughout the tropics, so we knew we would have an exceptional place to stay with four- or five-star amenities.

Located several miles from Puerto Plata on the northern coast of the island, Iberostar offers a private palm-filled beach where you can soak up the sun and play in the surf. Imagine sitting beneath the palms, sipping on a cold island drink while the staff stokes an outdoor fire on the beach, cooking fresh Spanish paella, full of fresh mussels, fish and shrimp caught by fishermen in the nearby village. Iberostar also offers a full slate of water sports on the beach for those who have the urge to windsurf or take a sea kayak out into the waves. If you want to go under the waves, snorkeling and scuba are offered, although the scuba pales in comparison to other Caribbean destinations. Silt running off the mountains, combined with poor sanitary conditions in the coastal villages, causes the waters to be murky; the reefs are heavily damaged by pollution and silt.

Just a short walk down the beach is great shopping in stalls run by local vendors and artists. Some offer jewelry ranging from shells to silver, while others have flea market-style T-shirts and beachwear. Both in the market and along the beach are vendors selling oil-on-canvas paintings depicting island scenes, such as workers cutting sugar cane, with raised island cottages and palms nearby. Haggling is a part of the shopping experience, but so is hounding by vendors who want you to buy from them.

As comfortable as the private beach is, we always find a need to explore beyond our comfort zone. Those towering mountains covered in lush tropical vegetation beckoned us, along with tales of waterfalls deep in the jungle. On the advice of the Iberostar concierge, we hired a driver and a van for the day and headed toward the mountains. Along the way, we stopped at a cluster of homes where young men stood gathered along the roadside. The driver engaged in a conversation of which we only picked up bits and pieces. One of the young men climbed into the van. A round of introductions in broken Spanish and broken English revealed that Patricio was our waterfall guide.

The van turned off the highway and onto a dirt road in a sugar cane field. Soon we were driving through a small streambed of stones and ice-cold water, indicating the waterfalls were nearby. The van parked and Patricio introduced us to his friends, who offered plastic shoes for rent. As it turns out, reaching the falls requires walking up the streambed in the 68-degree water.

Up the high mountains, nature has carved out a series of 28 waterfalls; the stream has smoothed the rocks so much that they are natural water slides. You literally sit in the ice-cold water, and the current takes you over the edge of the falls, plunging you into an icy pool some 15 to 20 feet below, then over the next fall, and so on.

The adventure is both exhilarating and exhausting and one that the entire family enjoyed. In need of a cold drink, on the way back to civilization we stopped along the road where vendors had iced down fresh coconuts. They would whack the top off a coconut and insert a straw for us to sip the cold coconut milk – a delicacy the locals call coco frio.

We returned home with colorful art, deep tans, dark cigars and great memories, checking off the Iberostar Resort and the Dominican Republic as another of our great destinations.

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