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La Romana holidays
Drive southwest, past field after field of sugar cane and eventually you’ll find La Romana: a buzzing, baseball-loving city on one side, charming fishing village on the other, and oodles of beaches and resorts between them.
- Flight time
- 9h
- From London
- Currency
- RDS
- Dominican Peso
- Time zone
- GMT -4h
Getting to La Romana
La Romana has its own International Airport (AKA Casa de Campo International Airport), with direct flights to destinations including America, Canada and Italy and connecting flights to the UK. The bigger Punta Cana airport is about an hour’s drive away, for direct flights to the UK.
Average weather in La Romana
- Temperature (°C)*
- Rainfall (Inches)*
Holidays in La Romana
Evenings are deliciously laid back over here, with most of the biggest events or parties held in individual resorts. There are a few exceptions outside of these, like the Pit Stop Club (a locals’ favourite in Bayahibe). The atmosphere heats up during baseball season (October-Jan) when it’s well worth getting tickets to the Estadio. Look out for events at the Altos de Chavón amphitheatre, like the Latin shows.
Evidence of La Romana’s expat community is easily seen in the restaurants here – from pizza places to Italian pizza houses and Arabian kebab shops, there’s a delicious variety to the food scene here.
Near La Romana’s central park, Trigo de Oro is a great spot for sandwiches and coffee. The nearby Shish Kebab Restaurant is a national treasure, and you can’t visit without trying a kipe (fried bites of meat and wheat) – they’re said to be the best in the country. At Dom Ham, Carlitos’ burgers are also the stuff of legend.
In Bayahibe, Lost Bar has a fun, relaxed environment (and incredible pizzas and cocktails). Saona Café’s much loved for its great location overlooking the boats in the harbour - eat lionfish and sip sangria as you soak up the view.
La Romana’s town centre has shops and market stalls selling clothes, cigars and souvenirs. The Multiplaza has a food court (with familiar faces of Burger King and Pizza Hut) as well as various clothes, homeware and cosmetic brands. There are some lovely galleries and boutiques in arty Altos de Chavón, where you can pick up handmade home ornaments, food, jewellery, linens and creative pieces like carnival masks.
Activities in La Romana
With the National Park of the East a stone’s throw away, one of the best golf courses in the Caribbean and some absolutely amazing beaches, dull moments don’t exist in La Romana.
Watersports
Diving in La Romana
Seen as the best base in the Dom Rep for snorkelling and scuba, La Romana and Bayahibe have crystal clear water and fabulous dive sites. The St George is a 240-foot steel freighter, positioned upright on the sea bed. It was sunk in 1999 to create a diving attraction and has attracted all manner of marine life. There’s also the replica of Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. A lot of diving companies run trips to Catalina Island (a 20 minute boat ride away), which is surrounded by coral reefs and the Wall. It’s here you can explore pirate Captain Kidd’s shipwreck, Cara Merchant, which has become a living museum of the sea. Boat trips to Shark point are also popular, and not forgetting Saona Island with its countless corals and fish.
Surfing in La Romana
This part of the island is known more for its calm, shallow snorkel-suited waters than its decent surf, but if you fancy a day on the waves, a day trip to Macao beach is more than viable. Within a couple of hour’s drive from La Romana, Macao’s on the Punta Cana coastline, with surf schools providing lessons and board hire. For a full on week of riding, you might be better off staying on the northern coast near Puerto Plata and Cabarete, where Playa Encuentro’s known as one of the best surf spots in the Caribbean.
Windsurfing & kitesurfing in La Romana
La Romana’s coastal conditions aren’t as suited to windsurfing as Puerto Plata and Cabarete on the north coast. That said, some of the big resorts provide lessons and equipment for guests (usually for an extra charge). For some seriously spectacular kitesurfing, get a boat over to Saona island and launch from the shore. The side shore wind here is strong in the mornings and midday. Beneath you, clear, waist deep waters are dotted with fish and starfish.
Sailing in La Romana
La Romana’s bigger resorts have sailing schools and hire, usually available at an extra cost. The sailing around Saona island and the East National Park has to be some of the prettiest in the Caribbean – nab a skippered bareboat, bareboat or crewed charter (complete with a captain, skipper and guide) or join a shared excursion. If it’s not provided on the boat already, bring snorkelling equipment; the waters here are incredibly clear with all kinds of tropical fish.
Fishing in La Romana
There’s no better way to experience fishing in the Dom Rep than in a true fishing village. Colourful Bayahibe’s marina is buzzing with fisherman who bring in their catch of the day, which is soon sizzling in a nearby restaurant and ready to devour. Tuna, barracudas and blue Marlines are three regulars here. Choose between deep sea fishing and bottom fishing (or pick a company that offers both in one day). Some trips combine beach stops at Saona island and snorkelling spots.
Canoeing & kayaking in La Romana
For river kayaking, the Chavón flows through dense and spectacular jungle (bits of Jurassic Park were filmed here). A guide will be able to show you the best stop points – look out for the fresh water turtles that love here. The titan all-inclusive resorts have their own set of sea kayaks for guests to paddle about in the shallows or sign up for tours. If yours doesn’t, Ole runs a brilliant little sea kayaking centre in Bayahibe where you can learn techniques and paddle around the calm waters and empty beaches of the National Park of the East – snorkels at the ready: the corals around here are spectacular.
Land Activities
Golf in La Romana
Serious golfers can’t stay here without booking a round on Pete Dye’s Teeth of the Dog course, which consistently ranks the best in the Caribbean and is easily one of the world’s finest courses. Formed from the rock and coral of La Romana’s coastline are 18 stunningly scenic holes, seven of which sit right by the ocean (get an eyeful of the view at #7). Dye’s also the man behind The Links and Dye Fore courses. The former’s a British-style 18-hole inland course over glorious rolling hills, with water hazards on 5 holes. The latter is a challenging cliff-side spectacle of 27 holes with surrounding views of ocean, marina, Rio Chavón and mountains. Playa Nueva Romana is a 9 hole, par 3 course, which Jack Lund is growing into an 18-hole course with 4 holes on the beach.
Cycling & mountain biking in La Romana
The Grand Cañeros MTB Marathon takes place in La Romana every year (usually in March), on a circuit through sugar cane plantations – the route’s spectacular. Some of the bigger hotels and resorts have bikes available to use, with guides often able to run tours over to villages like Bayahibe and through local plantations. About an hour’s drive away, Bavaro Adventure Park has a two-hour trail that takes riders to Cape Engaño and a bike pump track is crammed with ridges, ramps and wall-rides.
Walking & hiking in La Romana
There’s a lovely stretch of coastal path (popular with horse-riders and dog walkers) between Dominicus and Bayahibe, where you can stop off for a drink and watch the boats at the colourful marina. Bayahibe is the access point for the National Park of the East, where you can get a guide to take you along the Padre Nuestro hiking trail. The trail passes the Chicho II cave and natural pool, with birds and butterflies making regular appearances.
