Things To Do in Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo's historical centre might not be the best kept in the Caribbean, but it is still worth your while to spend a few hours wandering around the small streets and shady squares. There are lots of colonial buildings and churches here and you can even walk on the oldest paved street in the new world.

Take a peek inside the Catedral Primada de America which was indeed one of the first cathedrals built in the Caribbean. It's got a distinctive architectural exterior and inside you'll find some exquisite sculptures and paintings. It's located in the historic Parque Colon, a square which is watched over by a statue of Columbus himself.

Have a nosy around the Pantheon Nacional. It's a pretty Jesuit church where many a local war hero and other famous Dominican people have been buried.

Visit the Alcazar de Colon which was built by Christopher Columbus' son and he lived here with his wife in the early part of the 16th century. Inside you'll get an impression of what life was like for them with some rooms refurbished in period style.

Photo by John Connell off Flickr

Go and look at the Fort Ozama which was built by the Spanish in the 15th century. Not only is this place oozing with history, but the views from the ramparts are pretty amazing too.

Photo by John Connell off Flickr

Have a coffee or lunch at one of the shady squares dotted with al fresco restaurants. They are nice and breezy and extremely well situated for some good old people watching after a morning of sightseeing.

The Joys of Staff Travel in the DR

Statue in the streets of Santo Domingo

Working for an airline definitely has its perks; rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous in first class is one of them. The downside is that if the flight is full, the only seat you’re getting is the one in the waiting area at the gate. Or the one on a train back home.

Some standby staff travellers say it adds to the holiday excitement, others say it requires nerves of steal. When I worked for a certain American carrier, I fell into the second group. It was easy to recognise me at the airport, I was the one biting my nails, pacing up and down, and frequently asking the check in staff if I would get on the flight. The thing is that you might not always get the seat you want or the flight you want, or worse you might not end up on a flight at all. I've had to turn back home, travelled on jump-seats in various spots of the aircraft, and got stuck for days hanging about at various foreign airports. But the glass of champers and the warm nuts you get in first class make it all worth while.

On one holiday, I even ended up in Santo Domingo instead of Lima. My travel buddy and I had planned to fly to Lima for a holiday in Peru where we would make an attempt at climbing to Machu Picchu near Cusco. We were fully prepared with our guidebooks on Peru, walking gear and warm clothing, ready to take on the hiking challenge, but it turned out that packing bikinis and beach blankets would have been more useful.

Our flight to Lima in Peru had been overbooked so after being told that our chances of getting on any flight to Lima were non-existent, we decided on a whim to take the flight that was leaving from the adjacent gate, which happened to be a flight to Santo Domingo. Not quite the same as Machu Picchu, but still an interesting destination in itself.

 With its colonial old town and Christopher Columbus relics dotted around the city, this metropolis is definitely worth spending some time in. There are lots of cosy squares with outdoor cafes, colonial churches and cobblestoned streets.  We travelled to buzzy La Romana. We snorkeled and tanned on the beach, explored the back lands of the DR on a tour through the countryside and discovered the nightlife of Boca Chica.

And Machu Picchu? Well, I just had to put it back on my to do list. Some other time.