La Romana

La Romana is on the southeast coast, about a two-hour drive from Santo Domingo and the same distance southwest of Punta Cana. The international airport here has nonstop service to both the United States and Canada. The actual town of La Romana is not pretty or quaint, although it has a central park, an interesting market, a couple of good restaurants, banks and small businesses, a public beach, and Jumbo, a major supermarket. It is, at least, a real slice of Dominican life.

Casa de Campo is just outside La Romana. Although there are now more resorts in the area, this 7,000-acre luxury enclave put the town on the map. Marina Chavón, with its Mediterranean design and impressive yacht club and villa complex, is as fine a marina facility as can be found anywhere; the shops and restaurants at the marina are a big draw for all tourists to the area, as is Altos de Chavón, the re-created 16th-century Italian hill town on the grounds of Casa de Campo.

La Romana is about an hour east of Juan Dolio. If you go straight on Autovia del Este, the coastal highway changes into Highway 3. As you approach the town of La Romana, you'll pass the baseball stadium on your left. If you want to explore the downtown area, take Avenida General Luperón to the right, when the road splits, and you'll head straight to the central park, which is the main town square.