DESTINATIONS — CARIBBEAN
The Bannister Hotel
Zoetry Agua Punta Cana
PLAY THREE WAYS
SAVE: Quench your thirst with a coconut from a roadside stall. The vendor will chop off the top of the husk, make a hole so you can put a straw in, then you can drink its deliciously sweet and nutritious water straight from the shell. At about £1 it’s cheaper than the cartons you’ll find in the UK.
international calls and laundry service plus butlers. Seven nights’ all-inclusive with ITC Classics starts from £1,899 including flights and private transfers, for travel between May and October. While the ocean is generally
calm as it meets the Zoetry’s beach, at the neighbouring Sivory, Punta Cana, it is a little wilder. At this 55-room hotel, in-room furnishings marry minimalism with something a little cosier, and pampering touches include 12 bottles of carefully-selected wines in your fridge, breakfast in bed daily, and an AAA four-diamond restaurant on property. Kuoni leads-in at £1,066, room-only departing in April. Eden Roc at Cap Cana, in the
southern reaches of Punta Cana, meanwhile, is another top-end treat. A compact village of 34 suites, set in candy-coloured villas with private pools, edges a winding, paved road that hugs a lagoon. Interiors have a European- cum-colonial Caribbean feel with luxury Italian furnishings. A beach club with a restaurant and pool is a four-minute golf buggy ride away. Caribtours’ low-season rate starts at £2,199 for seven nights with breakfast. On the Samana Peninsula you’ll
find two members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH). The Bannister Hotel is set within a gated community close to Santa Bárbara de Samaná. Nestling between headlands of palms, it overlooks a 107-slip marina, and has a Café del Mar restaurant set on a peninsula at the entrance to the harbour. The 48 one and two- bedroom suites nearly all enjoy views of Samana Bay. Interiors
feature a living area with high- spec kitchen, sumptuous beds, marble bathrooms and generous terraces. The nearest beach is on Cayo Levantado Island, a 15-minute boat ride away. Seven nights with breakfast through SLH starts from £999.
Back on the peninsula’s other coast, and close to Las Terrenas, is the Ibiza-esque Sublime Samana Hotel & Residences. Surrounded by a forest of palm trees, the establishment has 18 one to three-bedroom contemporary- style units, set around lawns and a reflection pool-style water feature. The property benefits from direct beach access and a wide range of restaurants in neighbouring resorts are within a half-hour drive. A seven-night Splurge on the House package booked through SLH costs from £1,656, and gives a daily credit equal to the room rate, which client may use towards spa, restaurant or telephone costs. TW
SPEND: Book a day trip to the capital city Santo Domingo. A stroll around the Zona Colonial will transport you back to Christopher Columbus’ day. In 1498 the intrepid explorer established this city, and in the Zona Colonial, or old town, a wealth of beautifully restored, 16th-century buildings stand along the cobbled streets and around the squares. Priced £55 for adults, £27 for children, with Attraction World.
SPLURGE: Play eco tourist on a visit to Los Haitises National Park. This preserve of subtropical foliage, including mahogany trees, bamboo and numerous species of palms and ferns, is home to frigate birds, hawks and pelicans. Climb aboard for a boat trip through the channels of mangroves, before taking a dip by a waterfall. Priced £91 for adults, £45 for children with Do Something Different.
Hard Rock Casino & Hotel, Punta Cana
4 December 2014 —
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