Landing at Puerto Plata Gregorio Luperon Intl Airport in Puerto Plata puts you at the center of a region, where nearby cities and scenery are close by. Puerto Plata sits on the Dominican Republic's north coast, between green mountains and the Atlantic, with a historic center of Victorian wooden houses painted in bright colors. It mixes old port town charm with easy access to surf towns, waterfalls, and quiet coves.

Standout experiences around Puerto Plata: - Ride the cable car up Pico Isabel de Torres to its gardens and statue of Christ - Walk the walls of Fortaleza San Felipe by the harbor - Stroll the Malecon and the gingerbread-trimmed houses of the old town - Learn about local fossil resin at the Amber Museum - Climb and slide down the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua - Snorkel and swim in Sosua's sheltered bay - Watch the kitesurfers fill the sky at Cabarete - Tour the Brugal rum distillery right in town - Start the day with mangu, mashed plantains with onions and fried cheese

Puerto Plata makes day trips simple. Sosua is about 20 minutes east and Cabarete about half an hour, each with its own beach scene and restaurants. The waterfalls of Damajagua are roughly half an hour inland, and Santiago, the country's second city and home of fine cigars, is about 75 minutes over the mountains. Merengue drifts out of colmados, the corner stores that double as neighborhood hangouts. Puerto Plata is warm in every sense.