Spectacular Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata has been Dominican Republic’s best kept secret and underappreciated for many years. LHVC became enamored in the city’s history and the beauty of its nature and wanted to share it with others. Puerto Plata has now become one of the Caribbean’s most popular vacation destinations.

Puerto Plata was an integral role in trading according to European and New World history. Dating back in 1502, Nicolas de Ovando founded and constructed a shipping base under Christopher Columbus’s direction. Stroll past the magnificent Victorian gazebo in the Parque Independencia, and you can sense a time when Puerto Plata was a leading New World trading port and the Fortaleza de San Felipe protected the city from pirate attacks.

Discover the same golden beaches that the Arawak Indians walked on and the nearby mountains they hunted in over 1,000 years ago. Discover the freedom the runaway slaves felt when they found safe harbor once they escaped from their cruel masters. Discover the prominent sugar cane and tobacco farms still existing today thanks to the influx of Cuban farmers which launched the new agricultural era around the 1800s.

A historic, galleried mansion houses the city’s Museo de Ambar Dominicano, dedicated to the Dominican Republic’s national stone – translucent amber. An ancient lighthouse, recently restored, harkens back to the days of massive Spanish galleons and tall ships arriving from the New World. Stroll along picturesque lanes and you’ll find charming galleries, gift shops and cafes tucked within Victorian mansions.