Recommend July 2018 - 62

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MINISTRY OF TOURISM

onsite
review

The Alcazar Colon is
located in the Colonial
Zone, a UNESCO
World Heritage site.

The Santo Domingo Experience
Ed Wetschler

A park employee outside Fortaleza Ozama
offered entrants flowers. Centuries ago
someone might have offered her flowers,
because here on Calle las Damas, the oldest
European street in the Americas, las damas
used to sidle down the cobblestones in search
of eligible men.
Restorations in Santo Domingo, the oldest
city in the Americas, have transformed
a grimy, decaying Colonial Zone into a
UNESCO World Heritage site.
The improvements have reinvigorated
travel to the capital, spurring cruise ship
visits, day trips from as far as Punta Cana, and
new bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, galleries,
and bookstores. Hotel choices have grown,
too, because more visitors are deciding to stay
awhile. This summer, 10 new walking routes
(including one for children) are debuting,
Santo Domingo has re-opened two historic
sites, and a second phase of restorations is
going to expand the Colonial Zone.
On previous trips I'd visited the Palace
of Columbus, built in the early 1500s for
Christopher's son Diego. I'd been awed by the
National Pantheon, a former Jesuit church
that serves as a memorial to Dominican
heroes. And, of course, I can never come to
Santo Domingo without revisiting the oldest
cathedral in the Americas.
From the outside you can see that sections
of the Catedral Primada de America were
erected at different times, but the interior
conveys a sense of unity, even though part
of it, the vault, is so old that it's the only
true Gothic construction in the Americas.
Leaving the cathedral, I listened to children
serenading this monument that was born 500
years before they were.
62 july 2018

One of the two just-restored attractions in
town is the Fortress of Santo Domingo, aka
Fortaleza Ozama (c. 1502-08). The oldest
European citadel in the New World, it's
small enough to evoke an amusement park
fort, so I felt like a kid scampering up the
circular stairs to a terrace and then on to the
rooftop. By then I realized that this little fort
is surprisingly high. It's also impregnable, with
walls measuring nine feet thick.

Reefs and Wrecks
The gate to the fortress is where that park
employee was handing out flowers. Five
centuries ago she might have encountered the
likes of Hernan Cortez and Francisco Pizarro,
because Santo Domingo was a launching pad
for the Spanish conquistadores.
The conquistadores never did quite conquer
the ocean; no one can. Currents crashed
many a sailing ship against the inshore shoals
and reefs, but that has inspired another new
old attraction: the Royal Shipyards, which
just reopened as the Underwater Heritage
Museum. I watched a good video about the
early settlement of Santo Domingo and
admired guns, sextants, furniture, and other
pieces from scores of shipwrecks.
One day I had lunch at Hodelpa Nicolas
de Ovando, a five-star hotel with 97 rooms
and suites in three connected buildings dating
back to 1502. Ovando brilliantly marries
modern comforts, antiques, and 500-yearold walls, and now the new Imperial Club
rooms offer an even higher level of service
and romance; that's like designing a better
Porsche. The hotel has a garden, pool, bar,
fitness center, and complimentary parking.
Clients not staying at Ovando should at least
stop by for a drink or dinner.

High-season rates for a Colonial Room start at
about $280, including tax. FYI, Hodelpa also
recently opened the Novus Plaza Hodelpa, a
well-situated property that offers rooms from
just $130 in high season.
One other new amenity: Kah Kow, a
museum that offers videos about chocolate,
tastings, exhibits, and an opportunity to
custom-make a chocolate bar. I created a dark
chocolate (82 percent) for my wife.
She loved it.

Sleeping with Royalty
I stayed at the El Embajador, a Royal
Hideaway Hotel, which unveiled a $40
million renovation in February. This 62-yearold, 298-room landmark isn't in the Colonial
Zone, but it does pack in a lot of 20th century
history, because so many movie stars and
dignitaries have slept there.
My Junior Suite featured polished wood,
marble, and a textured wall/headboard
worthy of a museum. The tub, exposed to
the bedroom, can be closed off via a metallic
curtain. Many of the guests are high-end
business travelers, but increasingly, leisure
guests are staying here. El Embajador also hosts
120 weddings a year. The new spa and pool,
and the 3-acre garden provide a resort-like
atmosphere, so it's lovely to eat at El Jardin
restaurant while looking out at this oasis. High
season rates start at $190, but I'd recommend
booking the B&B option ($232). ■
Contact Information
Dominican Republic Tourism Ministry:
godominicanrepublic.com

El Embajador, a Royal Hideaway Hotel: barcelo.com
Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando: hodelpanicolasdeovando.com

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http://www.godominicanrepublic.com http://www.barcelo.com http://www.hodelpanicolasdeovando.com http://www.recommend.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend July 2018
