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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
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- Destinations
- Caribbean
- Dominican Republic
- Puerto Plata
- Fuerte San Felipe
Fuerte San Felipe
Puerto Plata's only remnant of its Spanish Colonial past is a
small fort, situated on a small peninsula in Puerto Plata Bay. The
fort, featuring a moat, and a collection of historical artefacts in
a small museum, was built by Columbus after his arrival in 1492,
when he hoped to establish the first Spanish colony in the New
World at this site. The colony did not survive, however, and
eventually the Spanish resettled on the south coast at Santo
Domingo. To the east of the fort is an Oceanside road known as the
Malecon, which features numerous cafes and roadside vendors. It is
a popular promenade for walks beside the beach.
Information & Facts
Language
Spanish is the official language, but English is spoken
in the main tourist centres.
Money
The currency is the Dominican Republic Peso (DOP), divided into
100 centavos. Many of the hotels and restaurants in the main
tourist destinations display their prices in US dollars as well as
in Dominican Pesos, as US dollars are widely accepted and some
places will also accept Euros. The peso cannot be exchanged outside
of the Dominican Republic. Major currencies can be converted into
pesos at Central Bank approved bureaux; only 30% of the pesos
bought can be re-converted and this only if the original receipts
are produced, so it is best not to buy more pesos than you are
likely to need. Major credit cards are accepted everywhere, but a
commission is usually charged and it is recommended that you only
use your credit card at your hotel as fraud incidents have been
reported. The best exchange rates are paid on US travellers cheques
and secondly on US dollars cash and are best exchanged at exchange
bureaux (
casas de cambio). Banking hours are Monday to Friday from
8.30am to 4.30pm; some banks also open on Saturday. ATMs are
widespread.