All-Inclusive Resort with Nonstop Entertainment Steps from Cofresi Beach

After Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Plata in 1492, the Dominican city became a haven for pirates. Throughout the 16th century, local residents defended against buccaneers at Fortaleza de San Felipe, a fortress at the seaport that still stands today. Much has evolved in the city since then—downtown, you'll find colorful Victorian houses that survived from Puerto Plata's Victorian-era boom. And today, there's a new vibrancy to the area, which is lined with sprawling resorts such as Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club.

Mediterranean-style buildings painted a canary yellow make up the resort, which is like a kingdom at your fingertips: it's lined with nine restaurants and two nightclubs. As part of the all-inclusive package, you get unlimited food and drinks at most locations.

With VIP beach access, you can lounge on your own private beachfront on the Atlantic, which is lined with billowy cabanas, brightly decorated beach beds, and palm trees. There's also a hot tub here just steps from the shore, one of numerous hot tubs and pools onsite. Feel free to take an introductory scuba lesson from a PADI-certified instructor, or partake in daily activities such as beach volleyball and aqua aerobics.

Your all-inclusive stay grants special privileges at nearby sister resorts Presidential Suites and Cofresi Palm Beach. At all three resorts, you can find restaurants that prep international cuisine, ranging from Italian to Brazilian churrascaria and Indian and Mexican fare. In addition, you get a free round of golf at the nine-hole Los Mangos Golf Course and free tickets to Ocean World, which has dolphin shows and a casino.

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic: Waterfalls, Beach Scene, and Centuries-Old Historic Sites

Situated on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata is best known for its sun-kissed beaches. But the province has several breathtaking geographical features inland as well. Damajagua is a natural water park of sorts: it features 27 waterfalls flowing from limestone-rock formations. Tour guides lead groups up and back through the falls, and you can swim and occasionally slide down the natural water slides.

You can get an aerial view of Puerto Plata and the Caribbean Sea on a teleferico, or cable car. One of them in particular climbs 2,565 feet to the apex of Mount Isabela de Torres, which is crowned with blooming botanical gardens and a replica of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, an open-armed statue.

It's also worth it to take a scenic drive to Parque Histórico La Isabela, the site of Christopher Columbus' first settlement in the New World. There, you'll find the remains of a church as well as ruins of a colonial village where Columbus routinely woke his neighbors by blasting the Santa Maria's foghorn.

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