Punta Cana

The island of Hispaniola, home to the Taíno people, was where Christopher Columbus established the first permanent European settlements in the Americas, beginning in 1493. Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, became the first Spanish colonial city in the New World, with the first cathedral, university and hospital in the Americas. The Taíno population was devastated within a few decades by forced labour and disease. The Dominican Republic gained independence in 1844 from Haiti, which had ruled the whole island for twenty-two years. Punta Cana itself was a remote stretch of coast, reachable mostly by boat, until the 1970s, when investors, including the designer Oscar de la Renta, began developing it. Its international airport opened in 1984.

Dominicans are known for their warmth and love of music. Merengue and bachata, both born in the country, are played everywhere and danced by everyone. Baseball is a passion, and the country has produced many Major League stars. The classic lunch, nicknamed la bandera, 'the flag', is rice, beans and stewed meat. Try mangú, mashed plantains, for breakfast and sancocho, a hearty meat stew, at celebrations. Outside the resorts, colmados, corner shops with music and cold beer, are the heart of neighbourhood life.