Puerto Plata, Sosúa & Cabarete

The north coast runs from Cofresí and Puerto Plata east through Playa Dorada, Sosúa and Cabarete to Río San Juan and Playa Grande, all within reach of Puerto Plata's Gregorio Luperón airport (POP). Unlike Punta Cana's reef-protected east coast, most beaches here face the open Atlantic, so the water ranges from flat and clear in Sosúa's sheltered bay to the reef breaks of Encuentro, the country's main surf beach, and the big, beautiful and sometimes dangerous surf of Playa Grande.

Cabarete's afternoon trade winds make it one of the Caribbean's best-known kitesurfing towns, Puerto Plata has a Victorian old town and a 16th-century fort, and the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua are 30 minutes inland. Two cruise terminals, Amber Cove and Taíno Bay, bring millions of passengers a year, so popular sights are busiest on ship days.