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Bayahibe Dominican Republic
Bayahibe Dominican Republic is a small fishing village, in the South-East of the country. It has an excellent beach and is fast gaining recognition as a growing tourism destination and as an environmental benchmark for the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. Bayahibe Dominican Republic was founded in 1874 by Juan Brito and his family, who came from Puerto Rico. Bayahibe is an indigenous word although it`s meaning is not known for sure. There are however many names that include the tainos word Baya. "Baya" is the name given to a bivalve mollusk, which like clams are glued to the rocks or roots of mangrove trees. "Hib" is the name that the Indians gave a sort of sieve manufactured from sticks used to sift cassava flour. The below video gives a feel for Bayahibe. NB:after starting the movie,the `HQ` button will appear in the right hand corner. If you click on it it will give a higher quality picture but this is dependent on your internet connection].
There are several all-inclusive hotels in Bayahibe. Andy Ashcroft [former British Ambassador] has stayed in several of them including the Playa Dominicus Palace and the Oasis Canoa Coral by Hilton. His personal favourite in Bayahibe Dominican Republic was however the Iberostar Hacienda. He reports that it had a good range buffet meals, excellent restaurants and the rooms were of good quality. Indeed his sister and her family [two boys of 11 and 14yrs] stayed there and were very happy with the facilities. I spent 3 weeks at the Catalonia Gran Dominicus [click here for full review/video which represented excellent value for money and had a great place along the coastline.
They have met international standards for waste prevention, reuse and recycling practices and preservation of the surroundings. The village is comprised of restaurants serving fresh seafood, dive shops, pastel-colored huts, and a few smaller hotels. You can stay in a guest houses in Bayahibe for under $25 a night. Indeed this provides a good base for exploring Parque Nacional del Este, a 172-square mile national park known for its 200 caves dating from pre-Columbian time [see below].
Beaches
There is also plenty of easily accessible public beach space in Playa Bayahibe and Dominicus. In Bayahibe Dominican Republic [photo right] you have the white sand, restaurants and food stands overlooking the beach.
The sand at Playa Dominicus is even better than at Bayahibe. Click here for a report/video of the beach photographed right. The public entrance for area non-hotel guests is between Viva Dominicus Palace and Iberostar Hacienda.
Attractions near to Bayahibe Dominican Republic
Altos de Chavon is the principal cultural attraction of the region, where the best of national and international artists perform at the 5,000-seat amphitheatre. One of the best things about Altos is that it is absolutely free!!!! This re-created XIV century Mediterranean village overlooks the Chavon River. When established in 1981, Altos de Chavon was declared a working artists village by its creators, who dedicated it to the fine and applied arts. Its other-worldly cobblestone streets and quaint architecture overlooking Chavon River conceal charming shops, fine restaurants, intimate bars, artisanal workshops, a church, an archaeological museum and a university that specializes in design and is affiliated to Parsons School of Design in New York. The Parson`s School of Design of New York City has a branch there. It has fine architecture, restaurants with great views and international cuisine, and an excellent museum. It is adjacent to Casa de Campo. Check out our interview with Lester the manager at Altos de Chavon. Isla Saona
The fantastic turquoise, green and blue waters have endless visibility. The powder white sand is what you dream of in a Caribbean Island.
It has a quiet fishing village with friendly locals who now cater to thousands of day trippers. You can go by catamaran, big tourist boat
or small motor boat.
The boats generally leave from Bayahibe. If you are lucky, dolphins will swim along with you. Some excursions use speed boats that take tourists to visit the village of Mano Juan and Palmilla beach with its white sands.
Mano Juan is a fishing village where you can purchase handicraft. You can also arrange for a stopover in "la piscina" in Palomilla, north of the island. It is about half an hour from La Romana and you can get to Saona Island by speed boat, catamaran, or even by pirate boat.
Isla Catalina is a 9.6 square kilometre uninhabited off shore wildlife reserve located five miles south of La Romana. The island can be seen from La Romana. The Taino Indians called this island "Toeya" and but there is no clear evidence whether they actually inhabited the island or not. Christoph Columbus gave this island its current name in honor of Saint Catalina. It is known for its white beaches and shallow waters and if you book a small boat with a local captain in Bayahibe or at Rancho Cumayasa, he could easily include this little island in your day tour. Catalina has coral reefs close to the island for snorkeling. Many dive excursions come to Catalina for the reefs and tropical fish. Check out our interview with Alex who runs a stall on Catalina Island. Bayahibe Dominican Republic [cont] The Cueva de las Maravillas (Cave of Wonders)
The cave of wonders is located midway on the highway from San Pedro de Macoris to La Romana.
The cave's 240-meter footpath takes tourists to a majestic journey 25 feet underground. Once underground there are some fantastic stalagmites and stalactites. This caves were used by the natives for the adoration of the mortuary rituals and the God of the called death Maqueteaurie Guayaba. There are a collection of approximately 500 rupestrian paintings by the indigenous inhabitants. The tour will take approximately one hour and should be included in every visit.
420 sq. kilometer flora and fauna reserve that is also a major archaeological centre for Taino Indian culture. Botanists have counted 539 flora species and there are also many types of birds living in the park. The Pereskia quisqueyana In Bayahibe Dominican Republic grows a small group of plants that are extremely important to the biological characteristics of this area: in particular, the Pereskia quisqueyana. This plant species is endemic to Bayahibe. Pereskia quisqueyana is known for its beautiful flowers. The popular name by which this pink flower is known is "Bayahibe Rose."
Bayahibe Dominican Republic GolfIf you are a fairly serious golfer you have a few choices:
18-hole challenging and stunning world renoun championship course. Dubbed Teeth of the Dog after the razor-sharp rocks lining its seven oceanfront holes. Designed by Pete Dye and located in Casa de Campo, La Romana. Fronting the Caribbean on seven holes, this Course is extra challenging because of sea breezes and airstrip. Andy`s comments: "Definitely in my top 5 courses in the world, up there with Carnoustie and Leopard Rock in Zimbabwe. It is not difficult to see why people come from all over the world to play this course". Championship inland alternative course in Casa de Campo, La Romana. Dye Fore [photo above right] Dye Fore, Casa de Campo Resort, La Romana, is the new addition to the Casa de Campo golf triad. It has spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea, the mountains, the Chavon River below and the Altos de Chav�n artists' village. Having played both courses it is fair to say that it rivals the "Teeth of the Dog" course. 18-hole picturesque and daunting combined cliff-top course, with one nine looking out at the Caribbean sea and the other looking down at the Chavon river valley. Two of the greatest par three holes in the world can be found on the back nine, at the 12th and 15th. This is another unforgettable course. Andy`s comments: "It says everything about this course that the locals dub it `to Dye for`. Tough in normal conditions it is devilishly difficult in a strong wind an another ultimate golfing experience". The golf course closest to the Dominicus and Bayahibe resorts is the new La Estancia.
Other activities in Bayahibe Dominican Republic Bayahibe Dominican Republic offers other activities such as yachting, horseback riding, weekend cyclists, tennis fans, hunters and skeet shooters. Scuba divers can observe the marine life at the underwater sanctuary created by the sunken St. Georges cargo vessel off the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach. Indeed scuba diving is a major attraction for those visiting the area. The area is well known for the dive operations located at the resorts. Non divers can take out a glass bottom boat. Shopping La Romana city is the largest place for shopping in this area. For those not wanting to shop there are several art galleries. There are some stores catering to visitors in Dominicus and Bayahibe towns. For visitors looking for a little metropolitan flare, day trips to Santo Domingo can be arranged through the hotel or one of the several tour operators.
Which airport to get to Bayahibe Dominican Republic?You can fly into the brand new international airport at La Romana. This will leave you a trip of 17 miles [about 20 minutes] to Bayahibe. The airport is served by flights by/from: American Airlines (Miami); Air Canada (Toronto), American Eagle (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Air Pullmantur (Madrid, Lauda Italy and Air Europe (Milan, Italy), Condor (Munich and Frankfurt) and LTU (Dusseldorf). There are also charter flights from Toronto, Motnreal, Ottawa (Canada, Boston, Charlotte, NC (USA) Europe: London, Manchester (England); Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Toulouse, Nantes (France), Milan (Italy). Santo Domingo's Las Americas International Airport is less than two hours away, as is the Punta Cana International Airport. You may be interested in other flights to Dominican Republic
All about the Dominican RepublicFrom Bayahibe Dominican Republic to the resort of Punta Cana, a little further to the east
All about the Dominican republic Bayahibe Dominican republic [end]
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Bayahibe
There are some excellent beaches in this area with the better beaches being the Dominicus and Bayahibe beach strips.
As you would expect the beaches which are next to the all-inclusive hotels are kept in fabulous condition.
A larger island off the coast of La Altagracia province. It is a palm-studded tropical island. 
The National Park of the East. 
