Part III
Plans are under way for the new 315-room Westin Roco Ki Beach and Golf Resort, Punta Macao, 305-792-1500, on the Web at www.westin.com/rocoki , set to open in 2007. Aside from its 18-hole championship golf course, two-mile beach and Westin Kids Club, the draw here is likely to be the 20 Jungle Luxe Bungalows, which will look as if they are floating over man-made lakes and will have panoramic views of the ocean.
Families seeking smaller hotels and closer access to adventure may prefer the northern coast near Puerto Plata. Also known as the Amber Coast because of its large amber deposits, the north attracts avid mountain bikers and is one of the world's top windsurfing destinations. Set at the base of a mountain range on a private beach, Casa Colonial Beach and Spa, Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata; 809-320-3232; http://www.slh.com/, is an all-suite hotel with Spanish colonial architecture. Hotel guests have access to the Playa Dorada Golf Course, ranked in 2005 by Golf Digest as one of the best 100 courses outside the United States. Although there are no organized programs, children are welcome. Doubles from $350.
Perched on a cliff above Sosua Bay and recently renovated, the 190-room, all-inclusive Victoria Resort Golf and Beach Resort, also on Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata, 809-320-1200, http://www.vhhr.com/, looks like a Victorian gingerbread house. Mountain biking, kayaking, snorkeling, windsurfing and fishing are just some of the activities offered, and there is a children's program for ages 4 to 12. All-inclusive winter rates start at $110 an adult and $55 a child from age 2 to 12.
If the desire to touch, pet and feed a shark strikes, take the family to Ocean World, Cofresi, 809-291-1000; http://www.oceanworld.net/. Just minutes from Puerto Plata, this park has interactive dolphin programs, sea lions, snorkel reef tours, and swimming tigers. Call ahead to reserve for various activities.
There are five airports in the Dominican Republic, four of which can be reached by nonstop flights from the New York area. If you are traveling to the eastern tip, fly nonstop into the Punta Cana International Airport on American or Continental; rates start at $148. To get to the north, Puerto Plata International is a 15-minute drive from the Playa Dorada resorts and has nonstop flights on American and Continental starting at $208. Travelers going to the south coast can fly into Santo Domingo, served by American, Continental and Delta; high season rates start at $174. La Romana has its own airport on Casa de Campo's property, and American Airlines flies there with a change of planes in Miami or San Juan; rates start at $308. Jet Blue, American, Delta and Continental fly nonstop into Santiago, a 90-minute drive to Puerto Plata; rates start at $158. Fares do not include taxes and fees, which come to about $100 more.

Other important informations about the Dominican Republic