For at least 5,000 years before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America for the Europeans, the island which he called Hispaniola was inhabited by Amer-Indians. When Christopher Columbus saw the island on his first voyage in 1492, he couldn't stop raving about its natural beauty, insisting that "There is no more beautiful island in the world." The Dominican Republic, has a total population of almost 8 million, is the most populous country in the Caribbean. With it's area of 48,482 square kilometres, it occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with its neighbour Haiti to the west. The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish.

The weather in the Dominican Republic remains tropical year round, with slight variations dividing it into basically two seasons, summer and winter. The most popular local beer is Presidente, which is of fairly high quality and more than acceptable for most tourists. The D.R. also brews a variety of excellent rums, including brands of different levels of quality made by the local Barcelo and Brugal companies, and others too.

Four kilometers from Puerto Plata is Playa Dorada with its major resort hotels, beach facilities, tennis clubs, Robert Trent Jones designed 18 hole golf course, shopping mall, great restaurants, all in a self-contained world of pleasure. Just minutes from the International Airport of Puerto Plata, Playa Dorada is one of the great tourism destinations.