Located on the north coast of The Dominican Republic just 20 minutes west of Puerto Plata International Airport lies the iconic vacation resort known as Playa Dorada. In addition to its breathtaking coastline and 7,000 lush hectares, the iconic nature of Playa Dorada is also well written within the fabric of Dominican history. This in fact is the place where the Dominican tourism industry first put down roots. It can also be argued that Playa Dorada was the birthplace of the “All Inclusive” hotel concept (beyond the realms of Club Med) that in itself would become a major catalyst for the explosion of all-inclusive hotels across the globe in the years to follow.
According to records, Playa Dorada was conceived in 1971, backed with investment from The World Bank and Banco Central. The original idea was for a gated resort with a golf course (opened in 1976) and 10 hotels, however the number of hotels was eventually surpassed. The first hotel to open within the Playa Dorada complex was the famous Jack Tar Village and Casino back in 1980 (Jack Tar, the name given to English sailors back in the day). The hotel began to attract visitors from international shores and ignite the spark for what was to come. Playa Dorada was immensely popular with the North American market to begin with, followed shortly by the European market. For a significant period of time Playa Dorada as a resort ran at 100% occupancy with casinos, nightclubs, bars and restaurants full of life and laughter….not to mention the ever present rhythm of merengue and bachata never far away in the distance. Happy days indeed…
All good things however, eventually come to an end, and the turn of the century saw more destinations open up both domestically and around the world with the “All Inclusive” concept as their central theme, and on a scale of magnitude and variety that Playa Dorada struggled to compete with. It soon became apparent that Playa Dorada would have to reinvent itself and move beyond the original concept that initially brought so much success.
From approximately 2013, local businessmen and developers began to explore other opportunities and it was decided that some of the older hotels would be replaced with villas, condos, luxury apartments & penthouses, the construction of which is ongoing at the time of writing this article. The uptake has been exceptional so far as investors look to take advantage of a premium vacation destination with 1.9 kms of beach, ocean front and breathtaking mountain views. To date, the return on investment looks promising.
The city of Puerto Plata is just a 5 minute drive to the west and has in recent years enjoyed a positive resurgence due to the new cruise-ship terminals of Amber Cove and Taino Bay which has helped transform this part of the north coast not just economically but aesthetically. With GDP forecasts as they are, it seems the future not only looks bright for Playa Dorada and the north coast, but for the whole of The Dominican Republic in general.
