Worlds away from the tourist crush in Punta Cana, on a pothole-pocked dirt road outside the sleepy coastal town of Las Terrenas, stands one of my favorite places to eat in the Caribbean, Restaurant Luis. Just steps from Playa Coson, white plastic chairs are strewn haphazardly around wobbly tables. Coconut trees double as columns that support the dining room’s tarp ceiling. You order drinks from a hole cut into the side of a shipping container. The menu is nothing more than an oversize cooler containing the day’s catch—snapper, lobsters, and other sea creatures—your pick of which is cooked up in a tiny blue shack. So yes, it’s rustic. But there is no finer place to eat a perfectly grilled lobster, paired with fried plantains and the region’s famous mamajuana, a concoction of tree bark steeped in rum, red wine, and honey, all with a killer beach view.
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Craving: Seafood on the beach
Worlds away from the tourist crush in Punta Cana, on a pothole-pocked dirt road outside the sleepy coastal town of Las Terrenas, stands one of my favorite places to eat in the Caribbean, Restaurant Luis. Just steps from Playa Coson, white plastic chairs are strewn haphazardly around wobbly tables. Coconut trees double as columns that support the dining room’s tarp ceiling. You order drinks from a hole cut into the side of a shipping container. The menu is nothing more than an oversize cooler containing the day’s catch—snapper, lobsters, and other sea creatures—your pick of which is cooked up in a tiny blue shack. So yes, it’s rustic. But there is no finer place to eat a perfectly grilled lobster, paired with fried plantains and the region’s famous mamajuana, a concoction of tree bark steeped in rum, red wine, and honey, all with a killer beach view.
Amber Cove, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Amber Cove is one of my favorite Caribbean ports of call located in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. My last visit was December 2017 with Carnival Splendor. Just off the pier you’ll find 30 acres of waterfront property complete with shopping and a sprawling pool encompassing a kiddie waterpark, beautiful waterslides, a zero entry area and many other places to swim, play or wade. There is a covered bar and grill, zip lining and kayak rentals alongside the pool. For those with a larger budget, there are lovely cabanas at the water’s edge as well as hammocks.
