Catch New World history on Santo Domingo vacations

When you travel to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, you are visiting the oldest city in the New World, one that has many hidden historical treasures.

Taking Santo Domingo vacations during the winter months means that you'll come home looking tanned and refreshed. Located on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo catches the cool Caribbean breezes blowing across the island, which prevents the area from getting too hot.

Start your city tour with a controversy. Santo Domingo claims Christopher Columbus is buried in the Cathedral of Santa Maria at the Columbus Lighthouse, but Seville, Spain, also claims to have a gravesite that contains his remains. Columbus, his brother and his son had a big part in Santo Domingo's early history, and there are accounts that Columbus' wife had his remains shipped to the Dominican Republic after his death.

You can also tour Alcazar de Colon, which was built by Columbus' son, Diego as a family home, and was later sacked by Sir Francis Drake when he was rampaging through the Caribbean. This mansion was falling into ruins about 60 years ago, but has since been restored to its original beauty.

If you need to take a break from the history of Santo Domingo, put the National Aquarium next on your city tour list. The aquarium is home to various marine creatures ranging from angelfish to a manatee, and has a long walking sea tunnel to give you an excellent view of the creatures in the tank.

If you're interested in scenery, take a refreshing walk down to Los Tres Ojos - just a short distance from the Columbus Lighthouse. This is a 50-foot-deep cave, and at the bottom are three beautiful lagoons with tropical vegetation and stalagmites surrounding them.

But don't plan your Santo Domingo vacations without reserving time for a short drive to the nearby beaches. Boco Chica is the perfect area to stay - with great hotels, restaurants and shops that cater to your beach-going needs. This 1-mile wide beach has a reef offshore, which keeps the water shallow and safe for swimming. The white sand beach can be crowded on the weekends, but it's a great place to work on your tan or play a little Frisbee.

Whether you're checking out flights or cruises for your next tropical vacation travel, make sure you put Santo Domingo on your destination list for a fantastic trip.

Courtesy of ARAcontent