Get Ready To Eat and "Drink" - Come with an empty stomach, skip breakfast. If you have never been to the port of Puerto Plata, it is a large port and you have to walk the entire port to get to the tour guide. It was a hot day (we are from Florida) ion November, but the car was very cool/cold. We met our tour guide, Jesus Castro, who advised he was going to be our driver, paparazzi, security and "policeman" for the day. We were taking into the countryside and our first stop was Los Mangos for an unexpected donkey ride and mini shopping trip. Side note: Get ready for the MANY varieties of a local drink called, Mamajuana (a strong spirit, red wine & honey mixed with local herb & spices). As we made our way back towards the city, we stopped at a roadside eatery called El Mangueo. It seemed to be a local favorite as they had steady orders going. As I first stated, come hungry (I ate a light breakfast, mistake). We were given a large plate of Mangu, sausages, plantains, two fried eggs, a large avocado slice and a large piece of fried cheese, IT WAS ALL DELICIOUS!!!! We then made our way back to the city and were taken to the Amber Mine Museum and our guide was Junior. It was a mini tour of the history of Amber mining on the island. It was really cool to see the different thing that got encased in amber. At the end there was a hand-rolled cigar shop with many infused cigars. I purchased the non-flavored ones, which were great, no left over taste in the morning. My wife wanted the mango infused ones, but chickened out at the last second. Then after we got back to the ship, she wished she had purchased them. Good thing we are returning next month on a cruise. Now back to the shop, there was also their coffee called Colao de la Aldea, it was really good, yeah we got a bag and my wife got a amber bracelet. We then stop a a chocolate shop, I forgot the name because I had the receipt with the name, but lost it. It was the 100 and 1 ways to use chocolate beyond consuming it. My wife really did like their Chocolala Poca Espuma y Mucho Chocolate (Organic Cocoa) tablets for making hot milked chocolate. We purchased two boxes, it has Cacao Sanchez Organic, brown sugar, cloves and cinnamon in a single bar that you break in half. One half makes one cup of hot chocolate. We did not purchase it because it was organic, it just came that way. Jesus drove us around the city, we stopped at a local market, to see how they shop and also an ice cream shop. We were taken to a hill top that over looked the city and port. We got a really nice picture of our cruise ship. All along the way Jesus made sure to take a lot of photos of us on our phones. Jesus had offered to take me to a cigar factory, but we were ready to get back to the ship. All in all, it was approximately a three hour tour. We had a blast, thank you to Jesus Castro and Viator. P.S. I don't think the real policeman liked that you played "policeman" and stopped traffic for us to cross the street. But, you did say you were our "policeman" for the day!!!!

The real Dominican experience - As a Dominican native traveling with my American husband and staying at a resort, this tour was a perfect way to reconnect with the authentic Dominican culture beyond the resort experience. Our guide, Jesús, was exceptional—friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. He gave us a great introduction to Puerto Plata, a part of the country I wasn’t very familiar with. From exploring the fresh fruit farm Los Mangos, enjoying delicious local cuisine, to taking in the beautiful sights, every part of the tour was memorable. Dominican food is truly something special, and this experience reminded me that you can’t fully appreciate it unless you step outside the resort. Highly recommended! Gracias Jesus por el tour! —Cristal & Ryan