Nightlife in the Dominican Republic
By Angelika Scherp

Note: The legal drinking age in the Dominican Republic is 18 years old.

We’ll save you the quick consultation of your Spanish-English dictionary: “¡A gozar!” means “Let’s have fun!,” and you’re likely to hear that phrase in the joyous music emanating from speakers all over the Dominican Republic. No big shock, since nightlife here revolves around music. In the capital city of Santo Domingo, the night begins with happy hour, where discounts on drinks are offered from 6-8pm. Slow rhythms will often permeate the air while you eat and talk with friends. Sometimes happy hour extends until 10 p.m., which is just about the time the discos get started. Almost every hotel on busy Independence and George Washington avenues has a lively disco or bar, where popular local bands play merengue and bachata. The Neon Discotheque in the Hispaniola Hotel and the Omni Disco in the Sheraton Santo Domingo Hotel are two great places to begin.

Some of the more unique clubs include Mesón de la Cava, which is a restaurant and late-night disco located in a cave 50 feet underground; Gasolina, which was built to represent a 1950s gas station; and Atarazanas Nueve, located in the Colonial District near the Plaza de Espana where the city’s young and hip flock to eat and drink. Or you can simply stroll along the waterfront promenade known as the Malecón, where a huge outdoor party is fueled almost nightly by roving musicians, impromptu dancing and local rum made by Barcelo and Brugal.

But Santo Domingo is not the only place for a fun-filled night of music, dancing and drinking. In Santiago, there’s La Nuit at the Hotel Matun and the nightclub at the Hotel Camino Real. In Puerta Plata, Vivaldi’s and La Lechuza are notoriously popular. And if you’re staying around Samaná, El Coco and Naomi Nightclub are the best places to move to the merengue beat. And just because you’re staying at an all-inclusive resort like those around Boca Chica, Casa de Campo and Playa Dorada, it doesn’t mean that you’ll miss out on local late-night action. Beach bars and local discos are always nearby.

But Dominican nightlife doesn’t have to revolve exclusively around bars and discos. There are many casinos for those interested in high-stakes action. Along the Malecón in Santo Domingo, every major hotel—such as the Sheraton, Jaragua Renaissance and the Hispañola—has a casino. Las Vegas rules are standard and you can wage bets with either Dominican pesos or American dollars. You should remember that casinos in the Dominican Republic are more formal than they are in most other countries, which means you should dress appropriately. And while there are very few casinos outside of Santo Domingo, on the north coast there are several located at the Puerto Plata Beach Hotel and within Playa Dorada.

So essentially, whether you’re in the mood to roll dice, sip a refreshing tropical drink or dance the night away, the Dominican Republic is the place to be. And now you’re here. And more importantly, now you know where to go. Which brings us back to the beginning: ¡A gozar!

The two grooves to which the island moves
Chances are, when you stepped off the airplane you were immediately introduced to one of the keystones of Dominican nightlife—merengue. In fact, the fast, funky rhythm, driven by lilting saxophones and rapid-fire choruses, probably followed you from the airport to your cab, to the lobby of your hotel and, well, just about everywhere you’ve gone in the D.R. Merengue evolved as a reaction to the more traditional forms of Spanish music like bolero and fandango that were popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. In its most basic form, merengue starts with a short introduction followed by an eight-bar melody that gains momentum as the song progresses. The traditional merengue sound comes from several basic instruments. The main instrument, which gives off the signature scratching sound, is the guiro (now called a guayo), a hollow, notched gourd that is rubbed with a wire fork. The other instruments are a tambora, a double-sided drum; the murumbula, a thin piano that is plucked; the balsie, an accordion; and the pandro, a tambourine. Nowadays you’re more likely to see conga drums, saxes and trumpets in a merengue band because the music has become modernized over the years. Some of the most popular merengue musicians today include Tono Rosario, Olga Tañón, Wilfrido Vargas, Rubby Perez, Elvis Crespo, Manny Manuel and Gisselle.

The other genre you’re very likely to hear in the Dominican Republic is the smoother, more romantic bachata, which is perfect for slow dancing. Mournful and full of soul, the bachata did not emerge until the 1960s as a reaction to traditional merengue. The songs often tell stories that appeal to the working class poor. They speak of hard-drinking men, lusty nights with beautiful women and lost loves. The similarity to American music forms like blues and hip-hop is obvious. These four-bar ballads were originally considered to be in bad taste and unfit for mainstream consumption. Therefore, merengue purists refused to recognize their merits. The bachata did not earn the recognition it deserved until Juan Luis Guerra won a Grammy Award in 1992 for his album Bachata Rosa, which contained a huge bachata hit, “Como abeja al panal.” While merengue and bachata used to be competitors, today they are recognized as different sides of the same coin. Some of the most popular bachata musicians today include Luis Vargas, Anthony Santos, Frank Reyes, Joe Veras, Henry Rosario and Raulín Rodríguez.

Read unbiased opinions about Dominican Republic activities at TripAdvisor.

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