Caribbean’s cheapest island has direct UK flights, 30C winters and award-winning beaches
IF you want an affordable Caribbean holiday (without spending too much cash) then your best bet is a trip to the Dominican Republic.
From buzzing nightlife to incredible beaches, the island even has direct UK flights.
The whole of the Dominican Republic is a place of natural beauty, with the capital of the island being Santo Domingo.
The buzzing city is a great place to spend a day, or an evening and comes alive even more at night.
There’s often live music and dancing from Bio Bar, a disco venue, to new restaurant Jalao which hosts live performances. The Jet Set Club is an iconic hall with a great dance floor on the island.
Santo Domingo is a UNESCO World Heritage site in itself and is home to Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain.
It’s where you’ll also find the incredible 3 Eyes National Park which has caves and underground lagoons.
And its hard to find a bad beach on the island, because you’re surrounded by beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal waters.
Bavaro Beach is one of the 25 best beaches in the world and has been selected in the TripAdvisor Travellers‘ Choice Awards as one of the best beaches in the world in 2022.
It was also revealed to be number seven in the list of ‘Best Beaches’ for the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards in 2025, praised for its “white sand, excursions and resorts”.
Macao Beach is also a favourite on the island, particularly for surfers, and was listed by UNESCO as one of the Caribbean’s best beaches.
Playa Dominicus in the south is one of the longest beaches in the country. It’s great for swimming and snorkelling so you can see all the marine life off the shore.
It was also the first beach in the Caribbean to get Blue Flag certification.
To the north of the island is the Los Haitises National Park which is home to one of the Dominican Republic’s few remaining rainforests.
To explore the Los Haitises National Park you can book a boat tour or even go in a kayaking group to be amongst the mangroves, or take a guided hike through the rainforest.
You’ll feel like an adventurer as it was once used as a filming location for Jurassic Park.
Altos de Chavón is a tourist attraction and re-creation of a 16th century Mediterranean-style village found in the countryside near the Chavón River.
It was designed by an Italian architect to bring a European village to the Caribbean.
For anyone wanting to see some marine life, some of the best places to go snorkelling or diving are Catalina Island, Bayahibe and Saona Island.
Near Catalina Island you’ll also find shipwrecks and the reefs of Saona Island are part of the Cotubanamá National Park which receives government protection as a nature reserve.
You can still dive and explore the area just don’t get too close to marine life – their protected reefs are some of the best in the country.
Thrill-seekers will want to visit Scape Park, where tropical forests meet the theme park and it is described as a “non-stop adventure playground”.
The Dominican Republic is the perfect winter holiday destination as is pretty much stays hot all year round.
Of course, the best time to visit is during the dry season which runs from January to mid-March and November to mid-December.
During this time temperatures can reach up to highs of 30C and there’s little chance of rain too.
On the Dominican Republic, there are affordable all-inclusive resorts compared to the rest of the Caribbean.
Outside your resort, food and entertainment will also be cheap, thanks to the nation’s fairly low cost of living.
The average price of an all-including resort in the Dominican Republic is around £158 per night but can range depending on the resort and season.
Flights to the Dominican Republic can vary in time depending on which airport you fly from and to, but all will take over nine hours.
We found the safest island on the Caribbean
According to experts, the island of Aruba is worth a visit for anyone concerned about safety...
According to travel safety website Travel Safe Abroad, Aruba came out on top of Caribbean islands.
Scoring 90 out of 100 – compared to the lowest being 34 for Puerto Rico – it is ranked one of the safest across the islands. Not only is it known for its safety, but it is also dubbed ‘One Happy Island’ by locals.
You can fly to the island direct from Gatwick twice a week and expect highs of 30C even in winter, and a unique dry climate, compared to the other Caribbean tropical climates.
Also famed for it’s white sand beaches, it is Flamingo Beach which is most loved – because you can see the famous pink animals relaxing there.
Most airlines will fly into the main international airport in Punta Cana.
We found a deal on Skyscanner which had a return flight from London Gatwick to La Romana with TUI for £250pp (based on a 14-night stay from February to March).