Bayahibe
is a small village located in the southeast part of the island Hispaniola
in the Dominican Republic. It was originally a fishing settlement. The
village, which is 20 km from La Romana, offers a typical Caribbean
atmosphere. Only a short
hop from Bayahibe is Isla Catalina. Named by Columbus the island that is
uninhabited, is the ideal place to relax and watch the world slowly drift
by.
Bayahibe
is a relatively new resort, situated half way between Santo Domingo and
Punta Cana. Until now that has meant an hour and a half bus journey from
either of these airports. Opened in 2000, the brand new La Romana airport,
a mere 20 minutes from Bayahibe's beaches has changed all that. President
Hipolito Mejía formally inaugurated the La Romana International Airport.
The south-eastern airport went up at a cost of RD$421 million. It is the
most modern and technologically advanced in the DR. American Airlines
flies into the airport from Miami and American Eagle provides service from
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Driving
east from San Pedro, past expansive fields of shoulder-high sugar cane,
visitors will come to La Romana, a city built and maintained by the sugar
mills. The incessant production of sugar fills the air with the sweet
smell of molasses. But the principal attraction of the region is Altos de
Chavσn, a re-created 16th century Italian village beside
the mesmerizing Chavσn River. At its founding in 1981, Altos de Chavσn
was declared "an artists' village" by its creators who dedicated
it to the service of the fine and applied arts. Its otherworldly
cobblestone streets and quaint architecture conceal charming shops, fine
restaurants, intimate bars, artisans’ workshops, a church, a vast
amphitheatre, an archaeological museum and a university specializing in
design.
The eastern end of the Dominican Republic, which includes the Casa de Campo area, was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998.
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