Five reasons why you should book a trip to the Dominican Republic this winter

I have been traveling to the Domincan Republic every winter for the last 10 years and there is reason that I keep going back. Crystal clear water, perfect air temperature, wind and waves. What more could a girl ask for??

1.

There is great surf on the north shore. The northern coast is riddled with different surf spots that face north west, north, and north east allowing surfers all the options with swell direction. The island of Hispaniola was formed volcanically and thus the breaks are often point breaks or shallow reefs, with a handful of sandy shore breaks in the mix as well

2.

There is consistent afternoon sea breeze for kiting. Every morning is often calm and as the land heats up in the sun there is a consistent afternoon breeze for kiteboarding. The kiteboarding community is wonderful. There are some amazing pro atheletes that call Cabarete their home including F-one's Robinson Hilario.

3.

The food. The tropical climate offers the vacationer a lot of delicious fresh fruits and vegetables including, mango, papaya, avocados, pineapples and coconuts. Also, everything is super cheap. When I travel there in the month of February I literally eat one large avocado a day and usually half a pineapple. It's heaven. The chickens there are all free range and the egg yolks are a beautiful bright orange and taste amazing.

4.

The night life. The towns like Cabarete come to life at about 11pm each night and the parties are phenomenal. Drinks, especially rum drinks are relatively cheap. The clubs are relatively safe. Just don't be stupid. Bring cash. You don't need your ID. Keep your drink nearby. All the basic night life rules apply. In Cabarete the local athelete community are very protective of tourism and will not allow anyone to be harrassed. I had a friend that had a very brief altercation with a local thug and immediately the guy was surrounded by everyone else in the club. Another crowd of people talked with my friend Derek making sure he was okay and explained to him they will keep things like this from happening.

5.

The locals. Most everyone that I have encountered since I have been traveling to the Dominican Republic since 2009 have been really very friendly. I have only had a handful of easily avoidable circumstances come up where I felt at all threatened by the local population. But that can be true in any country.