San Pedro de Macoris holidays

Holidays to San Pedro de Macoris shine a light on the Dominican Republic's national sport and drink, with a top baseball stadium and an award-winning rum factory.

The sugar king

San Pedro de Macoris is a bustling port on the Dominican Republic’s south coast. Founded by Cubans in the late 19th century, it became the epicentre of the island’s lucrative sugar trade. Palatial Victorian buildings quickly rose up along its wide avenues, and rum factories at the city’s limits began producing cask-aged blends. Today, it’s tourism that stokes the engine of its economy. Clock eyes on the white sands and experience the easygoing Caribbean lifestyle, and you'll soon see why.

Tropical beaches

Playa Juano Dolio is an eight-kilometre ribbon of sand washed by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, 10 minutes’ drive west of the city centre. Popular with locals at weekends, it’s lined with food stands, restaurants, bars and a few stalls where traders sell woodcarvings and throws. For a more secluded beach, try Playa Mortero, tucked into a horseshoe bay on the east of town. It has gently shelving ice-white sand, making it safe for children, plus a handful of watersports.

Street culture

The Malecón, a seafront parade that brims with restaurants and bars, is San Pedro de Macoris’ focal point, and where everyone heads at the end of the day. At its north point, you come to the Church of St Peter the Apostle. It’s the city’s most impressive monument and dominates the main square. From here, Avenida Independencia cuts through the city towards Juan Pablo Duarte Park. This is where families relax on Sundays while eating pastelones – Dominican patties – and listening to the musicians on the bandstand.