Guide to Cofresi

“A former haunt of dastardly brigands, Cofresi’s claim to fame these days is sea life not swash buckling.”

Fancy swimming with dolphins? Being nuzzled by a sea lion? Or hand-feeding a shark? If so, the place to spend your holiday might just be Cofresi, home of the 30 million dollar Ocean World Marine and Water Park. This amazing interactive sea life centre has the world’s largest dolphin lagoon, the only sea lion encounter of its kind and the world’s first shark interaction pool. Not to mention a stingray pool, tiger grotto, exotic birds and fish. Big attractions aside, Cofresi is a small, purpose built resort that’s charmingly laid-back. There’s a breaktaking beach with plenty of watersports to hand. Columbus Plaza has a sprinkling of shops to browse. And you can pull up a chair at a couple of snack bars scattered around the resort. But as is common in the Dom Rep, most daytime and evening activity revolve around the hotels. That’s not to say that the place doesn’t have a colourful character. It was discovered by none other than Christopher Columbus, and is named after Puerto Rican buccaneer Roberto Cofresi y Ramirez de Arellano, better known as ‘El Pirata Cofresi’. Like our own Robin Hood, he apparently stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but came to a sticky end, being executed in 1825. However, if you find you’ve had your fill of lying on the beach and dreaming of swashbuckling encounters, with someone who looks remarkably like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, you can always take a trip to nearby Puerto Plata. Here, there’s plenty to keep you on your toes from a treasure trove of sightseeing to bustling bars and restaurants.

Find the cheapest late deals to Cofresi leaving in the next six weeks.