Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic A short Caribbean vacation doesn’t have to mean idling on the beach. So why not try a totally different kind of Caribbean experience? Santo Domingo, the increasingly popular capital of the Dominican Republic shows you another side of this tourism hub, a pulsing, modern city with a merengue beat. It’s also home to the Colonial Zone, the oldest city in the New World and a marvelous collection of art galleries, cafes and tiny boutique hotels. Where to stay? The ultra-modern JW Marriott or the old-world Hodelpa Nicolas de Ovando, housed in a structure dating to 1502.