Hotel Gran Jimenoa

The Mountain Address the Beach Crowd Misses

Most itineraries in the Dominican Republic never leave the sand. Jarabacoa is the correction: a town in the Cordillera Central where the air cools off after dark, the rivers run fast and cold, and the landscape looks nothing like the brochure. Hotel Gran Jimenoa has been the town's anchor address since 1994, built along the bank of the Jimenoa river with its gardens dropping to the water. The building is low and unshowy, arranged so that most balconies face the river, the central garden or the mountains beyond. It is the kind of place where the setting does the work and the house has the sense to stay out of the way.

Why It Works

We kept it for three reasons. The first is the river. Very few hotels in the country put you this close to moving water, and it carries through the gardens and into the rooms that face it. The second is the range of accommodation: seven categories, from a plain Superior to the Don Merilio suite with its kitchenette and the two apartments named for Doña Alida and Doña Carolina, so the same address works for a couple on a long weekend and for a family that needs its own kitchen. The third is position. This is the practical base for the waterfalls, the whitewater and the climb up Pico Duarte, and it saves a daily drive.

Why This Location

Jarabacoa sits inland in La Vega province, roughly in the middle of the country, which makes it easy to slot into almost any route: Santiago is the nearest airport, and both Santo Domingo and the north coast are a morning's drive away. The hotel is a short ride from the town centre, so dinner in Jarabacoa itself is straightforward, but far enough out that the background noise is river rather than traffic. The Salto de Jimenoa and the Salto de Baiguate are the classic half day, the Yaque del Norte is the river people come to raft, and the trailheads for Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean, are within reach for a serious expedition.

Fast Facts

• Price: Mid-range internationally, upper end for Jarabacoa

• Vibe: Riverside, green, unhurried, family friendly

• Rooms: Seven categories, including Deluxe River View, a Junior Suite River View, the Don Merilio suite with kitchenette and two family apartments

• Best For: Families who need space, couples adding mountains to a beach trip, outdoor travellers using Jarabacoa as a base

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The Deluxe River View balconies, with the Jimenoa running below them

• Dining: On-site restaurant, breakfast included in every rate

• Amenities: Outdoor pool, spa, riverside gardens, conference room, dogs and cats accepted

• Attractions: Salto de Jimenoa, Salto de Baiguate, rafting on the Yaque del Norte, Pico Duarte trailheads, Jarabacoa town centre

The Rooms, and Which One to Ask For

The categories split cleanly by what you want to look at. Superior and Deluxe Garden View rooms give you two queen beds and the gardens. Deluxe River View drops to one queen and gains the water, and the Junior Suite River View is the upgrade most couples will want. Families are better served by the two apartments, which between them hold four queen beds, or by the Don Merilio suite, which pairs a king bed with a kitchenette for longer stays. Every room comes with a balcony, air conditioning and breakfast. The naming, all of it domestic and personal rather than corporate, tells you something about how the house is run.

What to Do With Your Days

The hotel leans on its surroundings rather than on an activity desk stacked with excursions. Hiking and rafting are the two things it puts forward, and both are genuinely on the doorstep: the Yaque del Norte carries the country's whitewater, and the trails around Jarabacoa run to waterfalls, coffee country and, for the committed, the long ascent of Pico Duarte. Back at the hotel, the pool and the spa take care of the afternoon, and the gardens along the river are where most guests end up anyway. The conference room and the wedding business also mean these gardens know how to hold a party.