Ten beaches on the north coast worth the drive

Playa Dorada is the easiest, a groomed resort beach with every facility. Long Beach in Puerto Plata is where the city swims at weekends. Costambar is calm and shallow, popular with families and long stay residents. Cofresí is small and framed by cliffs, with Ocean World at one end. Sosúa bay is the snorkelling beach, protected and lined with bars. Cabarete is for wind and people watching rather than swimming. Encuentro, just west of Cabarete, is the surf beach, with schools renting boards by the hour. Playa Grande near Río San Juan is the grand Atlantic sweep, beautiful and often powerful. Playa Preciosa next door is quieter and framed by cliffs. And Playa Ensenada near Punta Rucia is the calm one: golden sand, water shallow enough to walk out fifty metres and seafood shacks grilling fish on the sand. Bring cash, reef safe sunscreen and low expectations about shade.