Puerto Plata: Mount Isabel Cable Car, Rum & Chocolate Tasting

4.52

(129 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the hush inside the cable car as we started up Mount Isabel de Torres. Our guide, José, just grinned and pointed out over the city—roofs in every color, the Atlantic stretching out like a faded postcard. You could smell wet leaves through the vents. At the top, the air felt thick but cooler somehow, and we wandered through this wild garden where pine needles mixed with tropical flowers. I tried to name a bird by its call and probably got it wrong—José just shrugged and said “maybe tomorrow.”

Back in town, everything changed gears. The main square of Puerto Plata had these old Victorian houses with peeling paint that looked almost deliberate. We ducked under Umbrella Street (yes, actual umbrellas overhead), and someone handed me coconut water straight from the shell—cold and sweet. On Pink Street, Li laughed when I tried to say “Dona Blanca” in Spanish; I definitely butchered it. We stopped for coffee in a café where everyone seemed to know each other. There was time to look for souvenirs but honestly I just watched people for a bit.

The Malecon was loud with fishing boats and music from somewhere you couldn’t quite place. The Saint Philip Fortress felt heavy—our guide mentioned it was once a prison under Trujillo, which made me pause before stepping inside. Lunch was rice, beans, chicken—the “Dominican flag”—served family-style at a spot that smelled like fried plantains before you even sat down. Rum tasting at Macorix was next; I’m not usually a rum person but there’s something about sipping it right there that makes you appreciate how much work goes into every bottle.

By the time we reached the chocolate factory, my head was spinning a little from all the flavors (and maybe the rum). Watching cocoa beans get roasted while locals joked around behind the counter—it just felt real. We ended up at a supermarket where José pointed out his favorite coffee brand and told us what things really cost here. I still think about that view from Mount Isabel sometimes—how small everything looked from up there.