Charming aparthotel located in the heart of Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo. Here you can find the comfort of a private residence with the services of an hotel. All the rooms, studios and apartments with well equipped kitchens are presented in an elegant contemporaneous colonial style. The internal furnishing are filled with fresh and elegant colors, evoking a sensation of calm in the center of the the Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Dominican_Republic/abytahotel/hotel/2085/22/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:31:52 EST ABYTA is a well located hotel which offers a confortable accomodation in Santo Domingo and thanks to its parking facilities, laundry service and small cafeteria is a good choice as for tourists as for business travellers. ABYTA hotel offers different lodging solutions which cater to discriminating guests who want to escape the larger hotels overwhelmed by tourists and have a stay more of tranquility and informality. All the rooms, studios and apartments with well equipped kitchens are presented in an elegant contemporaneous colonial style. The internal furnishing are filled with fresh and elegant colors, evoking a sensation of calm in the center of the the Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo. ABYTA hotel offers rooms, studios, confort suites and apartments in a pleasant family atmosphere. Each lodging solutions is equipped with cable TV, telephone with direct dialing, internet connections, safe box, mini-bar, en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning and 24 hours/day electricity. Most of them has fully equipped kitchens. POINTS OF INTERESTS AROUND ABYTA HOTEL: Catedral Basílica Menor de Santa María, Primada de América: the first cathedral to be founded in the New World. Its first stone was laid by Diego Colón, son of Christopher Columbus, in 1514; the architect was Alonzo Rodríguez. It was finished in 1540. The alleged remains of Christopher Columbus were found in 1877 during restoration work. TORRE DEL HOMENAJE INSIDE FORTALEZA OSAMA, reached through the mansion of Rodrigo Bastidas (later the founder of the city of Santa Marta in Colombia) on Calle Las Damas, which is now completely restored and has a museum/gallery with temporary exhibitions. It is the oldest fortress in America, constructed 1503-07 by Nicolás de Ovando, whose house in the same street is being restored and turned into a splendid hotel. MUSEO DE LAS CASAS REALES, on Calle Las Damas, in a reconstructed early 16th century building which was in colonial days the Palace of the Governors and Captains-General, and of the Real Audiencia and Chancery of the Indies. MONASTERIO DE SAN FRANCISCO (ruins), Hostos esquina E Tejera, first monastery in America, constructed in the first decade of the 16th century. Sacked by Drake and destroyed by earthquakes in 1673 and 1751. PUERTA DEL CONDE (Baluarte de 27 de Febrero), at the end of El Conde (now a pedestrian street) in the Parque Independencia. Named for the Conde de Peñalva, who helped defend the city against William Penn in 1655. Restored in 1976, near it lie the remains of Sánchez, Mella and Duarte, the 1844 independence leaders. Local dishes include sancocho or salcocho prieto (a type of stew made of six local meats and vegetables, often including plátanos, ñame and yautia), mondongo (a tripe stew), mofongo, ground plátano with garlic and chicharrón de cerdo (pork crackling), usually served with a soup, a side dish of meat and avocado (very filling), chicharrón de pollo is small pieces of chicken prepared with lime and oregano, locrio de cerdo or pollo (meat and rice), cocido (a soup of chickpeas, meat and vegetables), asopao de pollo or de camarones, chivo (goat). Also try pipián, goats’ offal served as a stew. Fish and seafood are good; lobster can be found for as little as US$12. Fish cooked with coconut (eg pescado con coco) is popular around Samaná. The salads are often good; another good side dish is tostones (fried and flattened plátanos), fritos verdes are the same thing. Plátano mashed with oil is called mangú, often served with rice and beans. Sweet bananas are often called guineo. Moro is rice and lentils. Gandules are pigeon peas, very good when cooked with coconut. Quipes (made of flour and meat) and pastelitos (fried dough with meat or cheese inside) can be bought from street vendors; can be risky. Casabe is a cassava bread, flat and round, best toasted. Catibias are cassava flour fritters with meat. The most common dish is called bandera dominicana, white rice, beans, meat/chicken, plátano or yuca and, in season, avocado. The traveler should be warned that Dominican food is rather on the greasy side; most of the dishes are fried. Local food can often be obtained from private houses, which act as comedores. Basic prices, US$3-6. Juices, or jugos, are good; orange is usually called china, papaya is lechosa, passion fruit is chinola. Agua de coco is coconut milk, often served cold, straight from the coconut, chilled in an ice box. Local beers are Presidente (the most popular, not more than six percent), Quisqueya and Heineken. There are many rums (the most popular brands are Barceló, Brugal, Bermúdez, Macorix and Carta Vieja). Light rum (blanco) is the driest and has the highest proof, usually mixed with fruit juice or other soft drink (refresco). Amber (amarillo) is aged at least a year in an oak barrel and has a lower proof and more flavour, while dark rum (añejo) is aged for several years and is smooth enough, like a brandy, to be drunk neat or with ice and lime. Brugal allows visitors to tour its factory in Puerto Plata, on Avenida Luis Genebra, just before the entrance to the town, and offers free daiquiris. In a discothèque, un servicio is a 1/3 litre bottle of rum with a bucket of ice and refrescos. In rural areas this costs US$3-4, but in cities rises to US$15. Imported drinks are very expensive. Many of the main bars have a ‘Happy Hour’ from 17.00-19.00, on a ‘two for one’ basis, that is two drinks for the price of one with free snacks. Type: Hotel No. of Rooms: 14 Beach Location: Off Beach (Urban Setting) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Dominican_Republic/abytahotel/hotel/2085/22/ Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:31:52 EST