BARAHONA city isn't an especially pleasant place. Founded in 1802 and once the informal capital of Trujillo's multimillion-dollar sugar industry, the city has fallen on hard times due to the closing of the local sugar mill. That said, the locals are friendly and it does have a couple of good hotels, making it a useful base to explore the undeveloped coastline that stretches west of the city. If sticking around, head either to the Malecón, which is quite beautiful, or the parque central, a major hangout at night.

Most visitors arrive via guagua or car ; coastal Highway 44 connects the city with Azua, Baní and Santo Domingo to the east before continuing west all the way to the border. If spending the night, most accommodations are within a couple of blocks of the seaside Malecón. The best of the lot is the Gran Barahona , Mota 5 (tel 809/524-3442; US$25-50), with comfortable rooms that have A/C, TV and hot water. There's a decent array of places to eat ; Melo's Café , Anacaona 12 (tel 809/524-5437), is the best of the lot, an unpretentious diner with delicious American breakfasts and nightly dinner specials. Also worth checking out is Brisas del Caribe , a seafood restaurant on the far eastern end of the Malecón; the creole shrimp and broiled kingfish are house specialities.