Dorado

Introducing Dorado

For aspiring golfers, the legend of Dorado has always been more about putting greens than gold. This aptly named north coast town of just over 13, 000 inhabitants boasts five championship-standard golf courses that draw Tiger Woods wannabes from as far apart as Miami and Melbourne. But, if you’re the sort of person for who tee time is ‘a drink with jam and bread’ rather than an amble down the fairways, several stunning local beaches offer a welcome break from the clubhouse banter.

Founded in 1842, Dorado first rose to prominence as a resort town in the early 1900s when the Rockefeller family sailed in and started to construct their idyllic Caribbean Shangri-la on a golden stretch of beach. The venture went public in 1958 when Laurence Rockefeller, the well-known philanthropist and conservationist, opened up the region’s first hotel, the Dorado Beach, a pioneering ecoresort where no building was taller than the surrounding palm trees. More resorts followed, including the grandiose Hyatt Regency Cerromar, with its exotic 1776ft swimming river, but by the early 2000s, with the Hyatt group struggling to maintain the hotels in tip-top shape, the town’s fortunes started to slide.

Today, with both the Dorado Beach and Cerromar operations closed and awaiting takeovers (and makeovers), the town feels as if it’s slipped into temporary hibernation. Elsewhere the building frenzy has shifted to newer holiday homes in plush gated communities meaning that Dorado, while retaining its ritzy image, has lost much of its erstwhile atmosphere.

Away from the resorts, Dorado has a timeless public beach in town and an even prettier free option a few miles to the west at Cerro Gordo. Back in town, the original 19th-century settlement, with its teardrop-shaped lights rimming the main plaza, is a pleasant spot to while away a lazy afternoon.

Last updated: Oct 20, 2009