Do you like Merengue?

This is the question the tall manager at a local shoe store asks as I try on a pair of wedges. “You must let me take you out to dance tonight. You will love it. I will come get you at 8 o’clock.”  Surprised by his forwardness, I giggle off his advance with my friends and ask him about the local nightlife in Santo Domingo.

Merengue, the national dance of the Dominican Republic is played in clubs and bars throughout the island. Young and old will grab a partner to swing and show their fancy foot work. Though Ruben, our friendly manager’s offer was tempting, we decided to venture on our own to find out what Santo Domingo had to offer.

After dinner at El Meson de la Cava, we hoped to find a fun place to dance outside of the colonial zone where we were staying. After driving to many different dance clubs that were closed or looked a little shady, we finally ended up at Copa which is connected to the Hotel Melia. As we entered the club through a side entrance of the huge hotel property, we looked around at the empty dance floor and few occupied tables and chairs and we quickly began to feel disappointed. It seemed as though we had not found a fun night spot. We found a few seats at a round high table and were quickly greeted by a very friendly server. We decided to suck it up and order drinks. The DJ was playing a great mix of music, the drinks were great, and overall the atmosphere was nice even if it was empty…silly girls. This soon changed!

Barely an hour later we noticed that the place started to get a little more crowded with people coming in from the hotel. After another half hour the locals, who apparently don’t come out on Sundays before midnight, started to stream in. By 12:30 the place was packed and at 3:00 am, when we were exhausted from dancing, drinking and having a great time, it seemed like the party was just getting started.

Hotel Melia’s casino is right off of Copa so if you get tired of dancing and would prefer to play a few slots or your hand at blackjack you can walk out and still return to Copa. There is no cover and the DJ played a mix of Latin and pop music. There definitely was more latin music played but with everyone grooving around you who cares if you can’t understand. The drinks are a little expensive compared to other places in the DR but definitely cheaper than a night out in most major cities in the US. The crowd age range was broad but most people’s ages fell in the 20’s and 30’s, I would think. It was good times and I would recommend it for a great night out of dancing the next time you are in Santo Domingo. Just don’t get there too early.

Copa at the Hotel Melia
365 George Washington Avenue
Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic