21 things everyone should do in the Dominican Republic

This summer, I spent 10 days in the Dominican Republic.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to make the trip; my flight from New York City to the country's capital of Santo Domingo was shorter and cheaper than my last flight to visit my parents in California.

The food was delicious and inexpensive. The people were kind. And aside from a pretty serious sunburn, the only thing the sparkling turquoise water left me with was a hankering to come back.

Here are my top recommendations for what to do there.