Beautiful Dominica has a surprising number of things to see, but at the same time the island is small enough to make choosing a base and exploring the surroundings from there a good option.

When Stefanie and I explored the country, we traveled around and stayed in different parts of the island (you can check out my itinerary here), but if you don’t feel like changing accommodations every couple of days, basing yourself in one place during your stay might be the way to go for you.

During our stay, we explored every corner of the island and quickly realized that there are pros and cons to staying in any part of the island. Here’s our personal breakdown of the best bases on Dominica.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I might earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more info, click here.

Which Part of Dominica Should You Stay In?

Roseau and the South-West

Roseau is Dominica’s quaint capital and while it can’t hold a candle to the island’s natural attractions, it’s definitely a pretty enough place and there are quite a few sights worth checking out in town.

More importantly, this is where you’ll find the highest concentration of restaurant, bars and shops as well as minibuses going to all other parts of the island. This means that even without your own set of wheels, Roseau makes a good base for exploring Dominica. There’s a decent number of hotels and guest houses for every budget.

Portsmouth and the North-West

Dominica’s second city feels more like a village and is a good base to explore the north-coast of the island, while still having a frequent traffic connection to the rest of Dominica.

The two must-see attractions in town are the beautiful Indian River, which you can explore during a laid-back boat tour, and the small Cabrits National Park, which also contains the historic Fort Shirley.

The area is also home to the island’s most luxurious hotel, the famous Secret Bay Dominica. This part of the island is a good base if you want to stay in a small town setting, but still want a good tourist infrastructure plus a good traffic connection to other parts of the island.

Calibishie and the North-East

Some beautiful stretches of coastline and cute villages made us quickly fall in love with the area around Calibishie.

This is not only the home of the amazing Hampstead Beach, my favourite beach on Dominica, but also to some unusual attractions like the Red Rocks and the ruins of the old Hampstead Sugarmill.

That said, while minibuses pass through the area on the coastal road between Portsmouth and the East Coast, traffic connections are not as frequent as in Roseau and Portsmouth and having access to a rental car makes getting around a little easier if you do decide to stay here.

Also, while there are a few good-value mid-range places to stay at, we didn’t come across any true budget choices in the area, so if you’re on a shoestring budget, you might want to look elsewhere (we stayed in Portsmouth and did a day-trip here).

Rosalie and the South-East

The south-eastern coast is one of the wildest parts of Dominica and full of unique natural attractions, like Victoria Falls and Wavine Cyrique. I also found that it’s one of the best parts of the island for aimless explorations, like hiking along some small streams in the jungle.

This is as off-the-beaten-path as Dominica gets, which also means that having your own set of wheels makes things a little easier, when you’re staying here.

That said, when we stayed here, we didn’t have a rental car and managed to get to all our destinations by a combination of walking, hitch-hiking and the occasional minibus passing through. For me, the south-east is the best place to get away from it all.

 

Morne Trois Pitons National Park

If you’re into hiking and outdoor adventures, there’s no better part of the island than the beautiful area around Morne Trois Pitons National Park. The area is home to many of the must-see sights on the island, like the Boiling Lake and the Valley of Desolation, Freshwater Lake and Boeri Lake or Middleham Falls.

While you can’t stay in the national park itself, the villages of Trafalgar and Wotten Waven are good bases for exploring. We especially liked the high density of warm sulphur springs in the area, which are an amazing end to a day of hiking.

Minibuses are few and far between in this part of the island, so once again having your own transport makes things a lot easier.

The Best Hotels on Dominica for Different Travel Styles

Depending on what you’re looking for, here’s my personal list of the best accommodations on Dominica:

You can browse for even more places to stay in this map:

See Also

Everything you need to know about visiting Dominica

How to backpack Dominica on a budget

How to get to Dominica by boat from Guadeloupe and Martinique