It's Valentine's Day, a time when some of us will receive more than just a card or a candlelit dinner. For a lucky few, a diamond ring will be on offer, along with the starry-eyed dreams of a future life together.
The islands of the Caribbean are depending on it. Thousands of Canadians come down each year to tie the knot in this land of trade winds, swaying palm trees and dazzling warm waters.
Still, according to current statistics, about 50 per cent of marriages in Canada end in divorce, and that figure remains the same for second and even third marriages. Thus, divorce is another booming market. And at least one island has capitalized on it.
Call it the Republic of Love-gone-wrong, or the Divorce Capital of the Caribbean, but the Dominican Republic makes breakups its business. Yes, this is the spot to come after that destination wedding – for a destination divorce.
The island nation's largest city, Santo Domingo, is home to the lawyers and magistrates you'll need, as well as luxurious hotels and convenient air connections. This beautiful, sophisticated and lively city – the oldest in the New World – is sure to make your split the best (and hopefully only) you'll ever have.
After all, why spend all that money on expensive Canadian lawyers? Even an uncontested divorce will set you back $10,000, but, for around $2,000 you can join the ranks of celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Mia Farrow, Marc Anthony and Lisa Marie Presley, all of whom have taken advantage of an easy, cheap and quick divorce in the Dominican Republic. Even the “queen of divorce” herself, Elizabeth Taylor, has availed herself of the amenities here.
In fact, in the current economic climate, when a Caribbean vacation, let alone a Caribbean wedding, is out of reach for many Canadians, getting a divorce in the Dominican Republic might be your only affordable option of soaking up some sun.
Only one spouse needs to show up for the half-hour proceedings, and they have to remain on the island, billed as the “Quick Divorce Island,” for only a single day. But why leave when there is so much to see and do in Santo Domingo? And why come alone? Take your ex-spouse, or your next-spouse, and come visit this sometimes overlooked but thrilling city on the shores of the Caribbean Sea.
I'm here with my ex-wife. We got divorced three years ago in Santo Domingo, living proof that a quick Dominican divorce can allow you to remain friends.
This is my third visit to Santo Domingo, but my first to Hotel Nicolas de Ovando. Named after the first governor of the New World whose home this once was, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is situated in the heart of the colonial zone. It sits along the first street built in the Americas – appropriately named if you are here to get a divorce – Calle Las Damas: the Street Of Women.
Built in 1502, the French-managed four-star hotel has rooms with four-poster beds and high-beamed ceilings and some with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the cobblestone streets. There is a pool with views of the Ozama River, where Christopher Columbus and Herman Cortes once sailed, making this a lovely place to relax before venturing into the city.
