Holidays: Join the voodoo loungers; Lazy days and wild nights on an

THE witchdoctor stared me coldly in the eye. This was not going to be your average NHS consultation, with waiting-rooms and nurses. No, this was voodoo medicine, and I was looking for a cure.

The heat outside the hut, deep in the jungle of the Dominican Republic, was around eighty degrees. But in here, in the spooky gloom, it seemed almost freezing.

The consultation was brief - with a sage nod of the voodoo man's grizzled head I was sent on my way, all ills apparently cured - and I was out in the sunlight again.

And bingo, my hangover had vanished!

The witchdoctor, part and parcel of the Dominican Republic's rich Caribbean culture, offers services unavailable on the NHS. Drop him the equivalent of pounds 8 and he gives you a magic jungle-juice which cures everything from back ache to an upset stomach. Gently apply it to your partner's wrist, and they will never stray again.

No one in my party seemed specially keen to try that - maybe they were blinded to life's temptations, I thought. But the same juice cures warts, ingrowing toenails and smoker's cough. So it seemed a bargain to me.

We reached the witch- doctor's remote hideaway deep in the lush vegetation of this overlooked isle after an exhilarating ride through plantations of sugar cane, banana, mango, oranges, lemon and grapefruit.

Friendly natives welcomed us into their homes to show how they make cheese, keep house, work and play. Our eight-wheel drive Monster Safari truck ate up the dirt roads as we drove through towns and villages forgotten by time, passing smiling gauchos on horseback and young wannabe cowboys on mules.

Meanwhile Joselito, our guide, kept us well cooled with a never- ending supply of everything from mineral water to Dominican champagne - for in this country hospitality comes first, second and last.

Discovered by Columbus in 1492, the Dominican Republic is just as worthy of discovery today. Though surrounded by broad white beaches, lapped by the Caribbean, bathed in guaranteed sunshine, it's far more than just another place to get a tan. Santo Domingo, the capital and oldest city in the Americas, is worth exploring.

Plunder its riches, as Columbus did, and you can bring home exquisite amber jewellery, cigars as magnificent as anything Cuba produces, and, of course, delicious rum. The beat of the ever- present merengue music sets the pulses racing wildly. For the adventurous, there's white-water rafting in the jungle rivers. For those seeking tranquillity there's a day's journey to the serene island of Saona from Bayahibe, where nothing more than the seabirds' call and the chink of ice in your glass will interrupt your communing with nature, the sky and the sea.

If you're curious to see what fires up the normally unflappable locals, you can visit a cock-fight. Or if you want to discover the secrets of the cigar, there's a tour of the local factory.

Everywhere you travel, you are met by smiles from the verandahs of sugared almond-coloured houses in pink, green and blue. Here the tourist is king, for the Dominicans are flattered you should choose their island.

Our hotel, the Coral Hamaca Beach, echoed this willingness to please. It has its own broad swathe of white beach, on Boca Chica Bay, and pools including a swim-up bar. Its policy is to deliver and deliver again.

One night the bosses threw a beach party for the entire hotel, complete with ice-sculptures, merengue band, dancers, side-shows, competitions and a buffet dinner.

Another night it was cocktails on the beach.

You got the feeling they

FACT FILE

-THOMSON Holidays (08702 413 157) fly direct to the Dominican Republic and offer holidays on both north and south coasts of the island. Seven nights, all-inclusive at the Coral Hamaca Beach in the south cost from pounds 895 per person (Feb 18-April 6). Seven nights all-inclusive at the Caribbean Village Club On The Green on the north of the island costs from pounds 825 per person.

-FURTHER information: Thomson's website at www.thomson- holidays.com Dominican Republic Tourist Office, 18/22 Hand Court, High Holborn, London WC1V 6JE (020 7242 7778).

TOP TIPS

wanted you to come back. To encourage you there are excellent facilities for children, as well as all-night bars, a casino, international restaurants and a range of watersports from scuba- diving to banana-boat rides.

VERDICT: Our last night was the perfect holiday farewell - a bonfire on the beach, and dancing until dawn. As I cooled my toes in the Caribbean and stared up into the inky sky, I knew I'd be back before long.STICK to bottled water and avoid ice in drinks. Peel fruit and don't eat salads, sticking to cooked meals instead. Sancocho, a meat and vegetable stew, is delicious.

THE Thomson Monster Jeep Safari, which takes you through the dramatic Dominican countryside, is great value.

TAKE advantage of the watersports at your hotel, such as windsurfing, sailing and snorkelling over the coral reefs.

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