WHERE TO BUY / 07 / ABOVE THE CANOPY
The Hills
The ridge behind the town. Cooler air, the whole bay in one window, and the largest lots on the peninsula for the money.
- CHARACTER
- Elevated, private
- DRIVE TO TOWN
- 10–20 minutes
- MOSTLY
- Land & view villas
- BEST FOR
- Views, value in land
What it is actually like
Behind Las Terrenas the land climbs quickly. Within ten minutes of the beach road you are two hundred metres up, in air that is several degrees cooler, looking down the whole length of the coast with the trade wind coming through the house.
This is where the money goes furthest. A hillside parcel with a serious view costs a fraction of what the equivalent frontage costs on the sand, and the lots are big enough to build without ever seeing a neighbour. The architecture up here tends to be better too — owners who choose the hills usually care about the house.
The catch is everything that comes with elevation. Some access roads are steep and unsurfaced, water often means a well or a cistern rather than a mains connection, and power can need investment. None of it is a dealbreaker. All of it is a cost you should know before you make an offer, not after.
What you can buy in The Hills
View parcels
$25 – $80 / m²Lots from 1,500 m² to several hectares. Price varies enormously with road access and how much of the view is actually yours.
Architect villas
$550k – $2MOwner-designed houses built for the view and the wind. The best residential architecture on the peninsula is up here.
Hillside bungalows
$280k – $600kSmaller two and three-bedroom houses on established lanes, usually with power and water already connected.
Price ranges are indicative of what has been trading, not quotations, and the photographs above show comparable architecture rather than specific properties. Ask us for current comparables and real listing photography for anything you are seriously considering.
The case for and against
WHY BUYERS CHOOSE IT
- Views that cannot be built out from under you.
- Meaningfully cooler and less humid than the coast.
- The most land per dollar anywhere on this list.
- Insects and salt corrosion are both markedly less of a problem.
WHAT TO GO IN KNOWING
- No walking to the beach — every trip is a drive.
- Access roads vary from good to genuinely difficult in rain.
- Water and power may need capital before you can build.
- Rental demand is thinner than on the beach; buy this to live in it.
See what is actually on the market in the hills right now.
Search the hills listings
Thinking about The Hills?
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will send what is actually available here, including the properties that never reach a portal.