Santiago makes a good base for the interior Cibao region. The mountain town of Jarabacoa, with its waterfalls and Pico Duarte (the highest peak in the Caribbean), is two hours south. Constanza, even higher in the mountains, is the Dominican Republic's vegetable garden and has a markedly cooler climate. The colonial town of San Francisco de Macorís and the religious shrine at La Vega are both about an hour away.
The north coast, with the beaches and the Old Town of Puerto Plata, is within reach of an ambitious day trip but is better as an overnight.
