I hate to break the news to you but England is known only by LONDON!!! OK you are from England did you really need to point this out.
Everytime YOU have the chance you tell a poster they have problems because of the people they hangout with mainly people from the barrio. Most of the people KNOW you are not Dominican or a latino, so you will see a totally different DR through your eyes. In the DR I am DOMINICAN until I say" YO NO DOMINICANO" then sometimes people still don't believe I am not Dominican until I show my Illinios Drivers License. When they see the M in my name which stand for Marquez then I have to explain my Puerto Rican side to some BS cop when I am stopped, and after all this some still believe I'm Dominican and just lying.
Most of my info regarding how bad things are in the capital I get from the "AIRPORT" from tourist visiting DR. People told me they had to give cops 5000RD because they did not understand Spanish and they were afraid. Santo Domingo recieves A LOT of " one time visitors". People have told me how awful Santo Domingo is and they can't wait to go home and will never return. You are a British most people do not think the British are friendly so they will most likely not talk to you in the airport, or you may look unfriendly I do not know.
Lastly let me make this clear so you can understand. FOREIGNERS have no problem displaying their wealth in the US. In the DR a foreigner is asking for trouble if they display wealth on a regular basis.
BTW By your own admission you are a gringo with a Dominican wife , so Dominicans ALL DOMINICANS see you as a gringo that likes Dominican women nothing more nothing less. They will never show you their darkest deepest family secrets, because you are not Dominican. You state the OBVIOUS all the time because you are unable to look beyond their deceptive appearance. I have visited many countries from Ireland to Nevis and I have NEVER MET so many CON ARTISTS like I meet in DR from upper class to lower class.