Information on Bani or Boca Canasta

shepherd22

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Aug 5, 2010
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My husband and I are planning our first trip to DR in Sept. We are looking for some quiet local areas to relax and enjoy getting to know the DR culture. We like quaint hotels or rental houses over chain hotels. We will be flying into Santo Domingo, staying over the night and the next day, then thinking about going to Bani or Boca Canasta from what little we have read about them. Can anyone give us more information about either place? Places to eat? Hotel suggestions? Possible day trips near by? How far from Santo Domingo are these cities? We know very little Spanish. We will only be in DR for 5 days. Thanks for any information ahead of time it is greatly appreciated.
 

BigLongBeach

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Feb 8, 2010
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argh my 1st reply got deleted...

i have passed through Bani a few times here are some of my observations

its nice and quiet, there is a central part of the city, with a central park, many stores, and restaurants. outside of the center part there isnt much. The area around the central park feels safe, there is a police presence, one time we just sat in the park w/a bottle of johnny black, relaxed got some sun, and talked for a few hours. you can also walk around the side streets but there isnt much.

You can drive along carretera maximo gomes. At the begining you will see a bunch of night clubs where they have live music. When i was there Alex Bueno performed @tequilla drinkhouse. The crowd was good a mix of young and old.

After that strip you can continue along maximo gomez and there are a bunch of villas and farms where you can stop, have a drink, jump in the pool, etc.

At the very end is Salinas. they have a really nice hotel.

All in all i like Bani because it is a great place to lay low and relax there isnt much to do it is up to you to drive around, explore and find your own little piece of bani.

btw spanish is a must anywhere outside of a resort or college area.
 

shepherd22

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Aug 5, 2010
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Thanks

We found a few rentals in Boca Canasta that sound really good and they claimed Bani was the closest city. Your input really helps. It sounds like what we are looking for. Just a small area to buy food and to interact with a few local buisnesses. I'll be honest my spanish is high school at best but I figure I can get along alright to buy some food, beer and show my apprectiation to any friendly locals. We are looking to spend most of our time just relaxing, people watching and witnessing the natural beauty of DR.
 
Aug 19, 2004
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"We are looking for some quiet local areas to relax and enjoy getting to know the DR culture. "

If this is your first trip IMO Bani would not be the best place to stay. Who knows who you might meet in Las Salinas! Certainly worth a side trip though to see the dunes and the salt extraction.

There was a good hotel here once but why did they need such a large car park - or did they fly in and out?

The last time we were there the police were looking for someone and it felt more like a corner of Bagdad.

If you have the time I would continue down the coast to Barahona and the south west coast. Some good hotels and magnificent scenery.
 

abretusojos10

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Dec 2, 2007
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I know this is old but, my family is from bocacanasta... its like right next to the center of bani, literally 5 minutes, theres nothing to see there, maybe the beach, los almendros, but besides that, waste of time. The pueblo is good enough and every campo is a couple of minutes away so u can visit one or 2 a day... i know this is old but this is just for future reference for anyone else.

bocacanasta.... waste of time and they WILL rip you off once they see your clean nice white skin... sorry but this is a fact....

just stay in bani