first time to SD

I was hoping to see some suggestions too, ha, ha, ha you never forget your first time though, good luck and take care, God bless
Biggs

First off welcome to the board. There is plenty to do. There is a search button on the top of the page that is very helpful. Where are you staying? Will you have a car? Are you into the beach? The colonial zone is a great place to start. Alot of history there. The malecon has a few casinos if your into that. But remember hit the search button.

uhm......you can do look through the best of section, and there is a guide on dr1 too.

Maybe if you tell people what you like to do and where you will be staying they will give you some suggestions.

visit the zona colonial
Walk called conde, the side streets, plaza espana, etc. There is a restaurant in a cave that is kind of cool. visit all the old cathedrals

the malecon
Hang out in plaza juan baron one evening, hang out in the casino in jaragua, eat at adrian tropical and get a table by the water

go to the cultural center on maximo gomez. Plaza de La Cultura

there is another night club that is underground in a cave, i forget the name.

the aquarium

During baseball season catch a game.


It's a city so there are city like things to do like zoos, gardens, cathedrals, museums, etc.

there is a sticky

http://www.dr1.com/forums/santo-domingo/89759-10-things-do-24hrs.html

Start with the Colonial Zone, there are many sites to see and visit. Great nightlife on weekends.

Driving in Santo Domingo is a complete madness. Traffic is completely chaotic and paranoid, if you are going to rent a car let your boyfriend do the driving (assuming he knows how to drive a car and has a driver's license). keep a relative low profile, try not to draw too much attention specially during weekdays. Crime is always on rise, try not to talk too much with strangers...

lainydoll said:

we are goin to be in the DR from Feb 10th and leave the 23rd. i will be spending most of my time in and around Santo Domingo.

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There's a million things to do just around CZ.

This will get you started:

Colonial Zone Guide, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

lainydoll said:

we plan to rent an apartment in the La Castellana sector of SD. and will be renting a car as well.

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quick tip. in google search for santo domingo, then go to google maps, when you see the map of SD, do a search for La Castellana, and it will give you a idea of the area. Now once you are there there is a button that says "whats around here" it will populate the map with lots of info, click around and see if anything interests you.

it looks like it is close to los jardines so that should be a chance to enjoy a nice afternoon walk.

lainydoll said:

we dont know what beach we want to visit. we were hoping to visit a fun beach with lots of people but not to packed and then one that is very quiet for a day of relaxing.

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The closest beaches are boca chica, guayacanes, and juan dolio. They are close but due to traffic they are all going to be about 1hr away.
I havent done boca chica but i liked guayacanes, and juan dolio. That is where lots of SD dominicans take their families on the weekend. During the week they are very quiet.

The palenque and najayo are in san cristobal. it will be about 90mins plus to get there. not because of distance but because they are pretty much hidden, and not easy to get to.

lainydoll said:

my boyfriend has talked about taking us for a road trip but would like to be able to give him some input about where to go. i would like to discover the hidden DR. some off the road place that tourist books know nothing about.

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This is the best thing to do. if he is talking about road trips then he probably has an idea of places to go. Encourage him to makesure you go on a adventure. you never know what it will be. you might go to someone casa de campo, a party in a natural spring, or river. Just be prepared to rough it, get a little dirty and wet.

i always carried a back pack with me. It had a t-shirt, long pants, boxer shorts, bathing suit, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodarant, and whiskey. When people took me on a adventure i made sure i had everything i needed to be comfortable incase it was a long trip

lainydoll said:

ive also heard about the carnival? when is that and where?

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the Carnival is in la vega. i would ask the boyfriend what he has planned for carnival and go with his lead.

The carnival is in most of the country's main towns and cities, every weekend in February, with a grand finale in Santo Domingo at the end of February/beginning of March.

lainydoll said:

we dont know what beach we want to visit. we were hoping to visit a fun beach with lots of people but not to packed and then one that is very quiet for a day of relaxing.

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The best beaches near the city are in Juan Dolio, roughly 45 minutes to the east. Boca Chica is an excellent beach, but the people that visit this place (and the town just behind it) kind of ruins everything. But, since BC is on the way to JD, you can stop by and see for yourself. If it's good enough for you, stay; if not, keep driving towards the east to Juan Dolio.

lainydoll said:

also we are girls so we want to do some shopping! ive heard there is a new mall called the Blue Mall, but can not find any info on what shops and restaurants they have. also would love to do the local thing too, small shops for jewelry and art. i'm looking to find my engagement ring with Larimar so a good place for that would be great!

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Click on the names, use google translator if you don't understand Spanish (although some of the websites might offer an inbuilt translator):

Blue Mall Santo Domingo

Acr?polis (I put this here to make you aware of its existence, but the website is being remodeled. It is one of the swankiest malls in the whole country, only recently surpassed by Blue Mall)

Megacentro(Largest mall in the DR, second largest in the Caribbean, and the most visited mall as well)

Bella Vista Mall

Diamond Mall

lainydoll said:

good restaurants. i'm a vegetarian but would love to expericence Dominican food! even if you have a recipe for vegetarian Dominican food would be awesome!

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Menu.com.do

Restaurantes.com.do

lainydoll said:

night clubs. a fun night club that plays Latin dance music. nothing techno. nothing too packed.

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Discotecas - Santo Domingo

For everything else: DR1 Guide - Santo Domingo

Have fun!

There is a lot of dancing to do go to Jet Set nightclub to dance some merengue. Go to Casa de Campo in La Romana province, if you want to see something nice you can go west and drive to Barahona (near the border) where the famous 40's actress Maria Montez was from and you can stay in hotel Casa Bonita, you also have Lake Enriquillo. Go north and visit Puerto Plata, La Vega and it's awesome carnival with its colorful costumes and beautiful people, Jarabacoa and Constanza with it's similarities to Switzerland. Go to Samana and visit Las Terrenas, Samana which was is a jewel of a peninsula that has been coveted by the USA and France. DR will dazzle you. You won't want to leave!

Valentine's Day is a big deal in the DR and very commercialised. It's as much about celebrating friendship as romantic love.

I am hoping to take my kids to Santo Domingo for the first time this year also.
Biggs

Are things CLOSED in Santo Domingo tomorrow??

Are places (touristic---aquarium, museums, botanical gardens, etc.) closed this weekend in Santo Domingo???

Thanks