we plan to rent an apartment in the La Castellana sector of SD. and will be renting a car as well.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
ive also heard about the carnival? when is that and where?
the Carnival is in la vega. i would ask the boyfriend what he has planned for carnival and go with his lead.