SDQ to Las Galeras by Rental Car - Am I crazy?

SweetSongbird said:

Rental Car - $160 for a week of unlimited miles.

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If this is true, it's a killer deal. Last time I rented (I admit, it was like 10 years ago) that was the daily cost of the rental, not the weekly!

Derfish said:

And can anyone toell me about all those decapitated palms? Are they for palm oil? Why don't they cut them down entirely and replant. It is 18 months since the first time I saw them.
Der Fish

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I ask myself the same question. The weird thing is that there are rows and rows of palms neatly planted. So it's obviously not for the pure viewing pleasure, as only maybe the first two rows were visible when they were in good shape. Here's a pic I took about a year ago. I take it they are still like that.

The drive is great, very easy and pleasant BUT... Please don't do it after dark, there is simply too much unlit stuff on the roads after dark in the way of trucks, cars, dogs, kids, animals of all sizes etc. During daylight your fine. I think all the larger rental companies are fine, Avis, Sixt, Europecar etc.

The Palms, yes it's a oil plantation, every 25/30 yrs they need new trees as oils quality drops, they simply kill them off and let them come down themselves. They have already planted the new ones some of which are growing nicely, look at the bases of the dead ones net time you pass.

I suggest you buy full coverage insurance. However, it could double the price of your rental.

With rentals you get what you pay for, especially in the DR!

I would never recommend a cheap car rental in the DR, I have heard and "seen" too many horror stories. I suggest you go with a major brand for the support and peace of mind it will bring you.

If you are driving....
Start to look for a place to sleep around 6:30 and I want you to be in a rented room by 8 pm. Then you can call taxi to go to near by places, I believe taxis are cheap enough.

If you hired a driver....
Make sure guy isn't drunk or sleeping while driving and you can let the person drive in a pitch dark. All drivers that I had witnessed were born with night vision.

We did this drive a few weeks ago. The only thing I have to add to the above is that from Samana City to Las Galeras, there are several missing manhole covers that are quite difficult to see (unlike most of the potholes, which have rough edges). So if you do decide to drive, for that portion of the trip I'd suggest trying to get behind a local car, motorcycle or guagua that will weave around such hazards.

Robert said:

With rentals you get what you pay for, especially in the DR!

I would never recommend a cheap car rental in the DR, I have heard and "seen" too many horror stories. I suggest you go with a major brand for the support and peace of mind it will bring you.

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truer words have never been spoken. rent only from a major outfit. as my buddy, a Russian chess grandmaster used to say 'i am not rich enough to buy cheap stuff".

C & C car rental located about 10 minutes from the airport. They will meet you at the airport both ways, with the vehicle. Call Edison @ 809-646-4674. He speaks English. He will give you a quote. I would definitely suggest the minimum of a small SUV such as a Chevy Tracker or Susuki Vitaro. You will need the heavier suspension in the Las Galeras area. Tell him Steve from Las Terrenas sent you. Good luck

LTSteve

Robert said:

With rentals you get what you pay for, especially in the DR!

I would never recommend a cheap car rental in the DR, I have heard and "seen" too many horror stories. I suggest you go with a major brand for the support and peace of mind it will bring you.

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Even some of the majors have screwed people over, even DR1ers.

SweetSongbird said:

The more I think about the convenience of having a car to get around during the week, there are plenty of gua-guas and other transport to get us around. Once I start adding the cost of gas and insurance to the cost of the rental itself it is over $300. ugh.

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OK here is the thing. Las Galeras is a tiny little town on the edge of the spit of nowhere. At the end of day two, unless you are completely in love or have loaded up your kindle and just really need to NOT MIVE you will want to be out and about. You will be near some of the most gorgous and unspoiled beaches in the world such as Playa Rincon which very few people will ever see and which probably will not be that way for many more years. Thing well.. gorgeous.. with just a place to eat a fresh grilled fresh fish lunch..

You are only going to get there with a 4c4. Is it worth it? You decide.

If it rains.. What are you going to do..

The drive from Las G to Las Terreanas is really quite easy .. and you can shop and eat good french food...

So .. because really there is little to do in LG.. I would spring for a good car if I could.

Even a little car if I could not afford a big one.

I have done the SD LG LT trip lots of times in one of the cars that fits in your pocket.

I always use Dollar Rental because they always give me the best price and once sent a mechanic all the way up to the Haitian border when I got the thing stuck in a pot hole the size of a goat and had something bad come off the engine... great price great service,

You usually get a better price if you reserve on the internet.

Enjoy whatever you decide.

minimum insurance for a rental car

vida said:

I suggest you buy full coverage insurance. However, it could double the price of your rental.

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If you can't afford get full coverage, get the inexpensive Road Hazard Insurance insurance which is about $5-7 US per day. (SDQ -AVIS)
In our first trip to the DR we had it and it saved us when a coconut fell on the brand new rental Kia SUV we had rented during a rainstorm. This would have been a $1000 retail repair easily in the DR especially since the windshield was wasted.
BTW, the road trip you are describing is not as scary as you think. Just don't drive at night.:surprised