New! Headed to Punta Cana next week!

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hnf8705

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Apr 10, 2013
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Hola todos!

I'm super excited that I will be visiting the DR for the second time in about a week! Last time i was in the Puerto Plata area and now my family and I are headed to Punta Cana.. Cant wait!

I do have a question that i REALLY need help with.. Our flight is into SDQ and not PUJ. :( At the time of purchase, the flights to SDQ were much much less than into PUJ. To the point that ground transfer for the four of us would be less. I also thought we'd be able to take a CaribeTours or some sort of coach bus for about US $10 each but it doesnt appear to pick up at the SDQ airport! I also noticed the last bus leaves Santo Domingo at 4pm. Our flight gets in at 3:30. Then we'd have to get a taxi to the bus station. We wont make it!

I'm trying to find the cheapest/quickest way to get to Barcelo Punta Cana from SDQ. I have been researching since i bought the flights a month ago and still don't know the best way to do this! I'm hoping someone with inside information can help me out!

Yo hablo espanol. But my mom and two sisters do not. There are four of us travelling. ANY help is MUCH appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!
 
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cjp2010

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Mar 25, 2013
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Hopefully some folks from StoDgo will chime in with some better options for you, but here is what I have if you don't get anything else. You are right, there is no way you will make the last CaribeTours or Metro for that matter heading to Punta Cana. So you can (cheaper) book a hotel for one night in StoDgo and head out the next morning or you can (faster) try this service. $350 round trip or $180 one way. Yep, that's a heavy price and I'm not sure how much you are saving on your flights. Good luck. Book here! Hotel & airport shuttles & transfers in Dominican Republic
 
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LTSteve

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Jul 9, 2010
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I'm sorry if I am not overly sympathetic to your problem. I had read similar threads from many people who have done the same thing thinking they were saving money. Now instead of being 20 minutes from the airport you are 4hrs away. In addition the money you saved on cheaper airline tickets is now going to be eaten up by an addtional hotel room and transportation to your hotel in Punta Cana. Your are also losing a day on each end because of the travel delema. Because of the late time of day you now have to book a hotel in Santo Domingo. There I can help you. I would suggest taking a taxi from SDQ to the Colonial Zone and staying at Hotel El Conde de la Penalba. It is in the heart of the Colonial Zone which is the historic district in SD. This is a nice old colonial style hotel with a large outdoor cafe attached. The rooms are nothing fancy but they are are conditioned and large. If you don't want to all stay in one room they might have connecting rooms. You can google this hotel. I don't think it is far from the Caribe or Metro bus stations. Please anyone reading this who is planning a trip to the DR. Ground transportation is not always easy to arrange for a reasonable amount of money. Always fly into the closest airport to your hotel. Don't worry about cheaper airline prices into alternate airports. YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE, at least not very easily.

LTSteve
 
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hnf8705

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Apr 10, 2013
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I'm curious about where those earlier threads are! I have been looking for info on this for almost a month. Only recently did i discover this forum. However, i do still believe that i will be saving money since there are four of us and at the time of purchase it would have been $150 more p/person. Like $600 more to fly into PUJ. I also thought of going into Santo Domingo to stay a night but we already paid for the night at our resort in PUJ so that wouldnt be worth it either. But just in case, THANKS for giving me a hotel reference!
 
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CaptnGlenn

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Mar 29, 2010
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you might try cheap caribbean . com. I used them in the past, worked out well. Mine was a short transfer though... I don't know if they do long distance transfers. They're a U.S. based company. No matter how it works out, it's gonna' be expensive though. LTSteve was absolutely right.

I would say it might be worth it to try and find cheap last minute flight into PUJ, and "save" the flight into SDQ, and use them sometime in the future... even transfer them to another destination. That's an expensive way to go, and your cash will be tied up until you can use the credits, but in the end it would be SO much easier. Sometimes you can luck into some good fares into PUJ at the last minute.

Sometimes a bargain isn't one at all.

actually, the idea in your other thread about renting a car might be the best way to go.
 
keepcoming

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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You would probably be best to get some prices on private transportation from the airport in Santo Domingo to the resort in Punta Cana. As for the return trip out of Santo Domingo (if that is where your leaving from) if the flight is later in the day you can do the bus to Santo Domingo. You may want to think about renting a car at the airport in Santo Domingo and drive to Punta Cana. Park the car in the parking lot at the resort and then take the car back on your return trip to the airport. Normally I would not suggest this but since the new highway has been completed the trip is not that bad. Price wise this option may not be that bad.
 
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hnf8705

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Apr 10, 2013
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CaptnGlenn said:
you might try cheap caribbean . com. I used them in the past, worked out well. Mine was a short transfer though... I don't know if they do long distance transfers.

I would say it might be worth it to try and find cheap last minute flight into PUJ, and "save" the flight into SDQ, and use them sometime in the future... even transfer them to another destination. That's an expensive way to go, and your cash will be tied up until you can use the credits, but in the end it would be SO much easier. Sometimes you can luck into some good fares into PUJ at the last minute.
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Looked for Cheap Caribbean transfers and couldnt find anything. Also, I checked into getting a credit for our flights to use in the future but it costs $150 p/person (there are 4 of us) AND you have to use them within 60 days! We wont be able to take another trip in that amount of time. It was hard enough for all of us to get the time of for this trip. So im gonna do my best to haggle with the taxi drivers, i guess.
 
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hnf8705

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Apr 10, 2013
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keepcoming said:
As for the return trip out of Santo Domingo (if that is where your leaving from) if the flight is later in the day you can do the bus to Santo Domingo. You may want to think about renting a car at the airport in Santo Domingo and drive to Punta Cana.
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I am definitely planning on taking the bus back to Sto Dgo because our flight leaves at 4pm. The reason i dont want to rent a car is cuz even tho I know how the driving is and would probably do alright, my mom would not be comfortable with that and I dont know if i could drive 3 hours with her gasping every few minutes. Have you driven yourself on the new highway?
 
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CaptnGlenn

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Mar 29, 2010
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disclaimer first -- I haven't driven in Santo Domingo or any of the D.R. cities, but I've seen one or two places where the driving can get crazy at times. (the Texaco station in Friusa comes to mind). BUT, I have to say, I don't think the driving (from what little I've seen) is quite as bad as it's made out to be. I say the same thing about driving anywhere. Rome, Barcelona, NYC, Washington D.C., etc. etc. The BIGGEST challenge is knowing where you're going ... dealing with the other drivers is more a matter of "playing chicken", and knowing that in a crash, the biggest vehicle "WINS". Based on descriptions here on DR1, and what people have told me, I would think that the new highway would be pretty easy to navigate. Give your mom a big glass of Brugal and let her sleep for the drive. LOL You can also go to Google maps and even use the satellite view to get an idea of where you're going.

On your return you know you need to be at the airport A MINIMUM of two hours before your flight... THREE would be better. You also need to anticipate the unexpected on the trip back to S.D. Fore warned is fore armed.
 
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hnf8705

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Apr 10, 2013
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Thanks everyone for your help! I may have found a transfer for $120! Im just waiting for the confirmation email. We land in the D.R. tomorrow afternoon. I will certainly let everyone know how it goes and what we do for transportation! Gracias!
 
keepcoming

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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hnf8705 said:
I am definitely planning on taking the bus back to Sto Dgo because our flight leaves at 4pm. The reason i dont want to rent a car is cuz even tho I know how the driving is and would probably do alright, my mom would not be comfortable with that and I dont know if i could drive 3 hours with her gasping every few minutes. Have you driven yourself on the new highway?
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Yes and the drive is really not that bad. I have seen worse. My mom has actually made the trip a few times, before and after the new road and she was ok. Agree with CaptnGlenn give yourself plenty of time if your taking the bus back to catch your flight. Traffic is pretty bad in Santo Domingo. I would take the first bus out of Punta Cana to Santo Domingo. Get to the bus station early also. You want to make sure you can get a seat. Have a nice trip.
 
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hnf8705

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Apr 10, 2013
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Back from Punta Cana

Hey everyone! So I'm back from P.C. (sadly). It was a GREAT trip! We ended up confirming transportation with IBK services (index ) It ended up costing $135. Our driver , Angel, was amazing! He truly fits his name as he is one of the most kind-hearted, thoughtful people I have ever met. I speak Spanish so we talked a lot or I interpreted for my family. He does know some English as well. We talked a lot about God (as we are both Christians), his wife and two children, and the beautiful Dominican Republic! He picked us up in a gray mini-van with A/C. Plenty of room for the four of us to stretch out and relax on the 2.5 hour drive. We also stopped at a place in La Romana to buy souveniers and snacks.

He was such an exceptional driver and so admirably considerate that we decided to hire him again for the ride back to the SDQ airport instead of taking the bus. We figured it would be better since we'd have to take a taxi on both ends of the bus ride anyways. In return, we stopped at an orphanage that we had an opportunity to bless financially and be blessed by some of the sweetest children. The return cost was $140.

So even though our ground transport cost a total of $275.00, we still came out cheaper since the flight to PUJ would have been $600.00 more for the four of us. AND we had the benefit of learning more about the place we were visiting, give back to the country, and make wonderful new friends. I'd say we definitely came out on top! I really hope to return soon to the D.R.!

Anyone needing transport from the SDQ airport to the Punta Cana area: I HIGHLY recommend Angel from IBK services! Tell him Hayley says hola and ask him to play the Pollito Pio song! :D
 
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