Santo Domingo and Higuey

Hi,

I'll be visiting relatives and friends in both these cities on a short trip of 6 nights. I'm flying in and out of SDQ. I haven't made reservations yet but it will be in mid August. I have a few questions...

1. On a budget of about $100/night, a recommendation for a decent hotel in the Higuey area. I've never been to this part of the DR. We're not big on spending endless time on the beach (though a brief time is fine), so that's not a concern.

2. Getting around - I have an ungodly fear of renting a car in the DR. I also have no sense of direction and am terrified of getting lost and not speaking the language well. I've visited a number of times and drivers are loco, not to mention that the roads seem difficult to navigate, at least in SD. Anyway, it seems that might be the only practical way to do this trip. If I do rent a car, is there a reliable rental place in Santo Domingo, or should I rent a car at the airport? Do GPS devices work well?

Thanks loads.

Sorry to belabor this. I decided on a hotel in Bayahibe; now I need to decide whether to rent a car. My biggest concern is getting from SDQ to my hotel in zona colonial. I'm not overly concerned about getting to Bayahibe and Higuey. I'm more concerned about getting hopelessly lost from the airport (I'll be alone at this time and my Spanish stinks) and I'm concerned with the loco drivers in SD. However, I probably wouldn't use the car to get around SD. Am I being overly paranoid? Will a GPS get me to where I want to in zona colonial? Thanks, and again, sorry to dwell on this.

Haha, the joys of getting lost. I am leaning towards renting a car if a GPS works ok. I know they rent them at the airport but I have no details or have no idea how efficient they are. I drove a taxi in NYC in my younger days but driving in Santo Domingo makes NYC cabbies look like gracious chauffeurs.

If I decide not to rent a car, is there a bus from the city (not the airport) that goes to Bayahibe? Or possibly a van? There's a woman that comes highly recommended (in trip advisor) in Higuey, Jenny, who charges $125 each way. That's the only other option I know of at this point and it's expensive.

And then I'll have to take a taxi to the hotel we're staying at. It seems like I'll be killing the whole day and my time is limited this trip. I'm very much leaning to renting a car now. It's about time I got used to driving in the DR anyway. Has anyone used a GPS in the DR?

Thanks for all the comments.