Questions about moving to Santo Domingo

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Muppet

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I will be moving to Santo Domingo in February for business. I am an engineer in my early 20s and fluent in Spanish. I have a bunch of questions and would be happy with any answers or links to where I can find relevant information.

First things first, I need to find a place to stay. I will only be there for three months and would like to find a furnished one-bedroom if possible, but I wouldnt mind living with someone else(expat or local). I have no what areas i should look at. I'd like to live somewhere that allows me to experience the culture. Having access to restaurants, bars, and clubs that people my age frequent would be ideal. It also would help if I could get to work via public tranportation or riding my bike(not sure how safe/viable). I will be working in the Zona Industrial de Haina. Any ideas based on this?

I'm a competitive cyclist and would like to be able to train and race while there. I know the Vuelta a la Independencia Nacional is held there every year. Any incite regarding riding and training around Santo Domingo or racing as an expat?

Thanks. I can't wait to get down there.
 
B

boknows

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Figures another body in the Colonial Zone is making me look like an idiot. Maybe JMB can help me out and hook up with some college educated folk to make me look better.
 
Luperon

Luperon

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Good Luck, be really really careful with the cycling.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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If he's working at the Zona Industrial in Haina, he can't live in the Zona Colonial, just too far. He should be looking for housing in or around Haina.
 
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Smart

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Jun 16, 2012
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The best advice I can give anyone working there is find somewhere on the south side of Ave 27 de Feb. anywhere north of Ave 27 and you're up against it. There is one metro that drops you in the middle of what can only be described as Mayhem on a grand scale, and even then you need to take a guagua with the weasels to your job. If you can find a place off Anacoana (for example) then you are the right side of the madness to get a free run into work and also in a decent spot to use publicos downtown, where ever. 27is there is you need it, but you don't need it, just avoid it rush hour. You are also right on the park which is the nicest thing in this city. You also get to take your bike down onto malecon on a Sunday which is relatively quiet enough and go out of town in a more tranquil direction than say if you were to head out to Boca Chica and try to get back alive with all the drunks coming home from the beach. Personally I would never ride a bike here, ever, not unless I could get right out of the city and up into the hills. Not only for sakes of being flattened but also because of the attention, and any attention is bad attention here. Best bet is to find a club locally and join them, safety in numbers.
Furnished places are difficult to find, that are not disgusting from previous clients, but they are around. You can find lovely ones if you are willing to pay, but I'm guess you are looking at keeping rent down to sub $600 or roundabout?
I know a guy who rents out studio apartments in one of the safest and quietest places in the city. He asks for $550 but I've pointed people there who got a place for $450 if they show good character.
The best I can say really. You don't want to be living ontop of where you work, just too far to get to where you want to be during downtime, but too far out and it is really difficult to get there in decent time, just so much going on rush hour.
 
E

Empiric

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Apr 24, 2013
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So, guess you will work around rd 3, km 18, out of town.

stay in town, around rd 3 [independencia ave.] km 7 or km 12, that's where I stayed.

all kind of rental price, from 100$ per month for a room

24/7 transportation to down town SD, Colonial Zone.

ride you bike every afternoon on south side of Mirador Sur park, I did, [closed to traffic after 5pm aprox] or on sundays on George Washington ave ["Malecon"] or right on Independencia ave, all the way to down town, low trafic. All three are parallel roads, one next to the other.

On km 7, Malecon ave there is Caribe University..., to drink beer at night across the street and share with students.

On km 9 aprox, on rd 3, there is a big night club, dancing etc, free entrance

On km 6, on rd 3, you have Jet Set club, dancing etc

on Km 4 aprox, rd. 3, you have Platinum night club, dancing...

On km 12, on Malecon ave, there a whole bunch of cabanas [motels] to take the chicas... talk to the manager and you can stay over night while looking for an apt, or just agree with mgr for a week/month rent.

What kind of industry you will be working for?
 
M

Muppet

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mountainannie said:
Here is your contact for the biking.. http://www.fedoci.com/federacion/asociaciones-ciclismo.aspx

maybe call the head guy in SD and explain your situation? He may be able to find you a place next to another biker and near to where you will be working.
Click to expand...
Thanks. i tried contacting the guy for SD, but his email didnt work and I think the number is out of date. I emailed some other people on there and the emails went through, so hopefully they can get me in touch with the right people.

Empiric and Smart, thanks for the useful information. I'll look into what you said.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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Muppet, if you want to ride your bike to work in Haina, don't even consider living in Santo Domingo, it's a long drive plus a toll booth [which I'm not sure you can take a bicycle through anyway]. Probably a half hour minimum from Santo Domingo going west in a car, without traffic.

Take a look on Google Earth to see where you'll be working - if you don't have an exact address, search for Avon Dominicana, Haina, it's a huge factory on the main road, in Zona Industrial. The entrance to where you're probably working is across the road.

Not much further down past Avon, the road ends, and if you take a left it will bring you into the town of Haina. To be honest I can't imagine easily finding an apartment there, but I could be wrong. From there you could ride your bike to work though. If you make a right instead, you may find someplace there too.
 
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Smart

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If this guy is a competitive cyclist then he doesn't want to be taking his bike to work. His bike is probably worth more than a typical entire dominican families yearly wages.
My brother in law is a cyclist and his bikes cost as much as my cars.
 
C

Criss Colon

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If you want to "Hang Out" with all the people who ride "Bikes" in Santo Domingo, visit the cemetaries!
There is a reason you never see anyone riding a bicycle here, they're all dead!
CCCCCCCCCCCCC
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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Smart said:
If this guy is a competitive cyclist then he doesn't want to be taking his bike to work. His bike is probably worth more than a typical entire dominican families yearly wages.
My brother in law is a cyclist and his bikes cost as much as my cars.
Click to expand...

His OP says It also would help if I could get to work via public tranportation or riding my bike
 
S

Smart

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I know, and I am saying that I think taking a bike worth a lot of money to work is an even worse idea than riding a bike period. Where does he lock that up, and even when locked up, since when did that stop things going missing here?
Where he is working is a battle zone in the mornings on public transport, it's really nasty.
 
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Criss Colon

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The "TRUTH", HURTS!!!!!!
But then so does being run over by a TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead:
 
M

Muppet

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Criss Colon said:
The "TRUTH", HURTS!!!!!!
But then so does being run over by a TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead::dead:
Click to expand...
Thanks for keeping it real, Criss.

I do have a nice bike, but if I were to commute, I would probably pick up a cheap used bike once I get there. It sounds like commuting is out of the question though.

I just found out that my company is providing me with an apartment in the Bella Vista area, so everyone's wonderful input was for nothing, but at least I am starting to learn the different parts of town before I even move there.

People keep reinforcing how dangerous cycling is there, but what about motorcycles? I could probably purchase a used one on arrival and use that to get around, then sell it once I leave.
 
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