Tips for Tourist

maritza_calise

New member
Jan 20, 2014
2
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0
Hello

This March a few friends and I will be visiting Punta Cana/ Bavaro for 6 days. I hate to use the word tourist but essentially that is what we'll be for those six days. This is not my first trip to DR, I am very familiar with Santo Domingo and Santiago. However this will be my first trip to Punta Cana as well as my friends first time to DR. By the capital tourist stick out like sour thumbs, but I'm not sure if that will be the case in PC. I have read a few post and reviews on different forums that mentioned things such as restaurants having two separate menus, one for tourist and one for the natives that have prices almost 4x more expensive than usual. I've read about issues with the taxis and all that jazz. We specially did not stay on a resort because we really want to get an authentic feel for the country.This post is really just to get some tips for us tourist. How to handle ourselves as well as making sure we don't get ripped off throughout our trip and any authentic places and authentic things to do that are worth mentioning. Thanks
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
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Don't behave like __sholes after you have had one Cuba Libre. Don't let you friends drool when a women approaches them. Don't carry around a lot of money. Leave your valuables in a safe. Don't have sex without a condom. Have fun but don't get arrested.

LTSteve
 

drSix

Silver
Oct 13, 2013
1,323
0
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Don't behave like __sholes after you have had one Cuba Libre. Don't let you friends drool when a women approaches them. Don't carry around a lot of money. Leave your valuables in a safe. Don't have sex without a condom. Have fun but don't get arrested.

LTSteve

I believe this statement should be on the official DR tourism website, and also the US and Canadian embassy sites.
 

Castle

Silver
Sep 1, 2012
2,982
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I guess by going to Bavaro/Punta Cana you won't really "get an authentic feel for the country" as those places are really built around tourism,and you will easily see the differences with SD or Santiago, which are more about the authentic dominican experience.
However, it doesn't mean Bavaro and PC are not great places to relax for a few days. Just keep in mind that's not exactly the way DR is.
 

jeanchris

Bronze
Feb 27, 2012
627
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+1

Punta Cana is nothing like the real thing.

Good for vacation/trip/beach and paying everything 2x the real price!!! :D
 

Jaime809

Bronze
Aug 23, 2012
1,152
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Have your friends able to converse with basic Spanish: Hello, goodbye, please and thank you, where is XXX. Like many places, if you show some effort to communicate, most locals will meet you partway and attempt to help you. While there will be some who may try to take advantage of you, most will simply return the treatment they are approached with.

When purchasing souvenirs, always be willing to negotiate. 9/10 times the price will start way high. Don't be afraid to walk away; like buying a car, it's an effective strategy. Grocery stores may not have much room to move, but the souvenir stands will always haggle. And there's *very* little that one store has that isn't available elsewhere.

For taxis, $10 or 400 pesos is standard rate for most trips around town. Some will try to tell you $20 or point to a rate table. Again, walking away is an effective negotiation tactic; they'd rather have something than nothing. I wouldn't recommend motoconchos with a group unless it's all guys, then $5/bike will get you pretty much anywhere around town you want to go. You can try paying less but until you have a feel for distances, $5 makes the process easy.

For food, I'd definitely recommend Jellyfish and Chez Mon Ami (YMMV). The taxis should know where they both are.

With spending a week, I'd get my money converted to pesos. Don't do it in the airport, find a local cambio. Most I've seen offer a better rate than the international exchange tables. There's one in Plaza Brisas and one near the Texaco (there's only 1) that offer the best rates I've seen. There may be others with a better rate but I simply don't know them. The taxi/motoconchos know Texaco and Plaza Brisas. Also don't convert in the malls like Palma Real, the rate is almost as bad as the airport.

And don't be afraid to walk around (certainly not during the day). Smile, say "hola," and don't be afraid to say "no gracias senor" if they're pushing you to buy something (it'll happen). If you want to just chill out, Steve's Corner Bar or Danny's Sports Bar cater to expats.

Hope that helps...
 

palmiche53

New member
Dec 17, 2012
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Why pretending what you are not? You are a tourist from a rich country that doesn't know much about the country you're visiting. If you want to play safe, then be with the rest at the resort or read a lot and learn Spanish to have a better chance of not being overcharged outside the resort.
 

RonS

Bronze
Oct 18, 2004
1,457
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If you are interested in an authentic DR experience why would you go to PC?