Travelling to DR with young children

XXKWISIT · Feb 27, 2016

I have done a search on this topic, but I can't seem to find what I am specifically looking for.
So here goes.
Husband and I are headed to DR in December 2016 with our kids for the first time. My husband is Dominican and hasn't been back to DR in 5+ years and I went back once without him 4 years ago. I imagine not a whole lot has changed, it will definitely be a different experience with 2 small kids. We will be travelling with a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old baby. We will be staying in his village which is close to Samana for a few days and then we plan to drive to Santo Domingo for a few days to visit some friends and then to Higuey to visit a few others and then back to his village and then home. The whole trip will last a total of two weeks. I am looking for advice on a few things.
1) We plan on renting an SUV/ jeepeta type vehicle for the two weeks that we are there, so we have enough space for us, the two cars seats (we are bringing these from home), luggage and any stray family members who feel the need to tag along. I did a quick search online for airport car rentals in Samana and most quoted us $3000-4000 for two weeks. Any tips on where to rent that won't cost us this much? The rental agency doesn't have to be at the airport, but they must be willing to come to the airport to pick us up ( i don't mind paying small fee for this service)
2) I need suggestions for good/nice hotel to stay at in SD. We will be there for two nights. Also need to know the best time and best way to reserve this as it we will be there in late December.
3) Suggestions on best family friendly resorts in Punta Cana area. I am looking for a place that has kids pool/kids activities and family suites. Not interested in a party resort and we don't need to be close to bars and discos.We plan on spending 3-4 nights. I also need suggestions on the best way to book these hotels. We are going at a really busy/expensive time of year, so what is the best site to use and what kind of prices are we looking at?
4) Any other suggestions on travelling to DR with young children. I had spent lots of time in DR years ago, but I was young and single, so it will be a little different with 2 small kids. Any advice from those who have done it would be appreciated.
Thanks

LTSteve · Mar 1, 2016

XXKWISIT said:
I have done a search on this topic, but I can't seem to find what I am specifically looking for.
So here goes.
Husband and I are headed to DR in December 2016 with our kids for the first time. My husband is Dominican and hasn't been back to DR in 5+ years and I went back once without him 4 years ago. I imagine not a whole lot has changed, it will definitely be a different experience with 2 small kids. We will be travelling with a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old baby. We will be staying in his village which is close to Samana for a few days and then we plan to drive to Santo Domingo for a few days to visit some friends and then to Higuey to visit a few others and then back to his village and then home. The whole trip will last a total of two weeks. I am looking for advice on a few things.
1) We plan on renting an SUV/ jeepeta type vehicle for the two weeks that we are there, so we have enough space for us, the two cars seats (we are bringing these from home), luggage and any stray family members who feel the need to tag along. I did a quick search online for airport car rentals in Samana and most quoted us $3000-4000 for two weeks. Any tips on where to rent that won't cost us this much? The rental agency doesn't have to be at the airport, but they must be willing to come to the airport to pick us up ( i don't mind paying small fee for this service)
2) I need suggestions for good/nice hotel to stay at in SD. We will be there for two nights. Also need to know the best time and best way to reserve this as it we will be there in late December.
3) Suggestions on best family friendly resorts in Punta Cana area. I am looking for a place that has kids pool/kids activities and family suites. Not interested in a party resort and we don't need to be close to bars and discos.We plan on spending 3-4 nights. I also need suggestions on the best way to book these hotels. We are going at a really busy/expensive time of year, so what is the best site to use and what kind of prices are we looking at?
4) Any other suggestions on travelling to DR with young children. I had spent lots of time in DR years ago, but I was young and single, so it will be a little different with 2 small kids. Any advice from those who have done it would be appreciated.
Thanks

That is a handful to answer. First, where are you flying out of, Canada or the US? Second where do you want to fly into? If you are flying into El Catey (AZS) which is about 30kms from Samana City your flight options may be liminted from NYC. Jet Blue was running a direct flight Weds and Sats. That flight is ending on April 30th. You might look into a package deal with flight, meals and drinks into Punta Cana or El Catey. These flights tend to be direct which what you want with 2 little kids. They run some deal for as little as 4 nights. You are going at the most expensive time of the year so unless you book your flights about 6 months in advance you will be paying a lot for your airfare. Also driving from Punta Cana to Samana Peninsula is a very long drive and really no direct way to get there. You have to head south into Santo Domingo and then take the Santo Domingo-Samana highway north. There may be a way to bi-pass Santo Domingo but you would have to ask your husbands's relatives if they are familiar with it. All in all it is about 4-5hours from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo and another 3 to Saman City area. Keep in mind you do not want to be driving at night. I would consider driving to Santo Domingo and staying in the colonial zone for a night or two. There is a nice old colonial hotel in the heart of historical zone. It is at the end of Conde St where there is a big square and you are across from the oldest church in the new world. Google Hotel El Conde de Penalba. They charge about $75 a night US. As far as renting a vehicle. Check out Sixt Rental Car. They are at most airports in the DR. For a mid-size SUV like a Mitsubishi Outlander you will pay around $50 a day plus optional insurance coverage and taxes. Unless you are using a credit card, like American Express, that will cover the optional insurance, pay for it. You can easily get your car dented, scratched or worse. As far as picking an all-inclusive your best bet is to go on-line and check out actual reviews. The prices on these resorts are all over the place. Most of them are very family friendly and have Kids Clubs. So, you really have to figure out where you are going to fly in and out of. If you are driving all over the country then, obviously you will have to fly out of where you arrived. Again, I would look into paying for an all-inclusive that includes airfare. You may be able to Fly into one area, like Samana on the charter and fly out of Punta Cana after staying at an all-inclusive for 4-7 days. See if the same travel company has hotels in both areas. Good luck and good travels.

XXKWISIT · Mar 5, 2016

LTSteve said:
That is a handful to answer. First, where are you flying out of, Canada or the US? Second where do you want to fly into? If you are flying into El Catey (AZS) which is about 30kms from Samana City your flight options may be liminted from NYC. Jet Blue was running a direct flight Weds and Sats. That flight is ending on April 30th. You might look into a package deal with flight, meals and drinks into Punta Cana or El Catey. These flights tend to be direct which what you want with 2 little kids. They run some deal for as little as 4 nights. You are going at the most expensive time of the year so unless you book your flights about 6 months in advance you will be paying a lot for your airfare. Also driving from Punta Cana to Samana Peninsula is a very long drive and really no direct way to get there. You have to head south into Santo Domingo and then take the Santo Domingo-Samana highway north. There may be a way to bi-pass Santo Domingo but you would have to ask your husbands's relatives if they are familiar with it. All in all it is about 4-5hours from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo and another 3 to Saman City area. Keep in mind you do not want to be driving at night. I would consider driving to Santo Domingo and staying in the colonial zone for a night or two. There is a nice old colonial hotel in the heart of historical zone. It is at the end of Conde St where there is a big square and you are across from the oldest church in the new world. Google Hotel El Conde de Penalba. They charge about $75 a night US. As far as renting a vehicle. Check out Sixt Rental Car. They are at most airports in the DR. For a mid-size SUV like a Mitsubishi Outlander you will pay around $50 a day plus optional insurance coverage and taxes. Unless you are using a credit card, like American Express, that will cover the optional insurance, pay for it. You can easily get your car dented, scratched or worse. As far as picking an all-inclusive your best bet is to go on-line and check out actual reviews. The prices on these resorts are all over the place. Most of them are very family friendly and have Kids Clubs. So, you really have to figure out where you are going to fly in and out of. If you are driving all over the country then, obviously you will have to fly out of where you arrived. Again, I would look into paying for an all-inclusive that includes airfare. You may be able to Fly into one area, like Samana on the charter and fly out of Punta Cana after staying at an all-inclusive for 4-7 days. See if the same travel company has hotels in both areas. Good luck and good travels.

Hi! and thank you for your response. We will be travelling from Toronto, Canada. I have found flights for the four of us for just over $2000. We will be buying those asap. I will look into the hotel you suggested and the car rental agency, as I assume we should be reserving well in advance just due to the time of year we will be travelling. I would hate to arrive there and not be able to find a decent car to rent or a place to stay in SD (ABSOLUTE nightmare with kids)
Thanks again for your suggestions. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Search

Search

Travelling to DR with young children

XXKWISIT

New member

LTSteve

Gold

XXKWISIT

New member