Travelling Alone

although i did not travel alone, the girl i was travelling with was busy doing her own thing most of the nights so at times it felt like i was travelling alone.

i stayed at an AI as well, and i had a blast. you meet fellow travelers in the AI, with whom you could always have nice conversations and meals with. also, the AI i stayed at (playa dorada in PP) was well fenced and extremely safe.

therefore....... from my experience i would say go for it, enjoy, and be safe.

pengy, no need to be concerned. My wife and I have been living in the DR for 16 years. When she wants to go somewhere, she goes. Since we don't have a car, when whe wants, for example, to go to Puerto Plata, she goes up to the highway and gets a publico. When she goes to Santo Domingo on her own, she takes a Caribe Tour bus.

I am sure you won't be wandering into the areas you wouldn't enter in any country, but otherwise, come and enjoy.

Aruba is quite nice. Great breeze coming off the ocean so you don't quite realize you are burning your ass off.

I much prefer the North Coast of DR to Aruba although I may be going there this winter for a long weekend to visit my room mate from school who is Arubian.

I go to the DR many times a year and just got back from three weeks around the country. Never ever had the slightest of problems with the exception once of two women that refused to understand NO and followed me till I turned around and screamed at them.

If they were better looking... Well why speculate!

Regards

You'll be fine, the AIs are safe and you'll meet plenty of people there. But don't be afraid to get out of the resort and into the nearest town/city to where your resort is - taxis are fine, but public transport is much much cheaper. I've been numerous times alone and never come up against any problem.

Go with an open mind, do a bit of exploring out and about, and ENJOY.

Check out the resort reviews on ww.debbiesdominicantravel.com - I would imagine that most of the AI hotels are covered there. You probably can't go far wrong with any of the AIs, just bear in mind though that you usually get what you pay for. My favourite is the Gran Ventana in Playa Dorada - feel free to email me if you want any specific info on it.

What part of the country are you going to? I will be happy to recommend places if I am familiar with the town.

Glad you won't be stalking the innocents in the streets

Scott

Wow, lee-lee actually beat Ken in replying the post. I thought Ken was undisputed king of the quick draw.
Anyway, I am not surprised that our shubby little Lee-Lee was left all alone in the resort to play with herself. Take that as a lesson you little "bruja" as there is no free-bees in life. You will soon find out that life can be very long and bitter if you are all alone all the time. Now you are actually beating Ken in his own game. Hahahaha, talk abolut getting a life.
Anyway, Getting back to helping our new-comer. DR and especially the resort areas are very safe and plenty of things to do if you are into nightlife. In playa dorada you will find plenty of sankies to show you around, ex: dancing among other more interesting adventures. Just take fun for fun and nothing more. This is your vacation so live up to the game and come again. Advice: don't fall in love with anyone in the resort area.
Good luck.

Just say no to Aruba!

I would highly recommend DR over Aruba..

I have now been to 7 islands and the only one I would not recommend (or ever return to) is Aruba. Here are my reasons - (1) the entire island is centered around the HUGE cruise ships that come into port (2) there is only one decent bar on the island (3) there is absolutely nothing to do (or see) besides scuba diving (4) there is no history or culture to the island besides those huge cruise ships and ritzy boutique stores catering to them and (5) although they call it the 'Friendly Island' I'll be danged if I met more than 2 friendly locals.

Now on the other hand, DR was one of my favorite trips because (1) I'm not even sure if cruise ships stop there (they sure didn't anywhere that I was!) (2) there are great places to relax and have a beer everywhere! (3) there is so much to see and do, I could live on DR (4) the history and culture is phenominal and (5) everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful even when you are butchering their language!

I felt safe the entire time I was on DR and you will meet incredible people everywhere you go. Good luck and have fun!

Much more freedom at non-AI's

Pengy,
The Dominican Republic is easy on your pocketbook, beautiful beaches, and very friendly people. There are plenty of bars and discos to get your groove on. I have never been to the north coast, yet. I can only comment on Boca Chica and Santo Domingo but there are many modern hotels that are non-AI as well. Don't become a prisoner in a foreign country. Get out and mix with the locals and let your hair down. Go scuba diving, snorkeling, etc. Eat at many of the cafes for a reasonable price and great food. El Presidente beer is excellent and usually 35-40RD. A little less than $2 and a good meal can be enjoyed for around $4-7. Visit the botanical gardens in Santo Domingo, shop Calle de Conde with hundreds of shops/stores and outside vendors, enjoy the Maritime exhibits at the Museums, Diego Columbus' home, etc. From 10pm-4am usually the nightlife is cranking strong. Being a single woman you will have men professing their undying love, their little game for you to be their benefactor, but keep that in mind and have fun. The others can tell you more about the north coast and their beaches and things to do. Boca Chica has a great beach, and if you want a party town, this is the kind of place you would like, no need to even rent a car, you can walk everywhere with a few hotels like Costa Lunga or the Europa where you can get a very nice room for around $50US a night and are guest friendly unlike AI's. Hope you decide to visit the Dominican Republic.
dale7(getting misty)

Pengy

Sounds like Boca Chica is the place for you. They have a good disco called the Cosmos and the Hamaca an AI resort also has a disco(been there once, called Las Ollas?, and a casino You can't get lost in the town and I highly recommend the Costa Lunga Hotel. It is quiet and only about a 3 minute walk to the beach. I highly recommend the restaurant, can't remember the name, but it is front of the La Isla Bonita beach bar and has Heiniken umbrellas with a little waterfall thing. The Costa Lunga also has a nice restaurant(Italian food mainly) and an internet cafe. Duarte Street along the beach has a few hundred yards of little shops, bars, etc. I prefer the Zanzibar and Madhouse bars myself. If you want culture, Santo Domingo is about 30 minutes away and has many things to do there. With airfare, hotel, drinks, transportation(motoconchos/taxis/bus(gua gua's), food, it is very inexpensive. In November I spent 6 nights(BC and SD) and with all expenses, I traveled alone as well, I spent around $1400. This covered airfare, hotels, food, taxis, taking women on dates (about $200 right there), etc. Have also heard north part near Puerto Plata is very nice.
dale7(next trip in April as well)

Pengy

Whatever you decide to do, hope you will go to the DR. Have any more questions, just the ask the board? By the way, tentative Apr 3-10 here, if you ever see me wandering around, run because I have no scrupleslol
dale7(scandalous)

Dale & I plan to visit Santo Domingo feb14-20. I'm looking for guest friendly budget hotel, a room with tv, small fridge and clean. you gave pengy some Hotel's name do you have their number?
holla back