Where to stay/eat and what to see in Santo Domingo?

Gordo

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Mar 16, 2003
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My wife and I will be making our 5th trip to the DR this January for a 3 week stay and are looking for some recommendations. We would like to stay in the capital for 2 nights as we make our way from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana.

What would be a good choice for a Hotel? Our budget would be $75 - $125 US/night. We would like to be within walking distance to restaurants and for sight seeing, but taxis are in the budget as well. Some Latin dancing or casino action in the evenings would be nice but not essential. We are only in our 2nd term of Spanish classes, so our Spanish is limited, but I think we know enough to get by.

From searching this wonderful site, I came up with the following:

Hotels - Antiguo Hotel Europa or Renaissance Jaragua

Restaurants - Vesuvio on the Malecon, Meson de Bari, Cocos, Bricciola on Merino, Caff? Bellini in Plazoleta Padre Billini

Our favorite foods are Italian and Seafood. (I realize seafood may not be the best option in the DR)

What to see and do?

A few years ago we did a tour of S.D. when staying in Bayahibe. We spent a few hours in the Colonial Zone, but felt this was way too short a time to get a taste of the city. We need to buy cigars for my wife?s boss sometime during our trip, and I figure SD is a better spot than POP or PUJ. Again searching this great site, besides doing the colonial zone again, perhaps we could check out some of these areas - Gascue, Piantini, La Churchill, La Esperilla, Cacigascos or Bella Vista.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 

rafael

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Jan 2, 2002
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The juragua is very nice. Big Casino, live Merengue in the lounge etc. for dancing. Not really walking distance to any sightseeing, but taxis are cheap. You may want to think about staying in the zona colonial, maybe the mercure, plaza colonial or sofitel.

For Italian food I like Bricciola on Merino, just remember they are closed sundays.

I like dining outdoors in Plaza De Espa?a, where my favorite is Costelao, a brazilian Churrascaria.

http://www.dr-tourist.tv/pages/videopages/Plazaespana.html

Meson De La Cava has OK food but it is sort of cool eating in a natural cave, or you could just go to Guacara Taina to do a bit of dancing. Not nearly as popular as it once was, but is certainly wroth seeing once.

If you are in town in january, and are baseball fans at all. . .. .you should go to a game at estadio quisqueya. . . .very different from baseball in the US. Big time party atmosphere.

http://www.dr-tourist.tv/pages/videopages/baseball.html
 

jruane44

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Jul 2, 2004
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There is a restaurant that I like on the Malecon called La Bahia. It has the best lobster mofongo I've ever had. The beer is ice cold and the service is good.