Rental cars

sbsuib

Member
Apr 13, 2006
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Are there any rental car companies open at 4 am at`santiago airport? How hard is it to drive from Santiago to Sosua?
Thanka
 

sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
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None of the offices are open at that hour. In addition, the most direct routes from Santiago to Sosua are about 90 minutes by narrow, winding mountain roads, and in the case of the Carretera Touristica, in bad shape as well. I have made the drive dozens of times, and would not do it myself at that hour.

If you are renting a car for your trip, IMHO your best bet is to take a cab to one of the many cabanas nearbye, get a little sleep and arrange for the driver to pick you up and take you back to get a car in the morning. The cabana and the cab rides will probably cost you about RD1000. If you are like me, and can "cat nap" sitting up just about anywhere, you could just hang out at the airport for a few hours til the rental offices open. Then make the trip in daylight. If you do a search, the directions for three different routes have been posted multiple times.
 
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sbsuib

Member
Apr 13, 2006
187
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16
santiago airport

Can you recommmend a safe place to sleep? I am ravewling with my 7 year old daughter. Will the cabs be waiting and how much should I pay for a cab? Thanks
Stevi
 

sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
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Wow

I hope you saved a lot of $$ by flying into Santiago instead of Puerto Plata, because you are putting yourself in what IMHO is an uncomfortable position with a child in tow.

There will be cabs waiting, and a cab ride to a hotel should be no more than RD300 each way. Another problem with arriving at that hour is the need for pesos. I don't know if there's an ATM machine at the airport, but if not the cab can take you to one. There will be noplace open to exchange money.

I would still say that a cabana would be the most convenient and cost effeceint place to grab some sleep. There are a lot of them near the airport on the highway, and because they are rented for short periods of time they should be inexpensive in your situation. Here's the problem; and only you can decide if you are comfortable with it, having your daughter with you. Cabanas are "love hotels", designed to accomodate Dominican men for discreet romantic interludes with their mistresses. Security should be no more an issue than in any hotel, the rooms are nice, and very private. However, considering their purpose, I don't know that they will have any rooms with 2 beds. The one that is there should be at least queen size, if it isn't one of the big round ones. In addition, you will need to be careful with the TV, since it will no doubt be tuned to a porno channel, although other options will be available.

If you aren't comfortable with this, you will need to go a bit further and pay more for a "regular" hotel room.

Having said all that, my personal recommendation would be to contact the transportation provider recommended in your other thread and have them take you straight from the airport to your accomodations in Sosua. If you then want to rent a car, you have plenty of options. In addition, you may find you don't need one once you get there. Sosua is very "compact", and many people get around fine without a car. One of the most prolific posters on this board has lived in Sosua without a car (by choice) for many years.