How long??? SD

montreal

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Apr 17, 2006
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I am visiting SD next week with my husband, we will be in the dr for 10 days. We are 25 and 27. We plan on visiting sd to take in some history, culture. We also definitely plan to merengue, bachata, and salsa our booties off. We were planning on spending 3 full days in sd. Can anyone advise me if this is sufficient tme? We are considering longer but are not sure if we will find enough to do. Any advice? THANKS!!!
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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Montreal,
Welcome to DR1. Hang tight and one or more of our helpful members will help you in your request for information. I myself can't help you other then to say that 3 days should be enough but someone might think otherwise.

It would be so kind of you if you were to give us a report in the 'Trip Report Forum" when you get back home. We would be very interested in hearing how your vacation went to include where you stayed, how the service, food and your sightseeing was. If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask.

Rick
 

macocael

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Aug 3, 2004
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Three days is sufficient to visit the monuments and get an "idea" of the history of this colonial city, but I have been living in or near and visiting the colonial city for more than ten years now, and I learn something new every day. Outside the Colonial Zone I dont think there is much for visitors to see, but if you live here of course it is a different story. If I were you, with so little time, I would find a hotel in the colonial zone and stay there so as to save time. There are clubs in the zone and outside it too that you will want to see if dancing is your thing. If you want a real treat go to El Monumento del Son, to see the older people cut the rug Son-style. There is a place in the Zone that used to do this too, but I dont know if they are still open.

btw, salsa is not so big here, so while you will certainly find it anywhere you go, you will be mostly confronted with bachata and merengue.
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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Three days should be the minimum for any big city. Three days here will give you an idea of the capital of the DR.

Santo Domingo has plenty of nightlife -- deluxe clubs that fill with the young and affluent, especially on weekends. Do a search of this board for names of clubs. Lots in the area between Naco and Winston Churchill. Those are people-mingling places.

Take time to see the Botanical Gardens. Take the train and then get off at the Japanese garden. It is fun to tumble down the hills there. Then walk back.

You may also consider when in the Colonial Zone a stopover at the Av. Mella market for handcrafts.

See http://dr1.com/travel/santodomingo/
 

montreal

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Apr 17, 2006
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I appreciate all your comments. Perhaps for a first visit 3 days will be good. maybe next time i'll stay longer. I think next time i'll definitely travel with my dominican friend ; )

As for dancing. from previous visits to the dr I realized the obsession of merengue and bachata, and the lack of salsa. That's ok with me as merengue and bachata are my preference too.
 

NALs

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Jan 20, 2003
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montreal said:
I appreciate all your comments. Perhaps for a first visit 3 days will be good. maybe next time i'll stay longer. I think next time i'll definitely travel with my dominican friend ; )

As for dancing. from previous visits to the dr I realized the obsession of merengue and bachata, and the lack of salsa. That's ok with me as merengue and bachata are my preference too.
As has been stated, 3 days is the bare minimum needed to explore the city.

There is plenty to see and do in Santo Domingo, both in the colonial core and in the modern sectors.

If interested in culture and the country, please visit the Museo del Hombre Dominicano (Museum of the Dominican Man) in the Plaza de la Cultura. It's the best museum of the history of the country anywhere and it's a very nice introduction. While you are at it, visit the Museo de Arte Moderno within the same park area which will give you an insight into Dominican and international art (some of which is fantastic). Also, there is a museum of natural history and the national library, both of which are of less interest to tourists.

For more wonderful Dominican art displays, visit the Museo Bellapart and there are plenty of galleries that sell very good Dominican and Haitian art dotting Naco/Piantini as well as the Colonial Zone. Be forewarned that Haitian art sold in the streets is faux and not good. For serious Haitian art, visit the galleries.

I know you guys are in your twenties and twenty-somethings don't usually have a taste for art, but who knows, maybe you will find something you like.

For serious shopping, head over to Plaza Acropolis or Plaza Central. Those shopping malls are great for shopping for fashion conscious people or simply to people watch, since those centers are frequented by middle class and upper class Dominicans.

If shopping on the discount is more of your thing, many shops along Avenida Mella and Duarte will suffice such appetite. However, those areas tend to be congested with pedestrians and cars and with the tropical heat and all, visiting Plaza Lama on Ave. 27 de Febrero might be an air conditioned option, though the atmosphere of the Mella/Duarte area is lacking there.

If only for curiosity, visit the Guacara Taina nightclub. It's a nightclub like nothing you have ever seen, guaranteed. Just visit the place and you will see why, very nice.

Enjoy your visit!

-NALs
 

macocael

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Aug 3, 2004
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I stand corrected, dont know why i didnt mention it, but the cultural plaza with its museums, particularly the Museo del Hombre dominicano and the Modern Art museum are really worth the trip. There are some great Dominican painters (my favorites being Jaime Colson and Yory Morel) who absorbed modernist European influences but still hewed to their own vision. And of course there is Vela Zanetti (who painted the grand hall at the United Nations). YOu can also see his justly famous painting Moneda in the Art Deco Banco Reserva building close by the Plaza Espa?a. The history museum, sadly, is in tatters but still worth a visit if there is time.

I personally dont think this is the town for shopping, and even though we have some world class designers, truly fashion conscious people dont generally find much of interest here (except of course for our stones, ambar and larimar). Clothing and such is best found outside the country. I frankly dont think much of Acropolis or Plaza Central, they are just average malls, despite the hype surrounding the former.

Also if you are interested in tropical flora, then a trip to the Botanical Gardens is well worth it. All the plants and trees are labeled so you can learn all about the different types easily and the grounds are beautiful.

Still, nothing beats the Colonial Zone, it is nonpareil.
 

montreal

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I have to say this board is very informative. I'm glad i found it. I admit that modern art is not my preference although I love history, the main reason i am visiting sd. We have decided to visit for 4 days instead of 3. I am VERY excited about the botanical gardens, mostly because of my obsession with orchids. It's a chance for me to see species unavailable in canada. I am a huge dancer and musiclover, so I can't wait to hear the merengue and bachata beats coming out of everyones car windows.

We definitely need a few few days of r&r at the beach though. Would you recommend boca chica? At first I was very interested, but it's reputation concerns me and I wouldn't want it to be a waste of my holiday. What do you think?

Thanks again everyone, you are great
 

macocael

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Aug 3, 2004
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Boca Chica is fine during the week, but during the weekends it is too crowded and boisterous for my taste. There is always Juan Dolio, just a little further to the East, quieter. Or further still, Bayahibe. Lots of people seem to like Club Dominicus. it is certainly a nice beach.

If modern art is not to your taste, do still consider visiting the Museo del Hombre Dominicano. In fact it is a marvelous repository of early Dominican history as well as a neat display of cultural practices. Of the Colonial homes you should not miss the Alc?zar and the Casa Reales, so as to get a sense of how people lived in colonial times (well, the upper crust anyway). Stay in one of the refurbished colonial homes, of which there are many, and you can actually live the ambience for a short spell.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Hop a Caribe Tours bus to Sos?a ontheNorth Coast. I guarantee you an incredible experience there. Beautiful beach and plenty of night life. It's only a few hours through the countryside and the ride will be educational as well. Bring a light sweater, since they keep these buses at freezing or below...

HB:D:D
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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montreal said:
I have to say this board is very informative. I'm glad i found it. I admit that modern art is not my preference although I love history, the main reason i am visiting sd. We have decided to visit for 4 days instead of 3. I am VERY excited about the botanical gardens, mostly because of my obsession with orchids. It's a chance for me to see species unavailable in canada. I am a huge dancer and musiclover, so I can't wait to hear the merengue and bachata beats coming out of everyones car windows.

We definitely need a few few days of r&r at the beach though. Would you recommend boca chica? At first I was very interested, but it's reputation concerns me and I wouldn't want it to be a waste of my holiday. What do you think?

Thanks again everyone, you are great
Since you like history, finishing your vacation in Bayahibe will be ideal.

Why?

Because within easy reach is Altos de Chavon and even though it was built in the 1970s, the village looks like it was around during Columbus' time. Not just that, but it looks and feels like those Italian villages, very nice. Oh, the views over the meandering Chavon river are not easily forgotten.

Then, of course, there is the beach in Bayahibe which is above most people's standards in terms of beauty and cleanliness.

Enjoy your stay!

-NALs