my little trip - Sosua, Las Terrenas, Santo Domingo

amanacer

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Dec 29, 2005
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Hi Guys

Since there is a lot of pressure to post trip reviews, and they help I am putting mine

I went for a trip with my mom mostly to show her the island that i like so much (and where i moved once to my family terror)

Our first stop Sosua - we landed in PP and it was a natural choice, we stayed at Waterfront (thanks Marco) and it is very nice, simple place. Very relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff, great location - it takes you less than 3 minutes to get to the new beach which is very safe. The rooms are simple but give you everything you need - bed, hot water, fan and ac, and a fridge.
The restaurant is great for breakfast or anything else, great location, beautiful view of Puerto Plata.
The highlight of my time in Sosua was visiting Rocky and meeting Marco, Ted and the regulars. I also tried China White, sweet and innocent just like Marco (or so he says...). I am vegatarian so I am not for the ribs but i really loved the atmoshere and ambient at Rockys, and it took only a second for drinks to arrive!

Next we went to Las Terrenas we took 6 am bus from Police station... I mean the bus stopped in front of the station on Sosua's main street not that it was police bus... It is very different from Caribe Tours, but it took us to Sanchez where we caught guagau to Las Terrenas. The trip from Sanchez to LT is amazing, the views, the hills, the ocean on both sides, it is really awesome.
Over there we stayed at Residence El Paseo, very quiet place but in a great location, just behind El Paseo. Very close to the beach, 1 minute to El Paseo and also walking distance to Pueblo de los Pescadores and the restaurants there.
LT has a very different feel to them than Sosua, it is more relaxed and you are not that bothered by the locals. You don't see so many sanks and putas. The beach is beautiful, long, you can walk for hours. i think it would help if they clean it from the seaweed but other than that it is perfect.
Also because it is not so close to popular tourist airports most of the people there are locals and expats - French and Italians mainly.
There are some upscale restaurants that I didn't try...Oh French and Italian I have them on every corner... but I tried some fishy places - my favourite La Casa Azul and La Lagon great pescado con coco (that I ate for most of my time there...) i also liked Barrio Latino the only place we could get to when it was pouring. I liked very much this famous Haitian Art Gallery and next time I am planning to buy some art just need to make some research on it. And also Bar Mosquito is great place to have a drink, music is very relaxing (chill out music) they also had a exhibition by a Brazilian painter (forgot the name) I liked his paintings, very abstract. The crowd there was awesome - Russian milionaire (maybe not a milionaire but sounds better this way), chilled out Americans (flower power generation but till smoking you know what....) It was really cool.
El Paseo Residence is really good place to stay (thanks WebDev), very calm,with swimming pool and also have a great cable tv. It was raining from time to time so it was handy. And very safe, there is a night guard and el Paseo "the mall" has at least two night watchmen of its own.

Next we went to Santo Domingo.... Now that was a looong way, not in miles but in transport means... first motoconcho to guagua stop then guagua to Sanchez then bus - Caribe Tours to SD, and a cab to the hotel...i wonder what my mom will tell her friends about motoconcho ride but that was sure a new experience for her, and the look on her face when the gua gua driver took us to his open deck car was priceless...i am sure her next trip would be to some 5 * all inclusive...

Santo Domingo that was the most interesting part of my trip. We stayed in Zona Colonial in Hotel Europa. It was very clean, charming place. We had probably the best room there, it was a suite on 3rd floor, really nice. but I was a bit surprised with the location, it is very close to everthing - Plaza de Hispaniad, El Conde but the bulidings around the place look like in some poor barrio. The hotel looks great but the buldings next to it not really. Anyway roos are nice, restaurant has a great view (only tried it for breakfast), staff was wonderful and really helpful. They also had an art exhibition and I really liked the paintings there. I am telling you from my next trip I am coming with bunch of Dominican art (plus some Haitian and maybe Brazilian).

My first impression of Santo Domingo was horrible, noisy, dirty... but after few days i really really felt in love with it. Yes, it is noisy and dirty but also magical and not that dangerous. I really enjoyed SD night life and it was so cool to meet some Dominicans (and Spaniards and Expats) who were educated with real jobs and spoke good Spanish (cannot understand sankiSpanish....just cannot), i went to Cinema Cafe in this place where all the museums are - Plaza de la Cultura, and danced a lot of salsa in small clubs in zona colonial - I liked Nowhere and few others (forgot the names). They were not the top clubs but i liked the unpretentious atmoshpere and relaxed crowd. Met really friendly people there.

Going back to Santo in no time. I loved El Conde Hotel resturant it is a great place to watch people many locals spen time there and food is fine too. I think I saw there a working girl too but she looked so different than putas in tourist areas...

Oh we also went to Boca Chica for a one day trip, wow the beach, so dazzling white the water so blue and warm like soup... In Boca Chica we ate at Don Fernando and what a great place it is - cheap, and the food was really good.

Then we went with Caribe Tour to Sosua. We only went though Santiago but i have to admit I was impreesed it was clean ans seemed to be going through some boom with ll the new hotels and malls being bulid. Also saw one girl over there who looked like Miss Universe look alike. Really beautiful. Maybe there is sth about those santiago girls...

That is almost the end. Again in Sosua went to Rockys, this time I tried Tropical Storm wow i would swear it has strawberries in it, but I watched Ted making it so I know better...anyway it is gooood
then small sample of sosua night life, (not good after SD) ehhh tigueres, sankies and putas, not really a place you want to be, i had a great guide and protector so was safe but it is a dark place....

now congratulations if you have managed to read that all...
i had a great time and again thanks to all the people who helped me and whom i met over there that was a pleasure
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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Amanacer,
Nice report and thank you for posting it. So is your mother anxious to return? From your comment about a 5* AI for a possible next time I am assuming she didn't take to all the traveling that you encompassed. Once again thank you.

Rick
 

amanacer

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Dec 29, 2005
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Rocky, thanks again and you are one of the reasons to go back to Sosua!
I really missed that kind of place (like Rocky's) in Las Terrenas where you could meet cool, relaxed expats and tourists, that you kind of heard about.

Rick,
My mom really like the DR, but I overdid the travelling bit. Now she is rested she says she really enjoyed that and will have more memories then from any package holidays.