My best of cars-hotels.....

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Mason3000

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Aug 2, 2008
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New poster here who's been around the DR many times. Here's my 'best of' list.

Rental cars....Find the guys down the road from the airport in Santo Domingo before you get to the highway. $30-$35 a day (taxes + insurance included) for a 2002-2005 corrola or civic is fair. The place I use is ModeCar which is where you see the Nacional Car Rental before the toll booth (peaje) turning right and the it is on your left. I got $30 a day because (I think it's a good price, lol) I rented for 30 days (They let me turn it in, if I'm not using it that day). Ramon is VERY fair and will work with you even if you're a foreigner!!

Hotels....In Cabarete Paraiso-Tropical is $50-60 a day all inclusive and very well done!!!! In Cofresi, Chris & Mady's beach bar has really nice condo/apartments available and you'll be very happy with the price/accommodations. In Santo Domingo the Green House in the Zona Colonial is a good value.

Having spent 40 nights in other hotels around the country I can't recommend one aside from the ones listed in terms of value for the dollar.
 
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jalencastro

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Dec 15, 2004
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thats not bad considering it includes insurance and is a civic. i rented last from Europcar and got $17 a day for a mitsubishi lancer, but i had no insurance ;)
where is the Green House in the Zona Colonial? prices?
 
badpiece33

badpiece33

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Jun 24, 2002
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Renter beware of the smaller rental companies!!!!!! They are all your friend until you have an accident then they will attempt to get all the money they can from you!!!! Spend a little more and go with the larger reputable companies like buget!!! I had a minor accident last trip down and they charged my credit card 300 dollars but have emailed me receipts and copies of repair work so i will be reimbursed by visa with no headaches ;). Pay a little more for peace of mind.
 
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jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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it looks pretty uninspiring if thats the best of the 40 you visted I wouldnt like to see the worst lol
 
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Mason3000

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Jalen, I used EuropCar once because I got a similar price online, but it turned out taxes weren't included and insurance was mandatory. I had the option of full coverage (which was almost comical in price) or secondary coverage. I went with the secondary coverage but even that is more expensive than the actual daily rate so the car out to be closer to $50 a day when all was said and done.

Also EuropCar gave me a brand new (1500 miles) white car. How in the hell was I supposed to drive a brand new, white car in the DR for a month (I put 3000 miles on it) and not ding it up, lol? I actually prefer a car that has a few years on it so that my scratches blend in with the existing scratches. I got rear ended by a motoconcho who dented the trunk. Ramon said it was a just a rubber mallet/touch up paint job and didn't even charge me for it.

Bad, I'm confused why it was a problem that they charged you if you had an accident? Did they charge you insurance AND $300? Was the $300 a deductible?

As for the Green House, it's a good value as an Aparta-Hotel but it's certainly not the Ritz Carlton. It's clean, close to everything, has internet, wifi, laundry, the people (family run) are very friendly and you can bring girls at no extra charge if that's your thing. They ask $40 a day, I paid $700 and stayed a month ($23.33 a day).
 
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laurapasinifan

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Sep 19, 2005
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Mason3000 said:
Jalen, I used EuropCar once because I got a similar price online, but it turned out taxes weren't included and insurance was mandatory. I had the option of full coverage (which was almost comical in price) or secondary coverage. I went with the secondary coverage but even that is more expensive than the actual daily rate so the car out to be closer to $50 a day when all was said and done.

Also EuropCar gave me a brand new (1500 miles) white car. How in the hell was I supposed to drive a brand new, white car in the DR for a month (I put 3000 miles on it) and not ding it up, lol? I actually prefer a car that has a few years on it so that my scratches blend in with the existing scratches. I got rear ended by a motoconcho who dented the trunk. Ramon said it was a just a rubber mallet/touch up paint job and didn't even charge me for it.

Bad, I'm confused why it was a problem that they charged you if you had an accident? Did they charge you insurance AND $300? Was the $300 a deductible?

As for the Green House, it's a good value as an Aparta-Hotel but it's certainly not the Ritz Carlton. It's clean, close to everything, has internet, wifi, laundry, the people (family run) are very friendly and you can bring girls at no extra charge if that's your thing. They ask $40 a day, I paid $700 and stayed a month ($23.33 a day).
Click to expand...


if it is real insurance for the DR it has to be about $25 per day!!!!!!!!!!


how many cars have you seen that didnt have dents???

the incidence of accident there is way off the scale!!

as for badpieces reimbursment, it was probably because the renter is liable for the first XX$ amount of an accident, then the insurance coverage of the rental company takes over...

and he probaly gets credit for that out of pocket expense from his own carrier at home.

The company I use has about $2000 US liable to the renter before their coverage takes over...

but they say..if I use my credit card that the credit card compnay will cover that...

but in the end they always want you to pay with cash....and YOU WANT to pay with cash, other wise they charge you all kinds of rediculous taxes that comes to about 25% of you bill!!!!

bad bob
 
badpiece33

badpiece33

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Jun 24, 2002
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Mason3000 said:
Bad, I'm confused why it was a problem that they charged you if you had an accident? Did they charge you insurance AND $300? Was the $300 a deductible?
Click to expand...

In the US and Canada if you rent a car and decline the optional insurance, your credit card company will cover you for damage from an accident with no out of pocket expenses. In DR the rental company will attempt to get all the money they can off your card and then leave you to attempt to get reimbursed from your credit card company. I had to pay 300 dollars extra on rental charge for minor damage but company (Budget) emailed me all nessesary documetation so that I could be reimbursed from visa. Many smaller companies will tell you its 50 dollars a day to rent a jeep and all is fine, until something happens then they rtry to bully you and threaten you with going to jail unless you authorize some ridiculous amount on your card to cover damage to car and they just pocket your money and may or may not fix the car, and will not send you any documetation on the repairs so that you can get money back from your card. Just be careful when renting and always use a reputable company, Remember in life you get what you pay for.
 
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SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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One more scam the small companies use is the "stolen car scam". Never tell them where you are staying. If you are going to Santiago, tell them the Jarauga Hotel in SD.
 
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Mason3000

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Aug 2, 2008
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Bad, got it now makes perfect sense. I ran my card for $1,000 then took the car, paid cash when I returned and they tore up the voucher. My CC is from Latin America so they're not giving the perks like car insurance when traveling. There is a $3,500 charge if the car is stolen or totaled written into the fine print and a 10% deductible on any damage.

Sky, damn good advice.
 
badpiece33

badpiece33

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Jun 24, 2002
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San Felipe de Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
SKY said:
One more scam the small companies use is the "stolen car scam". Never tell them where you are staying. If you are going to Santiago, tell them the Jarauga Hotel in SD.
Click to expand...

Happened to me 2 years ago, Rented from small company outside Santiago airport,they asked me where i was staying and i told them Sosua. Well I goto the beach on a sunday afternoon and give my guy 100 pesos to watch jeep(same guy watches my cars for years) come back and jeep is gone. No broken glass no tow truck, the guy watching cars says someone got in with the keys and drove off, he assumed it was someone with me. The rental company tells me im liable for 10,000 dollars I tell them to go F themselves, then they tell me I cant leave the country without my passport???? My passport was in glove compartment of jeep??? and i never told anyone that it was there, so obviously they knew it was there. In any case they got 1500 from my credit card and i was able to leave country and never heard anything more on this, but I will always rent from the big companies and tell them i am on other side of island from where I intend to be.
 
MikeFisher

MikeFisher

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Feb 28, 2006
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that's a tough one Bob.
what is the name of the company you rented from?
we should publish such everywhere to not get 'em any more business.
and completely agree,
take a bigger reputable company which is located everywhere on the island without a neg reputation even with countless clients every week is saver than to take a "street scammer" because he may seem to be a few bucks cheaper.
Mike
 
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