GwaGwa to La Sirena

you need to go out to the main road. they start across from the gas station you will see the taxis lined up. just tell them you need to go to la sirena. they dont take you right there but you are just down the block they wil let you off. you need to pay 2 fares because of the distance so dont think that they are ripping you off becuse your a gringo. last time i was in a gua gua it was 15 pesos for the vans and 20 pesos for the cars. so double that and its 30 or 40 pesos which will be your fare. anyone here that knows if the fares have changed chime in. dont pay untl you get out and have exact change.... once in a while they try to pull the old "no cambio " deal if your not a resident.

30 pesos guagua and 35 carro publico, i believe. and passes la sirena so you may be better off taking a moto once you are in POP. fare is 20-25 pesos. or walk.
in any case tell the driver "dejame tan cerca de la sirena como sea posible" (leave me as close to la sirena as possible). i think the closest spot will be next to supermercado tropical and from there short walk down towards malecon.

I pay 30 pesos for a guagua from Cabarete and they let me off right behind La Sirena.

It's about a block to walk down to the corner where you can turn into the parking lot.

Publicos from Sosua to POP are 40 pesos. You can also get the publicos at the bus stop by the Vimenica Western Union Bldg. They do let you off on the block of Tropical. You walk a few blocks and you are at the back of La Sirena. To get a publico back stand at the Tropical corner.

I am very intrigued by these replies. They are obviously accurate as several of you say the same.

I now live in Puerto Plata and must have travelled by publico from Sos?a a hundred or more times over the last four years. With a couple of exceptions their route has been via the Stadium, the Hospital, La Javilla, Parque Central, and then directly back to the Hospital. In other words, nowhere near Tropical or La Sirena.

Do they now make a detour from Parque Central on the return leg to take in Tropical?

The two exception were when the passengers agreed with the driver to go straight into the centre of town from the Stadium (by-passing the Hospital). I wasn't consulted on either occasion being a mere gringo!

So are these publicos going to or near La Sirena a result of similar prior agreements or has the normal route recently changed?

ruta goes from central park along calle beller. then turn next to tropical and up the street towards old market. then turn again towards hospital.

Just last week took a publico and it dropped us on Feb 27 about 2 blocks from the Malecon; walked the 2 blocks and there was La Sirena's back entrance. 40 pesos.

dv8 said:

ruta goes from central park along calle beller. then turn next to tropical and up the street towards old market. then turn again towards hospital.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I was a bit slow to catch on. The route goes past Tropical on the way back to Sos?a. That's a roundabout route to get to La Sirena but great for the return trip when loaded with shopping. Thanks for your patience with me!

While we are on the subject ... can anyone explain why the publicos just run this route "clockwise"? Why don't half, or at least some, of them run the same route "anti-clockwise"? That would offer a much better service to us puertoplate?os and would result in increased business overall for them.

For example, the route is very convenient for me going from Sos?a direction to my home near La Javilla, but if I want to go in the other direction I either have to do the slow detour through the town (and possibly have to haggle with the driver who wants to charge me double) or catch a motoconcho to the parada near the hospital.

Just another insoluble Dominican mystery?