Please note post #1
The OP explains his position
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WW
- Thread starter manhattan_trout
- Start date
HELP! PETRIFIED! - Traveling from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata
Please note post #1
The OP explains his position
Or use the search function
WW
I think you can probably find a cab who will do it for about $150 - $175, rather than the $250 you were quoted. I could check with my taxi guy if you end up going with the taxi option. I really wouldn't be worried at all about crime or kidnapping along the way though!! Also, most of that road is in almost perfect condition, so it should be a pretty smooth ride.
Like I said, most of that highway is pretty safe, and well paved. Maybe he should let the adventurous side in him come out and rent a car, it will be good life learning experiance for him.
With all of this snipping and cat fighting, I do hope that the OP tells us what he is going to do.
There is certainly no reason not to do the Taxi-bus-taxi deal except for the hassles of moving luggage and such.
As far as safety goes, I do not think there is much danger on the highways except from other drivers who do not know how to drive:
Typical things that happen--
Go 40 kph in a 100 kph stretch and occupy the left hand lane.
Stay right and turn left without so much as a hand signal
Slow way down to watch a nice looking gal walk by
Pass you and then jam on the brakes to pick up a passenger
Slow down and talk to his buddy in the other lane with cars backed up behind both
and the non-human threats: Cows, burros or horses on the roadway, unlit and unmarked stretches, no directional signs.
HB
There is certainly no reason not to do the Taxi-bus-taxi deal except for the hassles of moving luggage and such.
As far as safety goes, I do not think there is much danger on the highways except from other drivers who do not know how to drive:
Typical things that happen--
Go 40 kph in a 100 kph stretch and occupy the left hand lane.
Stay right and turn left without so much as a hand signal
Slow way down to watch a nice looking gal walk by
Pass you and then jam on the brakes to pick up a passenger
Slow down and talk to his buddy in the other lane with cars backed up behind both
and the non-human threats: Cows, burros or horses on the roadway, unlit and unmarked stretches, no directional signs.
HB
Fllight changing has become like charging for bags..... a revenue source.
One airline - its in todays NYTimes - US Air charges a change fee from $150 to $250
Changing can be very expensive these days
WW
One airline - its in todays NYTimes - US Air charges a change fee from $150 to $250
Changing can be very expensive these days
WW
The bus is a very nice ride and a nice introduction to the country. The scenery can be beautiful and the towns interesting. If you are coming from the states know the bus is nicer than any US bus or Amtrak. It stops for 20 minutes in Santiago so you can stretch, get a beverage, snack etc.
Take the bus!
To truly appreciate where you are, take a cab to the bus station and the bus to POP. It is cheap, reliable, fast, and will give you an honest portrayal of life in the DR.
Take the money you would have spent on the taxi and donate it to a good charity such as The Dream Project in Cabarete.
Everyone will win--unless your wife has a heart of stone, she will appreciate the idea of donating to kids' charities.
To truly appreciate where you are, take a cab to the bus station and the bus to POP. It is cheap, reliable, fast, and will give you an honest portrayal of life in the DR.
Take the money you would have spent on the taxi and donate it to a good charity such as The Dream Project in Cabarete.
Everyone will win--unless your wife has a heart of stone, she will appreciate the idea of donating to kids' charities.
Didn't you know Tambo is a pato?
"Pato la mujeres"!!!!:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
QUACK QUACK...QUACK QUACK
DO I LOOK LIKE A FRICKIN DUCK TO YOU......
IT'S GOBBLE GOBBLE......NO TURKEY FOR YOU......
B in Santiago
Drive....!!!
I like driving in D.R. especially on the autopistas....
if you like to drive rent a car and drive....
The highways are in good condition
You can take the new highway (8) and you'll never have to deal w/SD traffic
You can make stops along the road
(when i drive to la Vega one of my stops is at a hotel in bonao for coffee and pastries)
if you dont like to drive get a driver or a bus...Good Luck...
I like driving in D.R. especially on the autopistas....
if you like to drive rent a car and drive....
The highways are in good condition
You can take the new highway (8) and you'll never have to deal w/SD traffic
You can make stops along the road
(when i drive to la Vega one of my stops is at a hotel in bonao for coffee and pastries)
if you dont like to drive get a driver or a bus...Good Luck...
Wrong Airport
First of all. It is not that difficult to drive especially on main highways in the DR. It is like anyplace you are not familiar with. If you are driving during the day you will have no problem. Your biggest challenge will be filling up the car with gas and making sure you have correct driving directions. There are no police waiting to surprise you. You are a Gringo and a tourist and very rarely will they bother you. If you happen to drive through an area where they are stopping cars it is generally to make sure the car is registered properly and has all necessary stickers on its windshield. However, as they say, you screwed up and if you want to make your wife happy just call the airlines and change your flight in POP. If you are willing to pay 500 hundred dollars for taxis then why not pay the cost of flying into the closest airport. If you drive odds are you get lost and your wife will be complaining the whole way up. Do you want to start your vacation this way. I didn't think so. Bite the bullet, pay the airlines and do it the right way. I find it hard to believe it would be more than 500 dollars to make flight changes. If you decide to drive make sure you have stone cold directions. Ask your hotel to e-mail them to you and be very specific on where you are coming from. You are not alone. I spoke with a couple from Switzerland, yesterday on the beach, who for some reason flew into Punta Cana but were staying on the Samana Peninsula. You can't get there from here. Does anyone stop to look at a map before deciding where to fly into. I think people are looking at the price of flights and not the inconvenience of getting from point a to b. This is not the US and you need to keep that in mind. MAKE YOUR WIFE HAPPY. If mama is not happy then your vacation will go down the toilet faster than Montezuma's Revenge.
S
First of all. It is not that difficult to drive especially on main highways in the DR. It is like anyplace you are not familiar with. If you are driving during the day you will have no problem. Your biggest challenge will be filling up the car with gas and making sure you have correct driving directions. There are no police waiting to surprise you. You are a Gringo and a tourist and very rarely will they bother you. If you happen to drive through an area where they are stopping cars it is generally to make sure the car is registered properly and has all necessary stickers on its windshield. However, as they say, you screwed up and if you want to make your wife happy just call the airlines and change your flight in POP. If you are willing to pay 500 hundred dollars for taxis then why not pay the cost of flying into the closest airport. If you drive odds are you get lost and your wife will be complaining the whole way up. Do you want to start your vacation this way. I didn't think so. Bite the bullet, pay the airlines and do it the right way. I find it hard to believe it would be more than 500 dollars to make flight changes. If you decide to drive make sure you have stone cold directions. Ask your hotel to e-mail them to you and be very specific on where you are coming from. You are not alone. I spoke with a couple from Switzerland, yesterday on the beach, who for some reason flew into Punta Cana but were staying on the Samana Peninsula. You can't get there from here. Does anyone stop to look at a map before deciding where to fly into. I think people are looking at the price of flights and not the inconvenience of getting from point a to b. This is not the US and you need to keep that in mind. MAKE YOUR WIFE HAPPY. If mama is not happy then your vacation will go down the toilet faster than Montezuma's Revenge.
S
because it would cost $100 to change the ticket per trip per person(so it would be at least $400 to change his itinerary for the 2 of them). He is flying Jet Blue not Delta 1st Class. That is an economy airline. His only problem was not looking into the options of flying into closer airports, like STI or POP. And since he didnt say where he was coming from all of this MAY indeed be expensive. Leaving NY, MIA, those are direct flights, but he could be coming from Cincinnati, Seattle or Edmonton, Alberta. He didnt say.
You could do the Metro/Caribe bus tour thing sure, I d just get the damn car. Shoot, they will pick you up at the airport and you stick to the highway and the trip to Santiago should take you about 90 minutes-2hours just be careful of slower moving cars, those without headlights, and erratic truckers. I did it before and the only problem I had was the crap Nissan Sentra didnt have balanced tires so the steering wheel was shaking all over the place when I get to about 100km/hr. From Santiago to POP you can do it but slower because the road is smaller.
Confusion
I am intrigued by the suggestions here..... if you read some of my earlier posts, I have long been a proponent of driving in RD. I find it not that difficult.
However, most other posters - some of them long time members here - usually discourage visitors from driving unassisted.
I read the above advice with amusement... the consensus here seems to favor driving in this case.
I agree... the new toll road - you'll need a stash of pesos - is in pretty good shape and very pretty scenery.
The Nagua to POP road has recently been resurfaced ( ask Travelhippo ) past RSJ. It too can be a pleasant drive.
All in all, s/b just over 2 1/2 hrs.
SDQ airport is a pretty quick airport to exit.... reserve the car in advance and hit the road.... do not dilly-dally and you'll get to POP by sunset
Ignore the warnings about highway robbers you read about here... the ones that follow people from SDQ..... just keep your foot on the gas.
Have a safe trip
WW
I am intrigued by the suggestions here..... if you read some of my earlier posts, I have long been a proponent of driving in RD. I find it not that difficult.
However, most other posters - some of them long time members here - usually discourage visitors from driving unassisted.
I read the above advice with amusement... the consensus here seems to favor driving in this case.
I agree... the new toll road - you'll need a stash of pesos - is in pretty good shape and very pretty scenery.
The Nagua to POP road has recently been resurfaced ( ask Travelhippo ) past RSJ. It too can be a pleasant drive.
All in all, s/b just over 2 1/2 hrs.
SDQ airport is a pretty quick airport to exit.... reserve the car in advance and hit the road.... do not dilly-dally and you'll get to POP by sunset
Ignore the warnings about highway robbers you read about here... the ones that follow people from SDQ..... just keep your foot on the gas.
Have a safe trip
WW
The change fee is one expense.
If the traveler is moving to a different class of service- a more costly one- that, too , will be added to the change fee.
I have seen cases where it is cheasper to buy a new ticket than change the old..... but that means eating the old one.... with no cerveza to swallow it down
aranoid:WW
I would strongly suggest paying the $100 change fee per person to keep the wife happy and fly into POP! If you go taxi-bus-taxi, it will cost you more time, effort and confusion than anything else, something you don't really need on a VACATION!!!!! CALL JETBLUE...MAKE THE CHANGE!!
Good luck!
Good luck!