Barahona or Rio San Juan?

[Bahoruco]

Difficult to choose

For me it is difficult to choose. Find hereby more info on both destinations

RIO SAN JUAN
- Hotel: Bahia Blanca is indeed located on an unbeatable spot, but expect the rooms to be very very run down.
- Restaurants: Cafe Paris; Italian restaurant 100m further on a corner in a wooden house (free wifi); In weekends the colmadon on 50m of Cafe Paris; the bar of the golf at Playa Grande (drink there one a beer, even if you don't play/like golf);
- Town is indeed a better town to spend a while.
- Easier with public transport.
- Not mentioned in previous posts:

• Laguna Azul (don't remember the exact location)
• View on the cliffs/mountains at landside (!) of the coastal road, with at a certain location a big statue of Christ (a kind of pilgrimage place)

BARAHONA
- The region is much poorer then RSJ, indeed very hot, and landscape is not so green as in the North.
- Hotel:

• In town Hotel Caribe, 809-524-4111, Av.Enriquillo esq. Duarte
• 7km beyond Barahona on coastal road, Hotel Playazul, Carretera Barahona-Paraiso km.7, 809-204-8010

Check here for some other opinions on hotels in neighbourhood.
- Restaurants are indeed more sparse then RSJ, but I like the one on near the end of the malecon on a corner (with the wooden roof and 2nd floor)
- Take care of wandering on the streets of Barahona at night (i.e. after midnight).
- The area is definetely more beautiful then RSJ. But you really should rent a car to enjoy it, especially to really enjoy the trip below.

The coastal road to Pedernales, and especially the 1 hour stretch between Barahona and Oviedo gives you stunning mountain and beach views.
Don't miss the viewpoint near Playa San Rafael from the small parking space, one of the postcard views of the DR.
I recommend to eat seafood for lunch Los Patos and to take a boat trip at sunset to see the flamingos on the Laguna de Oviedo. If you go till Pedernales visit Hoyo del Pelepito for the mountain view and Cabo Rojo/Bahia de los Aguilas for the sea. And don’t forget to eat the cheapest lobster of the D.R. in restaurant Jalisco in Pedernales!
​

 

[mountainannie]

they are having some major drug busts down barahona way right now

i would go north

 

[nina23]

view from bahia blanca hotel

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view from bahia blanca hotel

 

[nina23]

more views from hotel and hotel from the beach

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[nina23]

From the terrace
<img src="http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/9683/img1098di.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/><br/>By <a target="_new" href="http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ninasam23">ninasam23</a> at 2012-07-03

From the room
<img src="http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2241/img1034hn.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/><br/>By <a target="_new" href="http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ninasam23">ninasam23</a> at 2012-07-03

sunset from the terrace
<img src="http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1356/img1100bu.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/><br/>By <a target="_new" href="http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ninasam23">ninasam23</a> at 2012-07-04

<img src="http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/667/img1191njm.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/><br/>By <a target="_new" href="http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ninasam23">ninasam23</a> at 2012-07-04

 

[sweetdbt]

I am a huge fan of RSJ and Hotel Bahia Blanca, and have stayed there at least 10 times over the years. It's not fair to compare the facility to Casa Bonita. It's apples and oranges in every sense of the word. Casa Bonita is a relatively new place with all the ammenities, and while by some standards it is not terribly expensive, it is definately NOT a budget accomodation. Bahia Blanca is. No AC, telephone or TV (as of last time I was there; I think they were planning to install TVs) There is wifi in the lobby though, and the staff does a good job keeping it clean. A couple of years ago it was in the RD1200 range per night. That is a fraction of the cost of Casa Bonita, yet the views and the ambience are still absolutely priceless.

 

[RonS]

Great pics, Nina! Thanks for posting them. I too am a huge fan. Sweetdbt is absolutely right.

 

[mountainannie]

great job with the photos and reviews!! makes me want to go up to rio san juan when before i had no interest!!!! i am normally a great fan of the south but this is not the best time of year for a trip down there... it is very very very hot and if and when we get hit it is usually hard from the south....

it was 114 degrees on the strreet in pedernales last time i was there in august



jus sayin

and there is only ac in the banreservas

 

[mountainannie]

of course,, yes

it is a dry heat

and the barucho is always fresh

and the sea is always gorgeous

and paraiso has a new $1-00 hunert dollar a nite hotel

and it is one of the most beautiful drives in the world

and the desert is gorgeous no matter what time of year

and there is a pool at the yellow bird hotel

and anse a pitres is haiti... which you all know i love

but.... as i said... there is a lot of interpol narco stuff off bani and barahona now...... not that you will get caught in it... it is going on all the time here now........ so.... six of one probably

(U would all be well advised to avoid bonao now/// although it is not a destination for most tourists but incoming relatives should perhaps go to punta cana_

 

[mountainannie]

For me it is difficult to choose. Find hereby more info on both destinations

RIO SAN JUAN
- Hotel: Bahia Blanca is indeed located on an unbeatable spot, but expect the rooms to be very very run down.
- Restaurants: Cafe Paris; Italian restaurant 100m further on a corner in a wooden house (free wifi); In weekends the colmadon on 50m of Cafe Paris; the bar of the golf at Playa Grande (drink there one a beer, even if you don't play/like golf);
- Town is indeed a better town to spend a while.
- Easier with public transport.
- Not mentioned in previous posts:

• Laguna Azul (don't remember the exact location)
• View on the cliffs/mountains at landside (!) of the coastal road, with at a certain location a big statue of Christ (a kind of pilgrimage place)

BARAHONA
- The region is much poorer then RSJ, indeed very hot, and landscape is not so green as in the North.
- Hotel:

• In town Hotel Caribe, 809-524-4111, Av.Enriquillo esq. Duarte
• 7km beyond Barahona on coastal road, Hotel Playazul, Carretera Barahona-Paraiso km.7, 809-204-8010

Check here for some other opinions on hotels in neighbourhood.
- Restaurants are indeed more sparse then RSJ, but I like the one on near the end of the malecon on a corner (with the wooden roof and 2nd floor)
- Take care of wandering on the streets of Barahona at night (i.e. after midnight).
- The area is definetely more beautiful then RSJ. But you really should rent a car to enjoy it, especially to really enjoy the trip below.

The coastal road to Pedernales, and especially the 1 hour stretch between Barahona and Oviedo gives you stunning mountain and beach views.
Don't miss the viewpoint near Playa San Rafael from the small parking space, one of the postcard views of the DR.
I recommend to eat seafood for lunch Los Patos and to take a boat trip at sunset to see the flamingos on the Laguna de Oviedo. If you go till Pedernales visit Hoyo del Pelepito for the mountain view and Cabo Rojo/Bahia de los Aguilas for the sea. And don’t forget to eat the cheapest lobster of the D.R. in restaurant Jalisco in Pedernales!
​

there have been considerable upgrades on the south coast in accomodations


a huge new french hotel south of barahona /// about 200 rooms for 1500 pesos a night with a great kitchen

and the pirates of the caribbean in paraiso// just opened for 100 us bucks a night

way above my pocket///

i stay at pedernales.. at dona chavez for 1200 with breakfast or yellow bird for 1200 with ac and pool or don spanish for about that.... alll three very good..... and worth the trip but pedernales fills every weekend with divers from the Capital so do not expect to find a room if you have no reservation

market with haiti is on monday and friday

you can take the ferry to jacmel

now, see, i have convinced everyone ... including myself... that you should go south....

despite the wee patch of danger

bahia des agilles a spectacular beach

depends what sort of trip you are looking for

if a road trip ... then the south

if a lie on the beach in one place.. then the north


damn, we are good!

 

[cobraboy]

Dry or not, it's HOT in the south...

 

[RayO]

Pretty freakin' hot here in the north too!

 

[SultanofSwing]

I agree. It is hot here in the north. I myself like RSJ. Wherever you decide, have a great trip.

 

[kinostar]

Thanks everyone!
I really love you guys!

I won't be checking in here again because a topic started by one of the moderators that was critical of Facebook was removed. i read the posts and there was nothing I saw that was a violation. It seems to be censorship at its worst

 

[AlterEgo]

Thanks everyone!
I really love you guys!

I won't be checking in here again because a topic started by one of the moderators that was critical of Facebook was removed. i read the posts and there was nothing I saw that was a violation. It seems to be censorship at its worst

kinostar, I'm the one who started that thread, it wasn't removed, it was moved to Off Topic. That's where it should have been to start with, as it was not DR related, I clicked the wrong forum.

You can't see the thread because you need 500 posts to participate in (or even see) the Off Topic forum.

Sorry about that!

 

[Kipling333]

I second la catalina hotel ...it is fantastic value ..but you need a rental car or be prepared to use a motor concho