Best party location

If all she wants is a party then anywhere in the country will do, one thing there is no shortage of is enthusiasm for music. You might struggle to get all genres under one roof, but you will not have any problem finding the party.

The North Coast, particularly Cabarete is probably the best "party town" in the DR, but it's not really known for the Dominican music or "scene"..it's more International, and the music in most of the bars reflects that. If she speaks Spanish well and isn't so concerned with the beach, she may want to go to Santo Domingo....Lots of partying with Dominican music and culture...and some incredible historical sights as well...even a few great beaches close by...no real "tourist scene" though aside from the Colonial Zone.

Julia31 said:

a female friend of mine in her late twenties who speaks good spanish is looking for the right place to stay for her vacation....She would really like to be where the party is at ;-)(typical dominican music..dembow, salsa, bachata etc) but does not require a perfect beach. So I was thinking she should probably go to the north coast. Is this the right recommendation?

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I only know about your friend what little you have posted...she may be a responsible mature safety concious woman who won't do dumb things and therefore will be generally quite safe...
OTOH, she may also be a naive and ignorant woman who assumes the DR is a tiny idyllic island full of innocent and friendly natives incapable of doing any harm to anybody...so she may go on party hopping in arbitrary places at any time, befriending any local that crosses her path...in other words, she could be a disaster waiting to happen.

The SAFEST way to do the kind of partying she may be interested in is by staying at the 'right' all-inclusive resort...for example one with a big disco open to the paying public....As long as she resists any temptation to go off-site with people (local or not) she barely knows, she could have a lot of fun partying while being quite safe (assuming she does behave with a modicum of common sense even inside the resort).

A perfect example: The Occidental Grand Flamenco in Punta Cana...it has one of the main discos (Mangu) of the area, which is frequented both by guests of the resort, locals, as well as tourists from other resorts...The lower level emphasises Dominican/Caribbean music (reggaeton, bachata, merengue, a little salsa), while the top level is more international...The local boys (a.k.a. sankys) will give her plenty of attention (if she wants it) but will keep a distance if she UNAMBIGUOUSLY let them know she isn't interested...the key phrase is NEVER to leave the resort with a local boy no matter how 'harmless' he looks... A much safer way of "getting friendly" with local men would be to focus on those who are guests in the Occidental resort (there are some, probably of middle to upper income level, especially but not exclusively on weekends)....male employees are best avoided since they have plenty of restrictions inside the resort, and may want to talk her into going off-site for "privacy".

Julia31 said:

well she is not the AI person..but pretty street wise and well travelled (she already travelled alone in Puerto Rico). I dont worry about her falling for a sanky really..she'd give him an earfull as soon as he starts asking for money

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There are places in PR that makes the most dangerous places in DR look like Monks retreats.

So she is coming alone? With another girlfriend or two? Or with a boyfriend or husband? If she is alone and asking such questions she might consider bringing a buddy. If more of a solo travelerI imagine she is an adventurist, and she will find as much fun as she wants. But I certainly would advise my female 20 something friend to stick to the AIs or perhaps, the colonial zone in SD if solo. But then again I do not know any women who desire traveling to the 3rd world alone to party.

Julia31 said:

well she is not the AI person..but pretty street wise and well travelled...

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Fine, but not all AI are created equal...I am not taking about a generic AI, but rather one that has the specific features mentioned above (of which there are relatively few), which include one huge disco, one of the main in the area, which is open to the paying public...There she'd be able to experience a local-type party atmosphere, EVERY night, while still enjoying some of the advantages of the AI concept, in particular personal safety and very low cost. For example at the Mangu disco, often there are more locals than tourists, and especially the lower level has an ambience very similar to that of a local disco.

She will learn

Julia31 said:

well she will travel alone (unless I join which is not likely at the moment). Well I already recommended her to go to an AI because its just way more comfortable and also cheaper then catering for yourself (if you stay in a more basic 3 star AI at least) and I think she will do that and just go out of the AI at nighttime for clubbing and stuff.

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The AI scene I can only handle for so long (2 days max). Comfortable yes but cheaper not at all. I would really recommend Santo Domingo for a party scene she will truly enjoy and remember. There are plenty of hotels and or apart-hotels that one can stay at for under $50 a night. Unfortunately the party scene in the AI's just dont cut it and will not be what your friend is looking for. And the closest AI to Santo Domingo is unfortunately a 20 to 30 minute drive which makes it annoying to get around without a trusted friend or driver. I have been to DR countless times and just rent a car to get myself around and promise you that Santo Domingo is where you want to be for the night life (Avenida Venezuela will have everything your friend is looking for). If she wishes to look for accomodations in the capital you can search the threads here and or we in the dr1 community can recommend plenty right in the heart of Santo Domingo and everything is a short cab ride away. Good luck!

jalencastro said:

The AI scene I can only handle for so long (2 days max). Comfortable yes but cheaper not at all. I would really recommend Santo Domingo for a party scene she will truly enjoy and remember. There are plenty of hotels and or apart-hotels that one can stay at for under $50 a night. Unfortunately the party scene in the AI's just dont cut it and will not be what your friend is looking for....

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First, I don't know what is the "AI scene"...Some people here seem to believe that AI resorts are like McDonalds, which are for the most part a carbon copy of each other...once you have seen a McDonald you have seen them all... I got news for you...there are all sort of AI resorts...small. medium, large...some have a lot of beachfront, others very little, a few none at all...some offer many restaurants (included or not), others mostly one or 2 buffets...some seem good mostly for families others, are more appropriate for couples, and others are great for singles...and so on...THERE ARE LOTS OF THEM...they belong to different chains, have different managements, are in different parts of the island, etc. etc. Same for nightlife... some just have a small so-called disco for their own guests, a few have huge discos that are open to the paying public which are typically much more active (especially on weekdays) than the typical big city disco....In these ones a single woman alone can party every night, for very little money, and in a relatively safe environment (only requiring a modicum of common sense)...

For a single woman traveling alone to go to party to a 3-million city she knows barely or not at all, in a country she knows barely or not at all, operating in a language she knows minimally is not just a bad idea...it is CRAZY which is different...in fact, it is borderline suicidal...yes, most people in SD are actually nice law-abiding citizens...but there are enough of the other kind to give a woman doing the above an experience she would love to forget but won't.

Dancing in Santo Domingo

Although there are some relevant comments on partying in an AI, I would also definetely recommend Santo Domingo.

First of all find in this post a good overview:

• My list (Bahoruco) contains for each day of the week a place for generally ?older? audience (30+ to 60+, but it can be interesting)
• The second list is generally oriented to a younger audience.

Other interesting places (some of them mentioned in the thread of the post above):

• El Sarten, Calle Hostos 153, Zona Colonial. A classic, with very old audience, music. On weekdays not too crowded
• Avda. Venezuela, Santo Domingo East - on other side of Ozama river: Housedrink, Disco Eclipse, ..

In following bars you can also dance, mainly when it gets crowded:

• Bars around Avda Lincoln, mainly catering to upper class
  • Monte Christo, Lincoln & Amado Soler. Salsa/Bachata/Merengue/Reggaeton & Latin Pop.
  • Bar in Far West style below 'Gold Gym' in side street of Churchill. I don't remember name of bar.
  • Docks, Avda. Winston Churchill corner Sanchez (paralllel to Lincoln), on top of the stairs. Mainly Latin pop

• Some bars in Zona Colonial where you have sometimes dancing
  • Parada 77, C. Isabela la Catolica #255: mix of old & young audiance; sometimes salsa/merengue later at night in WE
  • Bar Bio, opposite 'El rey del Falafel', Billini esq. Sanchez. Mainly catering to students
  • La Cantina de El Agave, dancing every Thursday, Arzobispo Merino 115, in front of Casa de Teatro
• Sometimes in the streets around Plaza Duarte (Zona Colonial), but more for drinking

Also a few comments on dancing (real dancing, not a little bit moving your hips):

• Bachata: danced rather static. People don't turn around each other.
• Salsa: with some exceptions you don't have many good salsa dancers, most of them dance 'Salsa on 2' (in NY and Europe it is 'Salsa on 1'). A really good place are friday or saturday evenings of the "On2 dance studio" in Plaza Dominicana on Avda. 27 de Febrero, near crossing with Nunez de Caceres. Also maybe the best place to learn Salsa (on 2) in the capital.
• Merengue: rather a past glory, more popular is now the fast variant 'mambo violente' (Omega,..) and sometimes you still hear the old variant 'perrico ripiao'
• Denbow and Reggaeton: mainly in places with 20-something audience
• Son: only in places mentioned with 'older' audience

For a single woman traveling alone to go to party to a 3-million city she knows barely or not at all, in a country she knows barely or not at all, operating in a language she knows minimally is not just a bad idea...it is CRAZY which is different...in fact, it is borderline suicidal...yes, most people in SD are actually nice law-abiding citizens...but there are enough of the other kind to give a woman doing the above an experience she would love to forget but won't.

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Decent advice.

Bahoruco said:

Although there are some relevant comments on partying in an AI, I would also definetely recommend Santo Domingo.

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Please, notice: It is *NOT* the claim that AI-partying should replace SD-partying for all people, under all circumstances...

The claim is that for the SPECIFIC person mentioned in the OP (single woman traveling alone, with minimal or zero familiarity with SD and the DR, and minimal Spanish proficiency, etc., etc.) partying at the RIGHT AI (one with a major disco open to the general public) is a superior solution, particularly considering the personal safety aspect (as wll as total cost of the experience, especially in the low season where AI prices are relatively low).

For other people under different circumstances the recommendation may be different.

BTW: The Princess resort in PC with its disco Areito could be a great choice also.

Julia31 said:

my friend booked 3 weeks in an AI in Cabarete now but she is planning some trips to other places so I will give her a copy of your recommendations, thanx guys.

@ Dominicaus: I appreciate your concern but her spanish skills are actually very good (way better than mine lol) and she already travelled alone through Mexico and PR..I am sure she will do ok

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The choice sounds reasonable to me...especially if the resort she chose has the recommended features (a huge disco open to the paying public) as the ones I suggested. If it doesn't s/he may find the ambiance too synthetic...anyway she can certainly have fun at an AI.

Myself, I would have split the 3 weeks in 2-3 AI possibly in different parts of the country as an antidote to possible boredom (same food, same entertainment, etc). Perhaps she may still be able to arrange for a switch of some of the stay to another property with the same chain, or her tour operator could make a change for her for a nominal fee...the same people who make airport transfers could offer a shared inter-resort transfer for a reasonable rate (as opposed to a taxi).

As for safety, do NOT assume that just because someone takes a HUMONGOUS risk and survives it, s/he can keep on taking humongous risks over and over and ALWAYS survive them.
Lots of dare-devils have survived for years but eventually died at a young age when their luck finally ran out.

S/he may have been lucky in Mexico and PR those times, but may not be the next time in Mexico, or the next time elsewhere. Bottom line, taking huge unnecessary risks is a very bad idea (even if you have already done it and survived just fine)...sooner or later your luck will run out.