Dangerous to leave resort?

In a nutshell - the answer to your question is NO!!!
Go out and enjoy yourself. Just be as careful as you would normally be in any holiday destination.

The only thing I'd recommend is maybe getting a driver instead of renting a car and getting recommendations for good tours.
We got a driver in Puerto Plata and he took us around almost the whole day. It was fun too. You see much more of how many Dominicans live if you go outside the AI.
Have a great trip.
mk

The reps only interest is to sell tours and make a commission. Unfortunately, this is a common problem and deprives a great many people of a wonderful experience.

My wife and I wouldn't have been living in the DR since 1986 if it was dangerous to walk the streets.

Al Fresco - As Ken said, it?s a way for the reps to earn commissions.
In the case of this particular rep (parasite), he/she couldn?t careless about your friend and his vacation. Your friends US$ is their #1 priority, sad but very true.

Bottom line?

Make the effort to go outside of your compound and see and experience a little bit of what this Country has to offer. It truly is a paradise if you embrace it with an open mind and arms.

Better still, email me your travel dates and I will come and meet you and who is ever with you and personally take you on a ?real? tour outside of your hotel and show you some of the local highlights.

Robert.

No need for concern

I made my very first trip outside of the US to the DR in Feb. I was a woman traveling alone as well. I took a taxi by myself to Sousa (I too was staying in the Playa Dorada complex) and had a great time. By the time my taxi driver got me to Sosua, I felt like I had a big brother, as he made sure I got to the right place and the person I was to meet was expected to be there. I was introduced to the owner of the bar/restaurant and met some great people.

I can't wait to go again when I can stay longer, off the resort and discover more of the DR.

I am sure you will enjoy your stay as much as I did.

Tondra

Ken is spot on. The reps earn commission on every tour they sell, so it is not in their interest for you to go out on your own or book through someone on the beach. They try extremely hard to protect their income, which I can understand, but the only way they can do that is by using scare tactics.

I think their tactics work particularly well at Playa Dorada simply because it is a gated complex, with security guards on both of the gates. Incoming tourists - particularly first timers - see this and assume it must be a dangerous place outside the gates. The reps then simply play on this at their "welcome meetings", which is their main opportunity to sell tours.

But it isn't only in the DR where this happens, these reps are the same the world over. At the end of the day, they are sales people, they have targets to meet and money to earn.

My advice is to ignore them, get out and about, and enjoy. You'll have a blast.

That is the biggest bunch of bull... I never felt unsafe the 8 months I lived there. the reps are creep's. Go have fun, but dont be stupid!!!

I wonder how many tourists fall for this one? If they did their research before visiting the DR (like you are doing) they would find out that the crime rate here is very low compared to other Caribbean and Latin American tourist destinations.

I once flew to the DR on a British charter flight (cheap flight-only deal) and was astounded when I watched the 'introductory video' for the punters. Among other things it informed you that the language is Spanish. Wow. It also went on to describe the locals as 'friendly' as long as you came into contact with them in controlled situations (cue shot of smiling kids) and made the absurd warning about the dangers that lie outside the resort. I felt like standing up and telling all my fellow passengers what the real deal was! I am sad to say that I controlled that urge...

The tour operators/resorts are exploiting the ignorance of the tourists. Brits especially have heard about crime in Jamaica and think the DR is going to be the same. It isn't!

Do your research and you will see that the DR has much to offer beyond All Inclusives. You can come to an AI and combine it with independent travel, or even better, ditch the AI option altogether.

Chiri

Reps are scaring and selling

Al Fresco

Go for it! The DR is wonderful. Check out my articles on the forum or go to www.worldisround.com and look up the DR and atricles.

I went alone and had a blast!!! I can't wait to return!

"Life is what you make it."

"Get outside, feel the sunshine and the rain! There is no second chance"

"Dream it, Live it, Love it"

no articles

no articles on your link under sliverghost ??

Chirimoya said:

I wonder how many tourists fall for this one? If they did their research before visiting the DR (like you are doing) they would find out that the crime rate here is very low compared to other

Click to expand...

You wouldnt believe how many people who even seem intelligent fall for this crap. I got bumped 2x and was put up at the Flamenco in Playa Dorada last month. First night I immediately went to the bar for one of these "Slushies" and 3 gals asked me for the time. I chatted with them and explained why I was there and told them I had a place in Sosua and they almost jumped out of their skin saying "how can you live in such a dangerous place"? Well maybe they weren't so intelligent. They asked me if I spoke English and I said in Spanish a "Little", then when they asked where I was from I said "Nueve York". Took them a little time to get it.

Oh well.

Always leave the resorts

I have been to the D.R five times and have always ventured out of the resorts for one reason or another. I have never ever even for one second felt threatened or scared in any way. My first trip was at 21 with another girl. We partied in downtown POP every night and had a blast. I also traveled with the same female to Aruba and Jamiaca and have never felt the need to remian inside the confines of the AI. Don't let the reps scare you and don't be afriad to explore. Relax, enjoy and have a great trip!!!

I am happy to read the responses to the original poster's question. I have just begun looking into DR as a possible vacation destination for next year, and all of the information that I have seen until stumbling onto this website is geared toward AI's.

The only place where my wife and I have ever stayed in one of these compounds was in Jamaica, and the people running it gave us the same line of bs. We did leave the compound, and in subsequent trips to the island we stayed in a small locally owned hotel and ate in locally owned restaurants. Those were great trips.

I look forward to reading more on these boards, and finding a good place to stay and enjoy the beauty of DR.

Welcome to the board, Bob. I'm glad you found us.

Hi Bob and Al,

Greetings from Atlantic Canada and welcome to DR1.

I also post on some of those AI inclined boards and I do so for a couple of reasons.

1) I can encourage people to get out of the resorts (each to their own comfort level), because I am one of them - a vacation traveller. There are people who probably should stay in the resorts as they have been just too BS'ed by the travel industry and to leave would probably ruin their vacation. Those who choose to see the real DR will have a far better time and will have many better tales to tell their friends and family when they go home.

2) I can counteract some of the wild misconceptions that people have about the DR. What did the DR ever do (especially to the US travel industry)? To hear some of the beliefs that people hold about the DR you would wonder why they would get any tourists, ever. But there are a few of us who monitor most of these type of boards and inject some sanity from time to time.

Finally a comment about the prevalance of AI's. I would like nothing more than to be able to travel to the North Coast of the DR and stay at Eddy's or Rocky's or any of the great little hotels which dot the area. BUT the current ability to get from here to there, pay for lodging (even at the great rates available), pay for food, drink, entertainment, etc., etc. actually make it MORE EXPENSIVE than buying a package vacation at an AI. So some of us must be content to get to the DR via the prepackaged route and then spend about every other day out of the enclave for which we have paid. I must admit that when you are tired on those days you stay at the resort - it is nice to be pampered.

Mi dos pesos.

Gregg

Sounds like you are doing good work on behalf of the DR, Gregg. Keep it up.

nice post Greg!

Your dos pesos includes a lot of good thinking! See you when you're down here next.

Ditto!

Nothing more to add to the great posts above. Get out of the AI and enjoy yourself. Take normal precautions you would anywhere but don't worry. It's a great place with great people. Been living here 3 years now, and feel as safe or safer than I did back home.

Which, by the way Bob, is Dubuque! Welcome to DR1! Where in Iowa exactly are you from?

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I will probably be in lurker mode for a while, then will no doubt have some questions if we determine that DR is where we will go for our spring vacation next year.

Lastly, hola to a fellow Iowan XanaduRanch. In answer to your question, I live just outside the Quad Cities, and work in Davenport.