V
Vic Dreyer Jr
Guest
Just got back from spending a week in the DR (returned May 1, 1999) We flew American Eagle into Peurto Plata airport. You can feel the humidity soon as you get off the plane.. the temperature stayed around mid 80's during our stay there.... Make sure you fill out the tourist card (which asks why you are there, and where you'll be staying) before landing...thet'll save you time at the checkin...and make sure you bring a passport (a lot quicker than birth certificate and picture ID).. The first thing you'll notice coming out of the airport is the swarm of taxi drivers, and 'extra' helpers willing to do this and that for you for a 'tip'...(shoot, even the immigration officer who was suppose to check our bags on arrival said that if we gave him a 'tip' he'd check us through without going through our bags!) The 'fair' cost from the airport to Playa Dorada is about 250 pesos (approx 15$ US)... seems all the taxis are huge (either stretch limos or vans..(they seem to like big taxis).. Driving on the streets of DR is an experience itself...everybody likes to pass everybody else, even around curves and going uphills! About half (maybe more) of the transportation was motorcycles and scooters.. and reminded me of 'swarms of mosquitoes' everywhere.. it did not surprise me to see one car which swerved off the road over an embankment... The Playa Dorada resort is comprised of about 7 or 8 resorts (timeshares and hotels) which are situated around the Robert Trent Golf course, and all within walking distance to the beach. The main access to the complex is guarded so not just 'anyone' can walk right in.. Upon checking in to the Fun Tropicale, which was every efficient, and went smooth, we were given bracelets to wear (similar to the hospital bracelets you wear as a patient).. this will identify you as a 'resident', and the diffreent colors determine where you are staying, and whether you are 'all inclusive' or not.. it is not necessary to purchase the all inclusive when you first get there, but when you do decide to purchase, it must be for the remainder of your stay. The cost of the all inclusive is about 33$/day, and includes all your meals and drinks. This is actually cheaper than to pay for your meals and drinks individually, so you'd be a fool not to do it this way.. There are about 4 or 5 bars (including a swim-up pool bar), so getting drinks is quick and easy. There is a 'very' nice buffet (called 'The Calypso) which operates 3 times a day...and is very nice... even the tables under the patio and outside under the umbrellas are formally set up, and the waiters/waitresses are always there for excellent service. It is also here where you can make reservations for the Italian or Brazilian restuarants. These other restaurants are much smaller, and people tend to get dressed for these places as they are quite posh, with excellent service. With the 'all inclusive' bracelet, you can eat at these places as often as you wish.. otherwise you are usually limited to only twice a week that you can eat there. Be sure to get up early and make reservations at these places before 9AM, as they do tend to fill up.. you can opt for the 6:30 or 8:30 reservation. The food was great! Every evening, the staff put on a show in the main stage (situated next to the main pool area near the center of the complex). They really do quite well considering they put on a different show every night when we were there. They do dance, impersonations, comedy, and anything they can think of. It's free...and starts every evening about 9PM.. As I said, there are 7-8 resorts in this complex, and they each have their own 'thing', but you are free to walk around and look at most of the other resorts... some are just fabulous! There is one 'private' resort there, and you are not allowed to go in there tho. To get around the complex, you can walk, rent a scooter or bicycle, or take one of the many horse and buggy rides which are there. The Fun Tropicale/Fun Royale offers free rides every 10 minutes or so to the beach. All the resorts also offer many activities, such as aerobics, water sports (snorkel/scuba lessons), dance lessons etc for free. We stayed in a timeshare at the Fun Tropicale. The place was clean, had air conditioning, and daily maid service. There is a portable espresso maker, a small refrigerator and a stovetop (for cooking if you prefer)..and a portable toaster. There were no microwaves or coffee maker. There is cable TV. The bathrooms are clean, and there is always hot water. The water in the room are not drinkable, and they provide a new jug of water on your arrival (for drinking and brushing your teeth).. the jugs are refillable for free at any of the bars or restaurants...so that was not a problem. The foods at the restaurants and snack bars are perfectly safe (in case you're wondering).. The maids tend to get started early (about 8AM-9AM) so if you don't want to be disturbed, put the 'Do Not Disturb' outside your door for the next morning. The rooms provide a safe (which you need to pay extra to get a key for)..(I personally jusy carried a waist pouch with my wallet wherever I went).. The resort provides a key card to check out beach towels...but we brougt our own towels, so we didn't have to hassle with checking them in or out). The beaches are private, mainly for the patrons of the many resorts in the Playa Dorada complex, and each resort has a bar and snack bar set up in each area of the beach... the beaches are clean, the water beautiful and warm enough to just walk in! At night, it is not uncommon to see a bonfire or limbo dancing or some activities going on at the beach. Altho the resorts offer everything you need, you will be missing a lot if you don't go out and see the dominican republic. It is a really beuatiful island and a lot of history and culture. You will notice many tours and excursions... so stay with 'resort sanctioned' tours.. We went on the Rum-Runners tour. The 4 wheel trucks pick you up at the resort around 8AM, and drop you off about 4:30PM. They drive you around the country side, stop at a beach, serve lunch, and provide frequent 'happy hour' stops. Rum drinks and pop are plentiful and free, as are the lunches (all inclusive)... You will get a good flavor of the land, the coast, the lifestyle of the people and have a wonderful time. The cost was about 45$ per person. There are sevral tours to Sosua (a community not too far with a beautiful beach and many 'shops').. but we opted to take a taxi there and take out time going where we wanted...the taxi will wait for you and take you back.. all for about 20$...not bad. We wanted to visit Santa Domingo and Santiago, but it takes 4-6 hours to drive there by taxi...and then you only have a few hours to walk around, and drive all the way back.. If you really want to see these historically beautiful cities, sign up for one of the 2 day tours.. The important thing about leaving the resorts is to be careful waht to eat and drink... make sure to stick with bottled water or soda...and stay with fruits that have not been peeled and washed. Most food are safe... just use common sense. We did not get sick at all... You do not need immunizations to enter DR... and we did not tour Haiti (which is even farther than Santa Domingo and Santiago), but would have gone if we had the time.. If you do not feel like venturing outside the resorts, there are shops at the resorts which you can buy small grocery items and whatever you need to make your stay enjoyable. To be safe, take aspirins/tylenol and pepto bismol... also bring sun block, sunglasses, and swimming wear. It is very wise to have a carry on bag, with a change of clothes, (which we had!) since my girlfriends bags did not show up the first day there..(they did show up the next day, and was delivered to the resort)... The electricity may go out every so often, so a flashlight might be a good idea.. Overall, we had a great time...and would go back again! Vic and Marta