advice needed for una tourista

kellieLL

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Oct 16, 2003
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Hi, everyone. . . I posted this thread in travel and got no responses :(

Could someone please fill me in? Thanks a million. . . K

Hi everyone.

Four questions:

1. What is cheapest way to get from Santo Domingo to La Romana? Are buses good and if so where do you catch them in SD?

2. Casa de Campo, worth staying at? Or just visiting for lunch?

3. Your favorite hotel in SD. I read about a recent DR1 meeting at a hotel there that sounded like a local's favorite, in the thick of things in the city, within walking distance to the sights.

4. La Romana to Semana -- also by bus? Or are there better ways to go. We do not want to rent a car.

Thank you!

K
 

santanatwins

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Jan 20, 2004
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bus is best

You can catch the local buses if your on a budget but since you mentioned la romana I don't think you are. If money is no object, get a taxi. This way they can take you door to door. It should run about $60 US. But ask a few cabs for a price before agrreing to go. La romana from my memory is very nice to stay at but it's very touristy. You should be able to find someplace decent for under $50 us a nite.
 

Nelly

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Jan 1, 2002
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You can take Metro Tour Bus to La Romana from Santo Domingo. Any taxi should be able to take you to the "terminal" (the bus is parked on the street and there is a little ticket booth across the street from it) in Santo Domingo. To go all the way by taxi, we were quoted 1500 pesos.

I don't know about hotels in Santo Domingo or Casa de Campo but we stayed at the River View Hotel in La Romana for about 900 pesos/night.

I think it would be best to take a plane from La Romana or Punta Cana to Samana otherwise you will need to go back to Santo Domingo and take Caribe Tours bus to Samana (likely a 10 to 12 hour trip).

Nelly
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Whoa. Wrong info there

Neither Metro nor Caribe Tour buses go to the East of the DR.

Local bus syndicates burned their buses when they tried to offer the service.

The buses to La Romana are located in San Carlos, if memory serves, but you would be much better off just hiring a taxi and going straight from the airport to La Romana.

You asked if Casa de Campo was worth staying at? Does a bear schitt in the woods? Heck yes it is! It is a really great place to stay if you like golf, horseback riding, tennis, "the good life" and pampering.

There are other options such as one poster has suggested. YOur taxi could take you to see the options before deciding.

Now from La Romana to "Saman?", that is another thing. YOu can take buses from La Romana to Sabana de la Mar, leaving real early in the morning and then taking the ferry across to Saman?. It will be a really interesting a wonderful trip.

The other alternative is to go back to Santo Domingo and get the afternoon Metro bus to Samana!

HB :D
 

LaPinea

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Mar 18, 2004
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Hillbilly said:
The buses to La Romana are located in San Carlos, if memory serves, but you would be much better off just hiring a taxi and going straight from the airport to La Romana.HB :D

Hire a driver (taxi) avoid San Carlos!!
 

Nelly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Hillbilly said:
Neither Metro nor Caribe Tour buses go to the East of the DR.

Local bus syndicates burned their buses when they tried to offer the service.

The buses to La Romana are located in San Carlos, if memory serves, but you would be much better off just hiring a taxi and going straight from the airport to La Romana.

You asked if Casa de Campo was worth staying at? Does a bear schitt in the woods? Heck yes it is! It is a really great place to stay if you like golf, horseback riding, tennis, "the good life" and pampering.

There are other options such as one poster has suggested. YOur taxi could take you to see the options before deciding.

Now from La Romana to "Saman?", that is another thing. YOu can take buses from La Romana to Sabana de la Mar, leaving real early in the morning and then taking the ferry across to Saman?. It will be a really interesting a wonderful trip.

The other alternative is to go back to Santo Domingo and get the afternoon Metro bus to Samana!

HB :D
My apologies. I just took a taxi from Caribe Tours in Santo Domingo, to the bus stop for those heading for La Romana last Friday, and I ***-u-me d that it was a Metro Tour bus that I was on. We had A/C, movies and music. Sorry for any confusion.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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That is exactly the way to do it!

Those buses are now really good rides. Otherwise the government would have broken the syndicate and forced them to admit Metro and Caribe Torus into "their" area.

They wised up and did the work. Glad you had a good trip.

A question: Where did the bus leave you?

Another one: Don't you think, for this tourist, it might just be easier to talk to two or three taxis at the airport and go from there to La Romana? Pure spec on my part would say take the taxi, if you feel that time is money and vacation time is double!

HB
Note to La Pinea San Carlos is a nice area, what do you mean? And, anyway, I am not all that sure that the stop is in San Carlos. I was hoping that the last poster knew the street the buses were on...
 

dcareamama

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Jul 22, 2004
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kellieLL said:
Hi, everyone. . . I posted this thread in travel and got no responses :(

Could someone please fill me in? Thanks a million. . . K

Hi everyone.

Four questions:

1. What is cheapest way to get from Santo Domingo to La Romana? Are buses good and if so where do you catch them in SD?

2. Casa de Campo, worth staying at? Or just visiting for lunch?

3. Your favorite hotel in SD. I read about a recent DR1 meeting at a hotel there that sounded like a local's favorite, in the thick of things in the city, within walking distance to the sights.

4. La Romana to Semana -- also by bus? Or are there better ways to go. We do not want to rent a car.

Thank you!

K

I'll address questions 2 and 3.

Casa de Campo is great. Of course, I am partial to this resort because it brings back unforgettable memories - my husband proposed to me there :classic: If you like the sports Hillbilly suggested, then you will have a divine time. Back in 1997 when we stayed there three nights, we played tennis and went horsebackriding. Unless things have changed, this is not the place where you will get a lot of pampering per se since it is such a LARGE resort, but the services here are top notch nevertheless. Even if you don't stay here, I would try to take a day to visit. Head to Altos de Chavon, have lunch, and take a tour of the resort. The villas are awesome.

I have two favorite hotels in SD. One is Hotel Santo Domingo and the other one is Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando in the Colonial Zone. The latter has been recently remodeled and its guestrooms are the most beautiful I have seen in the DR. Let me repeat that - they are possibly the most beautiful and luxurious I have seen in my country. They are not very large, but they are oh so gorgeous!

Hope that helped.
 

Voyager

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Mar 1, 2004
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Hotel in Santo Domingo

I have stayed several times at Plaza Florida on Av. Bolivar N. 303. Price for a good size room, with kitchen and dining area is 57 US$. You can negotiate a discount for an extended stay (= 1 week or more).

Many of the tourist sights are in Zona Colonial and that is for sure not within walking distance from Plaza Florida. I suggest that hotel anyway, beause it offers good value for money, it is situated in a peaceful and quiet (by SD standards) area and taxi to Zona Colonial is not too expensive. Also, shopping centers are close by, for example Plaza Lama. For me at least, up to 30 minutes walk is "walking distance".

Finally, whether a place is worth staying at is of course a highly individual choice. Hillbilly mentions that Casa de Campo is a "...great place to stay if you like golf, horseback riding, tennis, "the good life" and pampering."

Well, for somebody like me, who do not play golf (I did try it a couple of times and was bored to death!), who find horses scary and don't play tennis, it seems doubtful if I'd like the place. I enjoy hiking in rough terrain, long distance running, mountain biking AND a good dinner at night, with a bottle of Chianti. Anyway, my point is of course, to always check what is on offer as related to what you are looking for. Pretty obvious advise, I know, but worth repeating.
 

Voyager

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Mar 1, 2004
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Cost, cost, cost...

dcareamama wrote:
I have two favorite hotels in SD. One is Hotel Santo Domingo and the other one is Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando in the Colonial Zone. The latter has been recently remodeled and its guestrooms are the most beautiful I have seen in the DR. Let me repeat that - they are possibly the most beautiful and luxurious I have seen in my country. They are not very large, but they are oh so gorgeous!

Let me just make a quick comment here:
Hotel Santo Domingo is for sure a nice hotel, and/but luxurious, so look at the price!!! I have never stayed there, but two weeks ago I had a beer at the pool bar. I payed 122 pesos (!) for a small Presidente! Ay, Caramba! I never asked the price before I ordered the beer, stupid me!
 
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Keith R

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Hillbilly said:
Note to La Pinea San Carlos is a nice area, what do you mean? And, anyway, I am not all that sure that the stop is in San Carlos. I was hoping that the last poster knew the street the buses were on...
Yes, HB, those buses do leave from San Carlos. Part of my wife's family is from San Carlos so I know it fairly well (hey, LaP! I also want to know why you're dissing SC!) and I have dropped people off there before to get buses heading both east to La Romana, Higuey & Hato Mayor, and west as far as Barahona and Duverg?; don't recall the name of the street now, though.

Regards,
Keith
 

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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Voyager said:
Let me just make a quick comment here:
Hotel Santo Domingo is for sure a nice hotel, and/but luxurious, so look at the price!!! I have never stayed there, but two weeks ago I had a beer at the pool bar. I payed 122 pesos (!) for a small Presidente! Ay, Caramba! I never asked the price before I ordered the beer, stupid me!
I am afraid I must agree. My wife stayed at Hotel SD in the early 1980s on some sort of great package deal she got through a tour agency, and so loved the place that she has been wanting to stay there again ever since. But in all the years I've known her (nearly 20 now), we have NEVER been able to get a price on a room there reasonable enough to make it worthwhile. The prices tend to be comparable to the Inter-continental's, even though the IC is much better located for tourists and folks without cars (although it's extremely easy to catch east-bound taxis on Av. Independencia, which runs behind the Hotel SD).

When pricing our stay in SD last year, I was particularly appalled by the Hotel's room policy. We had two kids, 12 at that time. The Hotel would have treated them as full adults, and would have insisted that we pay for two overpriced rooms instead of one. The Hotel SD was the ONLY hotel I ran into this problem with in my research of SD stays.

Regards,
Keith
 

dcareamama

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Jul 22, 2004
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Voyager said:
dcareamama wrote:
I have two favorite hotels in SD. One is Hotel Santo Domingo and the other one is Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando in the Colonial Zone. The latter has been recently remodeled and its guestrooms are the most beautiful I have seen in the DR. Let me repeat that - they are possibly the most beautiful and luxurious I have seen in my country. They are not very large, but they are oh so gorgeous!

Let me just make a quick comment here:
Hotel Santo Domingo is for sure a nice hotel, and/but luxurious, so look at the price!!! I have never stayed there, but two weeks ago I had a beer at the pool bar. I payed 122 pesos (!) for a small Presidente! Ay, Caramba! I never asked the price before I ordered the beer, stupid me!

Well, I suggested Hotel Santo Domingo because it offers many ammenities (including the ammenities across the street at Hotel Hispaniola), is located in a semi quite area and is close to the Colonial Zone for sightseeing. I also think the Hispaniola/Santo Domingo complex is relatively safe (specially important for a female tourist, IMO). But you are correct, Hotel Santo Domingo is rather pricey. I am glad you recommended a more moderately priced option.
 

Nelly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Hillbilly said:
Those buses are now really good rides. Otherwise the government would have broken the syndicate and forced them to admit Metro and Caribe Torus into "their" area.

They wised up and did the work. Glad you had a good trip.

A question: Where did the bus leave you?

Another one: Don't you think, for this tourist, it might just be easier to talk to two or three taxis at the airport and go from there to La Romana? Pure spec on my part would say take the taxi, if you feel that time is money and vacation time is double!

HB
Note to La Pinea San Carlos is a nice area, what do you mean? And, anyway, I am not all that sure that the stop is in San Carlos. I was hoping that the last poster knew the street the buses were on...

The bus dropped us off at the Riverview Hotel in La Romana at our request. I do agree with HB, that if time and money are not really an issue, take the taxi.
 

bienamor

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Nelly said:
The bus dropped us off at the Riverview Hotel in La Romana at our request. I do agree with HB, that if time and money are not really an issue, take the taxi.

While in Santo Domingo, in the Colonial Zone try the Hotel Palacio on Duarte. Great room, Cable, Air, breakfast included starts at around $65us a night. It's close to all the sights.