Gua-gua? & San Juan... & a MAP!

Anj said:

WHAT is a gua-gua? I've seen mixed emotions as far as using one. I do speak some Spanish but don't look local, I'm Canadian. I'm looking for cheap, but safe, ride into town..... not necessarily always possible in the DR lol...

Also.... WHERE is the resort BAHIA PRINCIPE SAN JUAN?! Is it in San Juan? Is that a city? If so.. does anyone know how far it is from Puerto PLata. I've emailed the resort to find this out with no reply as of yet. I'm trying to estimate driving time (and costs) to go from that resort into Puerto PLata for some shopping.

I'm also trying to find a map of Puerto PLata and espeically a general map of the island. I've tried yahoo maps and other sites but they don't have any cities or distances marked on the maps. Can anyone help here?

Thanks all!

Click to expand...

1) gua-guas are mini-busses or vans which provide inexpensive transportation, primarily utilized by locals. They tend to be overcrowded and are seldom air conditioned. You can flag them down on the highway. A dominican can travel anywhere on the Island by gua gua for less than US$5.

2) Bahia Principe is near the village of Rio San Juan, which is about a 90 minute drive east of Puerto Plata. In addition to the gua-guas, there are very nice Caribe tour busses which will stop in Rio San Juan on their way from Puerto Plata to Samana.

3) I recommend the B&B map of the DR, which can be bought on amazon.com for about $10. It includes city maps of Puerto Plata, SD and santiago as well as the map of the country. I have never found a decent map of the DR on the internet.

Hope this was helpful.

If you go on the hotel's website www.bahia-principe.com you should be able to get a map. I believe you can view them from thier website.