Santo Domingo vs. Puerto Plata?

bushit

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Hi all!

I'm planning to move to the DR and have narrowed down my choice to the two cities. Everywhere else is just too small for my taste: I need to be in a "big city." Can someone with experience of both cities please give me a brief rundown of the pros and cons of each, SD and Puerto Plata. I'm leaning toward SD but I'm wondering about its crime rate. PP strikes me as being too small for my taste (pop. ca. 200,000).

Of course, I know that the best way to decide is to experience both myself and I plan to do that. I'd just like some unput from people who've actually been living there for some time.

Thanks! :)
 

Robert

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bushit said:
Hi all!

I'm planning to move to the DR and have narrowed down my choice to the two cities. Everywhere else is just too small for my taste: I need to be in a "big city." Can someone with experience of both cities please give me a brief rundown of the pros and cons of each, SD and Puerto Plata. I'm leaning toward SD but I'm wondering about its crime rate. PP strikes me as being too small for my taste (pop. ca. 200,000).

Of course, I know that the best way to decide is to experience both myself and I plan to do that. I'd just like some unput from people who've actually been living there for some time.

Thanks! :)

Puerto Plata is a town, Santo Domingo is a city.

Your question will create a thread of no value to YOUR situation.

Why don't you post your lifestyle expectations and then it will be easier for us to tell you the pros and cons of both locations.

Buying or renting?
Monthly budget?
Job, starting a business unemployed?
Hobbies?
Single or married?
Kids, schools, uni?

Etc etc etc....
 

bushit

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Robert, touche. :)

I'll be definitely buying (after a few months of renting). I'll be only looking for a two or so bedroom apartment is a safe area. So, no villas, no houses, etc. I don't smoke or drink or go club-crawling but I adore cafes/bars and the beach, parks and walks. I also like the hustle and bustle of a city.

My monthly budget will be at least ? 600 which currently comes to around US$ 800. With additional earnings doing some teaching or similar, I expect to take in US$ 1,200 monthly. I also need good internet connexion, preferably ADSL. I'm single (for now), no kids, seulement moi. :D

Michael
 
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Criss Colon

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You will live like a pauper in Santo Domingo on 800 US a month!!

It is VERY Expensive to live here!If you spend 500 for an apt.,100 for electricity,transportation,100,food,100,what about entertainment,and "Company",forget it! And saying that you "WILL" suppliment that with income here might be more dificult than you appreciate! I am not saying "Don't Come",just "Open Your Eyes First"! :cross-eye Your ticket better be "Round Trip"! CC
 

bushit

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Yes, Chris, but I said very clearly that I would not be renting. That's 500 free to be spent elsewhere.

I lived on US$ 1,100 in Panama City just fine and I was renting there. Surely DR is not so much expensive than Panama City!!
 

Johy

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Santo Domingo will be the place for you, if you are going to live alone that budget will be enough, you have movie theathers, a lot's of cafe/bar to pick , the National Botanic Garden, the nearest beach is a not that close but you can always plan trips to a beach and know a lot of DR taking Santo Domingo as your main base.

Like Robert said PP is a town and Santo Domingo is a city, you can't compare both of them.

From the point of view of a girl that has her entire live living in Santo Domingo, I can only go to PP to visit never to move there.

Hope it helps.

Johy
 

Ken

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Out of curiosity, why did you rule out Santiago? I still think it is your best bet.
 

Keith R

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bushit said:
Yes, Chris, but I said very clearly that I would not be renting. That's 500 free to be spent elsewhere.
I just hope if you're buying that you're paying in cash. Dominican mortgages will be difficult to get for a newbie, with huge (like 40-50%) downpayments and usurious interest rates. And don't forget to factor in the expense of the tax if you ever want to get that deed, and a good lawyer to check the title...
 

bushit

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Ken: Santiago is too much inland; I prefer to be by the sea.

Keith: yes, I will be paying for the property outright--though not for cash--so no mortgage. Yeah, I figured about Santo Domingo; had a look at some POP pictures and it looks so much like a town... - not my thing.

BTW, anyone know of a site with nice photos of Santo Domingo, preferably of streets and things like that, and not tourist attractions? I've found quite a few but always looking for more! :)
 

Voyager

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Reason(s) for re-locating?

bushit said:
Hi all!

I'm planning to move to the DR...

May I be curious and ask you why you want to move to DR? I am always interested to learn people's reasons for relocating.

You are single, so you are obviously not re-locating for the otherwise common reason of love.

(For your info, I come from Sweden and I relocated - temporarily, I hope - to the Middle East for "adventure", to learn about a culture new to me, to further my interest in global travel and also... to quadruple my salary!)
 

bushit

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Johy: forgot to say, thank you very much for that. It was encouraging. :)

Voyager: I'm doing it for much the same reasons as you, except for the salary part. I know I cannot get the kind of life I want anywhere in Europe: finances-wise, weather-wise, culture-wise. I've lived all over Europe and I've had enough. Plus I'm hoping to marry a South American lady at some point although that is not a reason why I'm going. You see, my priority in life in not money or career but a fulfilled type of living. And I know the DR can assure me that.

Where in the Middle East are you? Are you with my brethren in Israel or down in Saudi?
 

Voyager

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bushit said:
I know I cannot get the kind of life I want anywhere in Europe: finances-wise, weather-wise, culture-wise.

First of all, I live in Saudi-Arabia.

Secondly, You make me confused with your above comment??? You mean all of that is better provided for in DR???

Finance? How? Do You mean that overall financial situation should be better for a regular person living in DR than for a regular person living, for example, in Sweden? Just to start with, education is free in Sweden, also at University level!

And weather? What about autumn, winter and spring? Picking mushrooms in autumn, going skiing in winter, enjoying the freshness of spring! You miss all of that in DR!

Culture? I am especially bewildered about your comment on culture! The way I see it (and it is my personal view, right or wrong) Europe is one of the major focal points of culture.

In DR, you can not find even a fraction of the culture you find just in my home town of Gothenburg, Sweden.

And if you would live in central Europe, you would have access to such a massive array of culture, it is totally astonishing. The theatre festival in Avignon, film festival in Stockholm, son-et-lumiere in Brussels, summer time Opera in Verona, music festival in Glastonbury, musicals in London, Book Fair in Frankfurt and art galleries, concerts, festivals of all sorts and sooooo much more. The list goes on forever. Will You not miss all of that, Bushit?

I miss all of the above when living here in Saudi, that is for sure. The compensation is a huge salary and generous vacation, so I can travel to Europe basically whenever I want. What is the compensation if living in DR?

Before anyone kicks my teeth in... Yes, I do realize that there are various definitions on "culture" and what it involves! However, being European, I have my definition, which is important for me. But of course, if someone is looking precisely for what is available in DR and is only interested in summer-weather and warm sun and so on, then of course he will not miss Europe. But I would!
 

Voyager

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???

el gringo 762 said:
[QUOTE=Voyager]First of all, I live in Saudi-Arabia.



so what's the story, hero. did you stay or did you go?


Eh? What do you mean? Stay where? Go where?

I am still in Saudi-Arabia, if that is your question. This is where I work. Where would I go?
 

bushit

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Voyager: see, this is what I'm talking about. The priorities you set yourself in life determine your flexibility and attitude toward things like relocation.

FINANCE - All I mean is that, for a person like me (ie. who receives rental income), the money that would get you a mediocre life in Europe goes much further in a place like the DR. Sure you can live very comfortably in Europe but you have to work like a horse to achieve it. And, frankly, that is not what I want my life to be about.

SEASONS - I can make do without them. If I want to enjoy any of the activities you enumerated there, I can easily go on a vacation. They're not so important to me as to influence my life decisions. I may grow tired of the perpetual summer eventually; if that happens, I'll move again--I'm something of what a Mr. Hill once called a "permanent traveler." Fact is, I've lived in London, Bruxelles, Munich, Prague, Ljubljana and Zagreb and hated the weather in all of them. Then I stayed in Alicante (southern Spain) for a while and experienced an absolute rebirth there. Unfortunately, the environment wasn't diverse enough for me.

CULTURE - We have a potential minefield here. Firstly, I don't view "culture" along the lines of civilized vs. savage. I don't think a gothic cathedral is any more culturally uplifting than an Aztec temple. As for European culture in general, being Jewish, I think you can appreciate why I might not have much affinity for it--and that's putting it mildly. A lot of the European "culture" has been built on the suffering of people all over the world. Besides, culture is ephemeral. It's not my priority. I only have one life and I want to make it as fulfilling as I can; "culture" doesn't provide that fulfillment for me. By culture I was rather referring to people's approach to life. I abhor the materialistic rat race that has come to characterize large parts of Europe. I also loathe the incompetence you encounter everywhere (London was, in my experience, the worst in this regard) and having to pay thru your nose for it.

COMPENSATION - For someone whose priorities in life health, love and an easy-going life, the DR offers all of that. I read an interesting piece on DR1 parts of which may well apply to you: Can you hack it? Ultimately, as I said, how you view relocation depends on your expectations from life, attitude to it and you whole Weltanschauung.

Michael
 
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Voyager

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Interesting!

Hello again, Michael!

Thanks for a very good reply!

Lots of food for thought there and interesting with the "Jewish angle" on the issue. And I totally agree that "culture" is a potential minefield!

Well, you gave me a lot to think about. And I get this feeling it would be great to share a bottle of wine with you and talk more about these matters and in greater depth. There is a lot of wisdom in your words, Michael, and I sense there is so much more to learn from you.

Allow me to wish you a lovely 2005 and lots of luck with your plans/dreams!

Rgds,
John
 

bushit

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Well, John, we never stop learning. :) It's always good to hear as many opinions as one can on a matter. I'd take you up on that chat over wine offer but they wouldn't let me enter Saudi Arabia. If you're ever in the DR though... :D

A very happy New Year to you, too, with everything you want it to be but primarily health. If there's no health, there's not much scope for anything else. ;) And be careful down there.

Best wishes,
Michael
 

Naufrago

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Back to the original question: PP vs. SD

Been living in SD for a few months now. Lots of folks were telling me to go to Santiago and the north shore, and recently I had come to thinking maybe they were right, so I took a few days to see for myself. Santiago is a beautiful little city, where do they put their garbage? I've gotten so used to seeing piles along every street. The traffic and the fumes that go with it were not part of every outing. Saw modern Shopping centers, and multiplex movie houses. Went up to PP for the day, nice little town, hung out on the beautiful beach at Cabarete, stayed in the warm water for a good three hours swimming and body surfing, very relaxing. came back through Moca, visited relatives in Tanares, and checked out San Francisco, another great little town. Had to pull in for some car repairs along the way and the people were so nice, a different vibe in the Cibao. But I found that I missed SD. Coming from NYC, I've grown accustomed to the reality of a vibrant city. Santiago is clean and nice, but a little too sleepy, I suppose if you have an interesting job which kept you busy, the quality of life there is probably better than SD. But if you want a challenge, to your spirit, to your ability to adapt to adversity, to see how the other half lives, and to broaden your life experience, I think SD is the better choice. Don't expect to see many true to life pictures of SD on the internet, I think the department of tourism censors them out. You will see a picture of the water with the sun setting, the facade of a fancy hotel, or some buildings and statues in the Zona Colonial.
Good luck and God speed!
 

Lambada

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bushit,
The 'Can you hack it' article was written by a friend of mine who used to live in Santo Domingo for many years & with whom I still have contact. He has been an expat. virtually all his life & always used to make the distinction between true expats. & those who 'played' at it! I would have fitted the second category initially, but after 12 years in Puerto Plata maybe I'm on the cusp of moving to the former!
I understand totally where you are coming from on the 'culture' question..........I am originally from UK & have not missed theatres, book fairs or antiques (although there are some of the latter among the expat population ;) Voyager is different in that he needs these sort of activities (we have discussed this face to face, he is a very intelligent & extremely nice person). Judging on what you describe as your priorities, bushit, I would have thought you would have been happier with small town life rather than big city life here in the DR, but as I don't know you I can only make a guess. One thing which you may want to consider is the privacy aspect. Many foreigners relocating here have been surprised that they do not have the anonymity they experience in their land of origin.........partly because of the friendliness of Dominicans & the way word gets round here! If privacy is important to you, you may want to opt for the bigger city rather than the small community where your demographic details will be common knowledge inside a week!

Good luck whatever you decide.
 

bushit

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Naufrago and Lambada: thanks a million for the input. I'll have a look round DR all the same but I'm pretty set on SD. As far as anonymity, well, I prefer to keep myself to myself but I can live with it. Some trade-offs have to be made, right? I'm more concerned about anonymity from Big Brother than my neighbors though. :D