furniture in the Dr

Yes, you can buy good furniture in the DR. Are you interested in wicker furniture? Or do you want the heavy stuff that looks good in the north but out of place in the tropics? Both are available. There are a couple of places in Santiago that manufacture wicker furnture and where you can make changes in the standard design if you wish to.

There is in fact very fine furniture available here at a fraction of the price that equal quality stuff sells for in the states, and of course you dont have to deal with Customs, which is a real pain. I had an antique chinese altar table shipped here and getting it through customs involved lots of arguing. The piece is unusual so they figured it was expensive. My wife convinced them it was made of pine! (southern elm it is in fact)

I can give you the names of some places in St Domingo, but Santiago I dont know about. I have bought some very nice pieces at Bisonte -- real mahogany and very fine workmanship. Paid cash, got a great discount, though I imagine prices are higher now. There is also a good antiques store right across the street from me on the Bolivar,a nd they have nice pieces from Europe. Pretty good prices too. I am sure much of the same can be found in Santiago. PM the all knowing Hillbilly --that is his stomping ground I gather.

If you know quality furniture, youwont have any problems; but if you dont, then bring someone along who knows about fine woods. They sell a lot of "caoba" (mahogany) here that really isnt, though it is easy enough to tell the difference.

There is a very nice furniture store all the way in the back of Plaza International. In Santiago that is.

You can find good, quality furniture right here on the North coast.
In Puerto Plata, for instance, Hidelisa Centro has a wide selection of both imported and local furniture, decorations, carpets, sheets, bedcovers...everything.

There are several local carpeters that made wonderful work, if you prefer handmade after your head. Same goes for rattan.

Just some time ago, I brought Jackquontee around, for both the big stuff and the details a home requires. He was surprised that you can actually find all good stuff, even such as good quality sheets ect that you often hear is expensive or not to be found. It is not more expensive here, for the same items as you would have bought in the States.
You just need to know where to find them.

On Calle Eugenio Deschamps corner Margarita Mears a new shop has opened with great lamps for instance, all imported and fair prices. You have a simular behind the Police Station, with Italian lamps, also fair prices.

TVs, DVDs etc. If you compare Santiago ( Plaza Lama ) with Gonzales here in Puerto Plata for instance. There is no difference in price.
If you pay cash at Gonzales you get 15-20 % discount, by cc you get 10.
It is more or less all over the city.

Plants, indoors & outdoors, I suggest Vivero Cid, just between Texaco and Jos? Luis in Puerto Plata. Large and wide selections. Also pots.

Fans, good selection at Hidelisa as well as Ferreteria Bordas at the end of Kennedy. Both ceiling, wall, floor or table. With our without remote control.

Messon has a wider selection of kitchen utilities by each day. They rent the space out, it is not their operation. Everything from iron to fridges to bbq?s.

Good luck!

Absolutely correct

I, too, had heard about the high cost of various items in POP, and that one should go to Santiago. After shopping around with Carina what I found was that although certain items (electronics in particular) were a bit higher, a little negotiation brought prices down comparable to what you might pay in the US. Purchasing several thousand dollars worth of items also helped in the negotiations as well. All in all, I feel that, for me, a trip to Santiago would not have been worth even the minimum of inconvenience. If you're in POP, shop around, negotiate, and hold firm.

Nice sleeper sofas goes for around 25.000 pesos ( 1 US - appr. 32,50 RDS ).
Cheaper, around 12.000 RDS.

carina said:

You can find good, quality furniture right here on the North coast.
In Puerto Plata, for instance, Hidelisa Centro has a wide selection of both imported and local furniture, decorations, carpets, sheets, bedcovers...everything.

Click to expand...

Hi Carina: Can you tell me where this is located?

"If you pay cash at Gonzales you get 15-20 % discount, by cc you get 10.
It is more or less all over the city" Is this standard or do you have to ask for it? Is negotiating prices standard in stores like Gonzales and other bigger named stores? Thanks for the info...tom

I have been in a ton of furniture shops. I was looking for a bureau for my GF . We stopped at at least 5 places in Puerto plata. they were'nt HUGE places, but they have all kinds of furniture. Most of the better stuff , was mohagany, or at least stained to look like mohogany. I was in a VERY nice store in Higuey that was very nice furniture and the prices to match. I was also in many in santiago, but I dont remember going into any very big store there... they all were small.....there is one store on calle del sol( i think that the name..its the street that pretty large with a divider in the middle lots of AMET cops and lots of nail salons!) the store is on the right as you go up the hill slightly...its on the corner, and there is a light there. lots of these places have large inventory, but they dont keep it at the main show room.

sorry i dont have map in front of me today. drive through Puerto plata on the main road that heads to navarette and onthe right side you will pass 4 or 5 furniture stores. One is kinda large. they sell a ton of motor cycles, generators(big) and even have some cars in the show room!

good luck......shop at a lot of places..I found the quality varies immensely

bob

Gonzales is located right at Central Park, white classical building ( former theatre ). Hidelisa on Calle Antera Mota, also downtown, just below the park.
Just park on the Casa Nelson parking beside the park, and walk around, it is easiest.

laurapasinifan said:

I have been in a ton of furniture shops. I was looking for a bureau for my GF . We stopped at at least 5 places in Puerto plata. they were'nt HUGE places, but they have all kinds of furniture. Most of the better stuff , was mohagany, or at least stained to look like mohogany. I was in a VERY nice store in Higuey that was very nice furniture and the prices to match. I was also in many in santiago, but I dont remember going into any very big store there... they all were small.....there is one store on calle del sol( i think that the name..its the street that pretty large with a divider in the middle lots of AMET cops and lots of nail salons!) the store is on the right as you go up the hill slightly...its on the corner, and there is a light there. lots of these places have large inventory, but they dont keep it at the main show room.

sorry i dont have map in front of me today. drive through Puerto plata on the main road that heads to navarette and onthe right side you will pass 4 or 5 furniture stores. One is kinda large. they sell a ton of motor cycles, generators(big) and even have some cars in the show room!

good luck......shop at a lot of places..I found the quality varies immensely

bob

Click to expand...

Lucky girl your GF

she is lucky , you should see her play roulette at the casino!!

we never bought a bureau yet!!! they were either cheap junk...or they werent white! she wants white.... they are all childrens if they are white!

now that her sister got married( sorry guys) she has the room to herself and we can go buy a big wide bureau.

so Ill be looking in the furniture shops again in less than a month

bob

Hey Bob!!

I noticed that your GF was driving a four wheeler in some pictures, while going through pictures here in DR1!!

My question to you is: Did you buy it there, or was it rented?? If you bought it, where did you buy it at?? In the DR or you shipped it over??

I love four wheelers!! I haven't been back since 1997, but will be going June 27- July 10 (yyuuupppiiiieeeee!!! Can't wait!!!!) and don't know much about this things, and where to find them there!! I will also like to purchase one in the future and are wondering what way will be better.

By the way!! Your GF is very lucky to have you!!

that was rented in puerto plata..near Playa Dorado. I think the store i spoke of in an earlier post on this thread in Puerto Plata sell four wheelers. I saw a truck load of off road vehicles( not regular ATVs but the lower kind with a full roll cage) on the way to sosua via rte 21. they were all brand spanking new with wrappers still. they headed into cabarette-sosua area before i lost them. I bet they were coming from near the capitol, maybe a recent cargo shipment.

anyway as for renting, you should look around , and not rent at the first place, because the first time we rented the ATVS werent in that good of a shape. brakes hardly worked, the automatic shifts didnt work and there were some mud gaurds missing. At the next place we rented we got new machines! paid maybe $10 more for the rental, but fully automatic, thumb throttles, EVERY thing worked!!!! a much better deal!

I looked around and even asked around , but couldnt find a place to rent ATVs outside of the resort areas. There were NONE in Santiago.. we asked a repair shop that was working on motorcycles and ATV's.

I dont know what the cost is in the DR to buy one. good luck

Bob