Hello - I'm brand new to this site and planning my first trip to DR - I hope those with more travel experience to/from La Romana can help me make some flight decisions. I'm flying roundtrip from Boston to spend the week before Christmas at Dominicus Beach. Seems that La Romana flights are extremely limited and expensive ($800/person on American). Should I consider a different airport, or is the convenience of LRM truly worth the extra $$$? And are prices likely to come down at all between now and then, or should I book now while seats are still available? Thanks for any advice!
- Thread starter withane
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Airport Choices
Depends on how cheap you want to go.
If you speak Spanish, you can get to Santo Domingo (SDQ) far cheaper, then take normal people's transportation to La Romana. BUT it is a hassle. Why ruin a day for a few bucks?
You might check flights to Punta Cana (PJT??) of (PJU??) and taxi from there to Dominicus.
The La Romana facility is brand new and very nice, geared to the top end tourist, that is for sure.
Book early, as those flights fill up fast, as half of NYC/Patterson/Lawrence empties out to come back home.
HB
If you speak Spanish, you can get to Santo Domingo (SDQ) far cheaper, then take normal people's transportation to La Romana. BUT it is a hassle. Why ruin a day for a few bucks?
You might check flights to Punta Cana (PJT??) of (PJU??) and taxi from there to Dominicus.
The La Romana facility is brand new and very nice, geared to the top end tourist, that is for sure.
Book early, as those flights fill up fast, as half of NYC/Patterson/Lawrence empties out to come back home.
HB
Every average tourist who has chosen to fly to the wrong airport I am sure has regretted it as a result of their complete inability to haggle for a cab, or find a bus ( of often a series of them) , arrange schedules, lost a day on each end of a trip. Tip: If one is staying in city X, fly to city X, not Y or Z.
Also as seasonal travel demand reduces available seats and thus allows prices to rise, waiting is a bad idea.
Though for an AI choice it is almost always better to find a tour company and use them for the air, hotel and ground transportation and in NYC there must be a hundred to choose from that offer packages. Then if they do fly to SDQ you let them do the shuttling around not you.
Also as seasonal travel demand reduces available seats and thus allows prices to rise, waiting is a bad idea.
Though for an AI choice it is almost always better to find a tour company and use them for the air, hotel and ground transportation and in NYC there must be a hundred to choose from that offer packages. Then if they do fly to SDQ you let them do the shuttling around not you.
I will offer one other choice to you which is what I went with when traveling in January and will be doing again in 3 weeks.
Depending on how much money you stand to save and how many in your group, you can fly into Santo Domingo or Punta Cana and arrange for a safe and reliable and clean transfer with an established transfer company. You will pay more than haggling for a cab but you will have the freedom of walking out of the arrivals door and being met by somebody with your name on a sign. You are loaded into an air conditioned vehicle and you hit the road while your provided transfer is still waiting for other travelers and loading luggage. The time saved on arrival at the airport and how you get going right away applies on the return to the airport as well. I had an extra hour and a quarter at my hotel rather than having to leave on the arranged shuttle.
It's kind of like a compromise between the other options. It's relatively quick and extemely easy to get the job done, cheaper than flying into La Romana, but more expensive and more comfortable than getting a cab once you land. The company that I use is www.dominicantaxi.com which is currently charging $85 one way for SD to Bayahibe for up to 5 people. I really enjoyed the drive which only took 90 minutes. You can let me know if you would be interested in seeing pictures that I took along the way.
Kaki
Depending on how much money you stand to save and how many in your group, you can fly into Santo Domingo or Punta Cana and arrange for a safe and reliable and clean transfer with an established transfer company. You will pay more than haggling for a cab but you will have the freedom of walking out of the arrivals door and being met by somebody with your name on a sign. You are loaded into an air conditioned vehicle and you hit the road while your provided transfer is still waiting for other travelers and loading luggage. The time saved on arrival at the airport and how you get going right away applies on the return to the airport as well. I had an extra hour and a quarter at my hotel rather than having to leave on the arranged shuttle.
It's kind of like a compromise between the other options. It's relatively quick and extemely easy to get the job done, cheaper than flying into La Romana, but more expensive and more comfortable than getting a cab once you land. The company that I use is www.dominicantaxi.com which is currently charging $85 one way for SD to Bayahibe for up to 5 people. I really enjoyed the drive which only took 90 minutes. You can let me know if you would be interested in seeing pictures that I took along the way.
Kaki
Thanks. I already have my AI accommodations booked at Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach, and they have a shuttle service to all airports. I"ve been in touch with the Transfer Coordinator at the resort, and he gave me the following per person roundtrip prices: La Romana $30, Santo Domingo $65, Punta Cana $70. He also said it's about a two-hour drive from SD & PC airports to Dominicus Beach. Does all of this sound correct and reasonably priced to you? If so, I might consider flying into SD after all.
SDQ is not that bad a choice for LRM, certainly not as daft as PUJ is. The highway is fast enough though not scenic.