1st time to DR

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cindyrae

New member
Oct 27, 2006
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Good morning, all. My husband & I are looking forward to visiting the DR for the first time & are amazed at the wealth of information available. In an effort to narrow our search, I'm hoping for input & recommendations. Here's who we are/what we like:
Middle-aged couple who love to travel. He loves scuba, I snorkel, we hike, kayak, explore. We love adventure & a nice soft bed at night. No AIs although B&Bs are nice. The farther away from hotel row the better. Want to lodge on the beach or have direct access. Not big partiers but enjoy a happy hour with interesting people. We live in South Texas so used to heat but also used to a/c, especially at night. Prefer something w/ basic cooking facilities (shared is fine, TX = BBQ) to help defray the cost of eating out - besides, I love to shop local markets/groceries to see what's new. Don't need souvenir shops or fancy restaurants but do like to bring home local craft items for the house/dog/cat/bird sitter. I lean towards the north & NE coast, he thinks south looks good. Help! I don't know where to start. Any & all info is appreciated & wishing you a good day!
 
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dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
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speaking of north

north for surfing, kite surfing and rafting. cabarete is renown for water sports. other than that - samana, more remote, less touristy.
alternatively you can fly to puerto plata and make it your camp-base. it's one hour from santiago, about 3 hours from santo domingo. also short drive to cabarete with all the water attractions.
in POP you can rent an apartment (bedroom, bathroom, living room with kitchenette) for 1000 pesos (about 30 us dollars) per night. it has swimming pool and garage too. self catering.
there is also lots of small hotels in the area.
 
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Playero

Member
Aug 24, 2006
86
6
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hike, kayak, explore

you say you like hiking, kayaking and exploring, so you might wanna consider a couple a days in Jarabacoa, too.
 
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dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
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i vote north coast with all my heart.
i live here! ;)
jarabacoa is really great too, stayed there last month, so much more fresh than the rest of the country! (temperature wise, i mean....)

have not been to samana, no invitation thom the frog yet but i have seen pics and i know it's beautiful.

cindyrae, let me know if you need transport or hotel rates, will send you some quotes. no doubt m'frog can direct you to a nice places to stay, samana is his homeland!
 
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Menstresdias95

Member
Mar 27, 2006
66
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6
Hands down, try the North East Coast, Samana Peninsula, Town of Las Terrenas. This could be a perfect choice based on your needs. I think Las Terrenas and vicinity has everything you're looking for. It has almost all low-key hotels etc., (no buildings are taller than the coconut trees) with very few AIs. There is some shopping but not much. The town is small and charming with an international flavor. It has a great choice of inexpensive to reasonably priced restaurants including german, swiss, italian, french and of course plenty of DR home cookin'. Many of the restaurants are right along the beach. You don't really need a car, an ATV quad is a lot of fun. For accommodations, try the brand new Hotel Alisei. It has 48 beautiful apartments with A/C, full kitchens, high-speed wireless internet, great pool, luxury spa and one of the best chefs in town, Graziano (formerly at Colibri/Colibar). Alisei can arrange all of your excursions from their front desk. Great and competent staff. The owners of Alisei have probably the best track record in town for setting up nice places. We've been to Las Terrenas three times this year from the States already and we love it!
 
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