As promised a warts 'n all review of my 2 week trip to DR last week. Thanks for all the tips I got on this site. The DR sure is a place like no other :ermm:
A 9hr flight from Gatwick U.K to Puerto Plata.with Thomas Cook. Cheap flight and you get what you pay for i.e a 3 hr delay and a plane full of the kind of holiday makers I usually avoid (the ones who are drunk in the departure lounge). Don't take any liquids through customs are they will be confiscated. Same on the way back. What a crazy world we live in.
Puerto Plata airport is very straight forward. Follow the corridors around to the booth where you pay your 10$ tourist card (first time Iʼve had to pay to get into a country). Then through immigration and baggage collection. All well set out no hassles.
Arranged a pick up through Hotel Casa Valeria in Sosua. I can recommend Joaquin (1-809-5740117 cell 1-809-2653739) the taxi driver who can sort you out a trip to almost anywhere for half the price. Normally 20$ we sorted deal for $10. As I was meeting a friend from the states and was 3 hrs late he took him to the hotel and came back to pick me up. We arranged a few little trips with him and he was always early and is not going to stiff you on an agreed price (Plus he is doing a law degree and and working as a taxi driver at the same time to pay his way so props to him)
Casa Valeria is a great little place with a pool and Mayela and her German husband are very friendly and helpful. Room ending up costing 40$ a night.
Now the ex-pats among you are going to hate me from what Iʼm about to say but sorry guys I feel those who have never been to the area before should be fully in the picture when choosing. Sosua is pretty much one big whore house at night. I had an inkling there might be some prostitution as Iʼve read a few posts but I was not prepared for the sheer level. Iʼm no prude and seen plenty of whoring in Costa Rica and Panama but it was not in your face like here where at night you are constantly accosted in the bars and on the street. The whole atmosphere is rather seedy.
Iʼm a single guy so after a few drinks me and my mate pretty much laughed it off but the constant stream of fat middle aged germans/americans and very young dominican girls frankly turned my stomach. I would suggest families and couples head up the coast to Cabarete or just stay within the walls of youʼre A.I. (which is a waste of a holiday)
The main beach Playa Sosua isnʼt a lot to write home about and you will get hassled on the way down there by all the vendors. A better bet is to go to Playa Libre in El Batey which is nice little coved beach with plenty of room , nice sand and no hassle.
We hightailed it out of there pronto and on to Cabarete by guagua RD$40. The guaguas are an experience in themselves. When you think there is no way the cobrador can squeeze another person in they do. They are quite good fun but know the price before hand and have your money ready when you get out. We took numerous little trips by guagua and I think the record was 22 in a 12seater. Sitting in the front of one we noticed that the guys speedo was constantly on 0mph. At least he can plead ignorance with the cops if he breaks the speed limit .
Cabarete is a lot more easy going. We stayed at Apartamentos Sans Souci at the far east end of Cabarete for 43$. Nice balcony and right on the beach. Plenty of places to eat. Lax and Onno are good but you pay for your view on the beach. There is a great German place on the main road (think it is called schnesseliesser or something, wooden benches outside ) which does tasty roast chicken +beer specials for 140$RD.
The beach is big and the water is clean and quite calm. In the time we were there there was big constuction going on to double the size of the beach with sand brought in form Puerto Plata which they did with amazing speed and it now looks even better.
At night on the weekends the beach bars spill out onto the sand and the young crowd can have a bit of a boogie. It is mainly techno and reggaeton which might not be everyones cup of tea but the atmosphere is pretty cool and you can people watch if you want to chill. Just our luck though we ended up chatting to, yes youʼve guessed it, more prostitutes. This time it was our fault. My drunken friend didnʼt have his radar when appraoched but they were cool and we chatted about how the DR has a big problem with lack of work opportunities with the average wage for normal workers something like 500/600$ a month. No wonder so many girls turn to the streets. In fact what with the low wages and the comparatively high cost of living its amazing many of the Dominicanos survive at all.
We attempted a round of golf at Campo Azul. I should have listened to a tip from DR1. The course is in complete disrepair. Out of the 9 holes only 5 are playable. Most of the holes are par 3 with the odd par 4. If you find negotiating used nappies and crisp packets a challenge you will like this course. Shame as it could have be a nice knock about. We still got charged as if it were a decent course and that was after the bartering. We even had to have a caddy each which was a complete joke. They were cool though and I think we all made the best out of a bad situation . We were getting to realise that the DR is not a place to find a bargain.
We took the guagua back to Sosua to catch the Caribe Tours bus to Santo Domingo 7.50$. Nice ride. 4.5hrs. Stayed in Colonial Zone at place just 20m up the road from El Refugio, canʼt remember the name, which was fully booked (in fact the first 3 hotels we tried were fully booked, be warned) for $RD1000 a night. Zona colonial is the place to stay but obviously the price goes up.
The colonial zone is quite nice with lots of museums, monuments, forts, plazas ect to see. There was street theatre festival whilst we were there which was pretty cool. Casa Real was worth a visit. Interesting to see that none of the historically items were that well protected and if you had the inclination you could walk out with a couple of cannonballs and a medieval helmet as souvenirs. The main paseo is quite pleasant to stroll about with minimal hassle and with everyone milling about but one night we did see a group of people having a kickabout with a rat that had the misfortune to appear on the street. It isn't quite the running of the bulls but it seemed to keep the Dominicans entertained.
The Malecon however is a bit of dump and not the biggest outdoor party as described guidebooks (both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet are sadly lacking when it comes to accurate information on the DR). We saw a beach off the Malecon completely covered in garbage and must be used as a de facto rubbish dump.
We checked out a baseball game at the Estadio Quisqueya which was cool. Most expensive seats were 10$ which was some rare good value. Atmosphere was quite cool even if the place was half empty. We also went to the Guacara Taina the club in a cave on the outskirts of the city which was awesome. A multi - storey club in a cave with stalactites coming down from the ceiling . It felt like we were invited to disco at a Bond villains hide out. Far from being a tourist trap we were the only gringos in there. You better have your bahcata/salsa/merengue shoes on as the only two english speaking songs they played all night were House of Pain "Jump Around" and 50 Cent "In da Club". That was the only time we showed the locals how to dance. The rest of the time we mooched along like bumbling fools but we were lucky enough to have a couple young ladies show us the ropes. The whole club scene is a lot different form Europe where most people go to hook up with someone whereas it seems that most people came in mixed groups. There was no line of men with beers in hand propping up the bar.
Unfortuneately Santo Domingo was responsible for me getting ill. We had taken the usual precautions about not drinking tap water and not eating street vendor food but i got a case of food poisoning which knocked me back for a few days. I work for a travel assistance company and the DR is notorious for gastroenteritis and other digestive disorders. I would suggest you stock up on immodium and maybe take a course of antibiotics like Ciproflaxin just in case (n.b I am not a doctor and antibiotics should not really be taken without consulting a doctor)
A 9hr flight from Gatwick U.K to Puerto Plata.with Thomas Cook. Cheap flight and you get what you pay for i.e a 3 hr delay and a plane full of the kind of holiday makers I usually avoid (the ones who are drunk in the departure lounge). Don't take any liquids through customs are they will be confiscated. Same on the way back. What a crazy world we live in.
Puerto Plata airport is very straight forward. Follow the corridors around to the booth where you pay your 10$ tourist card (first time Iʼve had to pay to get into a country). Then through immigration and baggage collection. All well set out no hassles.
Arranged a pick up through Hotel Casa Valeria in Sosua. I can recommend Joaquin (1-809-5740117 cell 1-809-2653739) the taxi driver who can sort you out a trip to almost anywhere for half the price. Normally 20$ we sorted deal for $10. As I was meeting a friend from the states and was 3 hrs late he took him to the hotel and came back to pick me up. We arranged a few little trips with him and he was always early and is not going to stiff you on an agreed price (Plus he is doing a law degree and and working as a taxi driver at the same time to pay his way so props to him)
Casa Valeria is a great little place with a pool and Mayela and her German husband are very friendly and helpful. Room ending up costing 40$ a night.
Now the ex-pats among you are going to hate me from what Iʼm about to say but sorry guys I feel those who have never been to the area before should be fully in the picture when choosing. Sosua is pretty much one big whore house at night. I had an inkling there might be some prostitution as Iʼve read a few posts but I was not prepared for the sheer level. Iʼm no prude and seen plenty of whoring in Costa Rica and Panama but it was not in your face like here where at night you are constantly accosted in the bars and on the street. The whole atmosphere is rather seedy.
Iʼm a single guy so after a few drinks me and my mate pretty much laughed it off but the constant stream of fat middle aged germans/americans and very young dominican girls frankly turned my stomach. I would suggest families and couples head up the coast to Cabarete or just stay within the walls of youʼre A.I. (which is a waste of a holiday)
The main beach Playa Sosua isnʼt a lot to write home about and you will get hassled on the way down there by all the vendors. A better bet is to go to Playa Libre in El Batey which is nice little coved beach with plenty of room , nice sand and no hassle.
We hightailed it out of there pronto and on to Cabarete by guagua RD$40. The guaguas are an experience in themselves. When you think there is no way the cobrador can squeeze another person in they do. They are quite good fun but know the price before hand and have your money ready when you get out. We took numerous little trips by guagua and I think the record was 22 in a 12seater. Sitting in the front of one we noticed that the guys speedo was constantly on 0mph. At least he can plead ignorance with the cops if he breaks the speed limit .
Cabarete is a lot more easy going. We stayed at Apartamentos Sans Souci at the far east end of Cabarete for 43$. Nice balcony and right on the beach. Plenty of places to eat. Lax and Onno are good but you pay for your view on the beach. There is a great German place on the main road (think it is called schnesseliesser or something, wooden benches outside ) which does tasty roast chicken +beer specials for 140$RD.
The beach is big and the water is clean and quite calm. In the time we were there there was big constuction going on to double the size of the beach with sand brought in form Puerto Plata which they did with amazing speed and it now looks even better.
At night on the weekends the beach bars spill out onto the sand and the young crowd can have a bit of a boogie. It is mainly techno and reggaeton which might not be everyones cup of tea but the atmosphere is pretty cool and you can people watch if you want to chill. Just our luck though we ended up chatting to, yes youʼve guessed it, more prostitutes. This time it was our fault. My drunken friend didnʼt have his radar when appraoched but they were cool and we chatted about how the DR has a big problem with lack of work opportunities with the average wage for normal workers something like 500/600$ a month. No wonder so many girls turn to the streets. In fact what with the low wages and the comparatively high cost of living its amazing many of the Dominicanos survive at all.
We attempted a round of golf at Campo Azul. I should have listened to a tip from DR1. The course is in complete disrepair. Out of the 9 holes only 5 are playable. Most of the holes are par 3 with the odd par 4. If you find negotiating used nappies and crisp packets a challenge you will like this course. Shame as it could have be a nice knock about. We still got charged as if it were a decent course and that was after the bartering. We even had to have a caddy each which was a complete joke. They were cool though and I think we all made the best out of a bad situation . We were getting to realise that the DR is not a place to find a bargain.
We took the guagua back to Sosua to catch the Caribe Tours bus to Santo Domingo 7.50$. Nice ride. 4.5hrs. Stayed in Colonial Zone at place just 20m up the road from El Refugio, canʼt remember the name, which was fully booked (in fact the first 3 hotels we tried were fully booked, be warned) for $RD1000 a night. Zona colonial is the place to stay but obviously the price goes up.
The colonial zone is quite nice with lots of museums, monuments, forts, plazas ect to see. There was street theatre festival whilst we were there which was pretty cool. Casa Real was worth a visit. Interesting to see that none of the historically items were that well protected and if you had the inclination you could walk out with a couple of cannonballs and a medieval helmet as souvenirs. The main paseo is quite pleasant to stroll about with minimal hassle and with everyone milling about but one night we did see a group of people having a kickabout with a rat that had the misfortune to appear on the street. It isn't quite the running of the bulls but it seemed to keep the Dominicans entertained.
The Malecon however is a bit of dump and not the biggest outdoor party as described guidebooks (both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet are sadly lacking when it comes to accurate information on the DR). We saw a beach off the Malecon completely covered in garbage and must be used as a de facto rubbish dump.
We checked out a baseball game at the Estadio Quisqueya which was cool. Most expensive seats were 10$ which was some rare good value. Atmosphere was quite cool even if the place was half empty. We also went to the Guacara Taina the club in a cave on the outskirts of the city which was awesome. A multi - storey club in a cave with stalactites coming down from the ceiling . It felt like we were invited to disco at a Bond villains hide out. Far from being a tourist trap we were the only gringos in there. You better have your bahcata/salsa/merengue shoes on as the only two english speaking songs they played all night were House of Pain "Jump Around" and 50 Cent "In da Club". That was the only time we showed the locals how to dance. The rest of the time we mooched along like bumbling fools but we were lucky enough to have a couple young ladies show us the ropes. The whole club scene is a lot different form Europe where most people go to hook up with someone whereas it seems that most people came in mixed groups. There was no line of men with beers in hand propping up the bar.
Unfortuneately Santo Domingo was responsible for me getting ill. We had taken the usual precautions about not drinking tap water and not eating street vendor food but i got a case of food poisoning which knocked me back for a few days. I work for a travel assistance company and the DR is notorious for gastroenteritis and other digestive disorders. I would suggest you stock up on immodium and maybe take a course of antibiotics like Ciproflaxin just in case (n.b I am not a doctor and antibiotics should not really be taken without consulting a doctor)