option for getting from santo domingo to puerto plata

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kathyhealy

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Jan 21, 2008
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I am traveling with a group of 11 people to DR in june. Our flight lands in santo domingo, however our hotel is in puerto plata. Are there regular dometic flights that we can take? All the info i find is charter flights and those are $3000 and up.....please help me out.
 
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fightfish

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Jan 11, 2008
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One option is to travel by Caribe tours bus. Very comfortable greyhound busses, super inexpensive, and about a 4 hour trip. From Santo Domingo airport, get a taxi or two(vans) to take your to Caribe tours, then hop a bus from SD to POP.
 
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nlove88

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Aug 12, 2005
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Fightfish is right - Definitely go the Caribe Tours option. They are comfortable coaches, comparable to Greyhound in America, they have a bathroom on board and you even get to watch 2-3 wonderful Bruce Lee movies dubbed in Spanish! The only danger these buses pose is the possibility of freezing your a** off because they crank they A/C to the max, so just remember a sweatshirt!

At the Santo Domingo airport, getting a couple of taxi vans shouldn't be a problem and they will take you right to the Caribe Tours station. Buses leave every hour until 7PM I believe but I may be wrong on that one.

I was in the same situation as you for my most current trip. I was staying near POP but I had to fly into Santo Domingo. I always go Caribe Tours if I can as it is so easy and SO cheap. I paid 280 pesos to get to Sosua (the bus stops in POP before continuing on to Sosua) so your trip should be a little less than that (6-8 dollars!!)

If you can read Spanish, here is the website for Caribe Tours for more detailed information about hours, location, etc.

http://www.caribetours.com.do/
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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With 11 people it is much better to hire a large van to pick you up at the airport and take you directly to your hotel. No taxis, no splitting up the group....

there are two options I can think of right off the bat.
JJ at Welcome To Paradise Transportation
and Transporte Jimenez.

Let me know if you need any more help...but check out JJ first and get back to us.

HB
 
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kathyhealy

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Jan 21, 2008
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ohh that was fast

heyy i like this forum, such quick reply's. I like the opties however i would prefer to go by air as there will be two babies and two 70+ seniors traveling with us. If there are no flight options then i guess we'll take the bus or van. Someone had made arrangements for us with a bus and it would be $300 one way for the group, but after these comments i'm starting to get that funny feeling :pirate:...... you know which one i'm talking about....
We are staying at the Hacienda lifestyle resorts (the villa's)....... any reviews on that resort??

Kathy
 
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nlove88

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Aug 12, 2005
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I am pretty sure there are flight(s) from Santo Domingo to POP, however I don't know any information on flight times, airlines, etc. There used to be an airline called Air Santo Domingo that did a daily SDQ-POP flight but I believe they shut down a while ago.

Hillbilly is right, I have used JJ with Paradise Transportation two times, via Hillbilly's recommendation :), and they are incredibly professional, nice and helpful people. If I didn't want to go the Caribe Tours route involving a short wait for the bus and a few taxis in between, I would definitely go with Paradise Transportation.
 
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planner

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Sep 23, 2002
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Contact Martin at Isaira Tours He is very reputable. He will arrange your pickup an return to the airport. He operates out of Puerto Plata not too far from your hotel.

Use the search function on this board to look up the Hacienda Resort. There is a fair bit of info on it already. The resort is a decent one. The food at the buffet is ok but the restaurant food is really good. Drinks are always good, nice pools and beach....
 
J D Sauser

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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www.hispanosuizainvest.com
Metro Tours is 30 minutes faster over Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata because they stop only once in Santiago and don't stop off the Hwy close to La Vega. They are considered by some to be cleaner too.
But they don't travel as often as Caribe Tours:

Metro Servicios Turisticos

If you want to Google Earth the locations of Caribe Tours and Metro, copy these coordinates into the "Fly to" window of your GoogleEarth program and hit "Enter".

Caribe Tours Santo Domingo: 18?28'33.93"N, 69?54'26.19"W
Caribe Tours Puerto Plata: 19?47'30.05"N, 70?41'52.74"W

Metro Santo Domingo: 18?27'52.96"N, 69?56'11.71"W
Metro Puerto Plata: 19?47'41.07"N, 70?41'12.83"W

Santo Domingo Las Americas SDQ Airport is: 18?25'43.78"N, 69?40'11.40"W

Puerto Plata's "Playa Dorada": 19?46'7.04"N, 70?38'36.83"W

... J-D.
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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If you want you can call Transporte Jimenez, here is their phone number : 809 310 3357

Compare. IF you contact Paradise ask Roc?o for a good price...she knows how to make the deal work for you both....

HB
 
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italnstallion99

Member
May 17, 2011
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can someone tell me where in puerto plata this bus leaves you? I am going to fly into SDQ b/c it's much cheaper just need to know where the bus leaves me so I can caculate if it's worth it.

Also I should be able to take this bus back to SDQ from pop when leaving?
 
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LindseyKaufman

Silver
Aug 21, 2007
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This is a very old thread you have responded to , itainstallopm99. I don't know where you are coming from, but it is a 4 hour drive from Santo Domingo. How long are you staying here on the North Coast? Is it worth the time for you to take 4 hours of transportation up to here after your flight? And then do the same on the return?

My experience is that, sometimes, the extra $100 dollars or so a flight costs will pay for the hotel or transportation if I choose the other option.

But, to each his own....

Lindsey
 
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missyinbrazil

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Sep 14, 2005
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Also keep in mind you will have to pay at least $30-$40 US dollars to get a taxi from SDQ to the Metro or Caribe tours. Metro is much nicer and they are both around the same price. You will also make a stop in Santiago for about 20 to 30 minutes while they unload and load more people for the next part of the trip to puerto plata (both buses). If the airfare is under $150 difference then do not go to SDQ I've learned the hard way its not worth it.
 
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italnstallion99

Member
May 17, 2011
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gotchya thank you very much. Something to keep in mind. I don't think the difference is 150. So I will try and find deals to POP. I didn't know the cab from sdq to the caribe tours or metro would be that much. If thats the case it is not worth it.
 
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SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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Hey you guys, my vacation turned work. I have 8 days in POP with my kids but now I will have to go to the capital for a few meetings. Being as Caribe Tours and El Metro are 4 hour rides, I think that we will stay the night in the Capital and go back to our resort the next day. I doubt if the kids would tolerate 8 hours of bus riding in 1 day. What's a decently priced hotel in SD with a pool and preferably continental breakfast? Doesn't have to be fancy smancy but clean and comfortable, and not a place where obvious gentlemen bring their "friends"
Thanks

SHALENA
 
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zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
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Caribe scares the hell out of me coming down into Puerto Plata. They must be running 85 down that mountain with deadly drop offs on either side of the highway. I keep waiting to read about the accident where all the bus passengers are killed. Next time you take that trip look out the window on the way down, the scenery is a blur. With a large bus its harder to judge the speed of the vehicle but they are flying. For me I like good old slow local Transporte Cibao. And the difference in drive time is negligible.
 
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