First Place You Visited In DR

[keepcoming]

So as I was thinking today ( we are moving out of Santo Domingo, long story) and being a bit nostalgic, where was the first place I went as a "tourist" when I came/moved here. Mine was Playa Palenque. My spouse has friends in Juan Baron (still do) and they took me to Playa Palenque. But there were so many places back then that I went to. But Playa Palenque I remember. (La Petite Chateau, another story).

 

[AlterEgo]

I may be the only other person here who knows Juan Baron well 😊

I first went to Santo Domingo in 1975 as a tourist fleeing NYC winter. Me and 4 girlfriends. I met them at JFK and had no clue where DR was, all I knew was it was warm. We stayed at the Embajador. Went to Zona Colonial, but mostly spent days at the pool and nights dancing.

The north coast was not tourist oriented and Punta Cana didn’t exist. We went to Boca Chica, Embassy Beach, Playa Najayo.

 

[thompstr]

So as I was thinking today ( we are moving out of Santo Domingo, long story) and being a bit nostalgic, where was the first place I went as a "tourist" when I came/moved here. Mine was Playa Palenque. My spouse has friends in Juan Baron (still do) and they took me to Playa Palenque. But there were so many places back then that I went to. But Playa Palenque I remember. (La Petite Chateau, another story).

For me landed at pop
Went outside for a smoke,seen beer for sale , bought to quarts,then headed to the bus to take me to Be Alive resort,at playa dora...lol

 

[keepcoming]

Back then we stayed at the Sheraton (before it changed hands a few times). I remember the Embajador, had a Chinese restaurant that was good. Best playas were Boca Chica, Playa Palenque, etc... Biggest super was Nacional ( that I know of). The memories take me back. The Malecon in Santo Doming was different then. Lots of places to sit, drink, eat and listen to music. The Sheraton had a "disco" you walked downstairs to. One of the first bands I ever heard that night was Josie Esteban and the Patrulla 15 and the Los Hermanos Rosario (way before Tono). And learned what a olla de orinar is...lol

 

[Ken]

We crossed from the Turks and Caicos in our sailboat and docked in Puerto Plata. After a few days there we went to Samana and made it our home port for about 17 years, traveling from there numerous times to Puerto Rico and then to Venezuela with many stops in between

 

[keepcoming]

This is a feel good thread, nothing negative. So many here on DR1 have an interesting "story". It is fun to go back in the day. I hope more DR1'ers reply.

 

[BelgianMik]

I fell in love with a Dominican women who was living in Belgium for years and years (she even had the Belgian nationality when I met here), so when we got together, we went to the Dominican Republic to visit her parents who lived in Puerto Plata, so the first place I visited was Puerto Plata, but right away we did a tour of the island and went to all the big places.
... that was 13 years ago and now I live in Puerto Plata 8 years. Still love it.

 

[JD Jones]

My "G" rated version. I first visited mid-1970 on a R & R stop on a Coast Guard ship.
Just turned 18 years old and discovered drinking and nightclubs. The XO of the ship got plastered and bought a Thompson machine gun from some soldier on the street who promptly told his superiors who came to reclaim it.
Needless to say, they weren't too happy and we had to leave port the next day.
The attention I got as a young, tall, blue-eyed gringo was more than enough to make me return regularly until I got a job here.

 

[AlterEgo]

Back then we stayed at the Sheraton (before it changed hands a few times). I remember the Embajador, had a Chinese restaurant that was good. Best playas were Boca Chica, Playa Palenque, etc... Biggest super was Nacional ( that I know of). The memories take me back. The Malecon in Santo Doming was different then. Lots of places to sit, drink, eat and listen to music. The Sheraton had a "disco" you walked downstairs to. One of the first bands I ever heard that night was Josie Esteban and the Patrulla 15 and the Los Hermanos Rosario (way before Tono). And learned what a olla de orinar is...lol

We stayed at the Sheraton in 1978, I remember the year because it was the last childless trip there. My husband’s kid brother was the lifeguard and I stayed way too long in the sun talking to him and paid the price. I probably should have seen a doctor for the burn. A couple of days later we decided to take a road trip because I had to stay out of the sun. Went up to Puerto Plata (not one hotel, but the Montemar was switching from a boy’s school to a hotel and they let us spend the night), stopped in Sosua (absolutely deserted), took the road east then came south and eventually back to SD.

At night we often went to the Mauna Loa night club, live music, we saw so many of the famous groups up close in that little place. Or the nearby Hunca Munca.

Very very few tourists in those days.

 

[Squat]

Luperón (Puerto Plata), when I first sailed in many years ago...

 

[AlterEgo]

Luperón (Puerto Plata), when I first sailed in many years ago...

I’m always intrigued by those who come by boat (I have a totally irrational fear of open water). Where did you originate? Florida? What made you choose DR?

 

[JD Jones]

"Very very few tourists in those days."

Worth mentioning again. Spotting a tourist or even a non-native back then was almost nonexistent. I went for months without seeing one.

 

[Abuela]

My husband surprised me with our first trip to the DR and we stayed in Playa Dorada. We fell in love with the people we met. We went off the "reservation" contrary to hotel instructions and explored the North Coast. We'd found a country we would return to many times to visit and ultimately to retire.

 

[LTDan]

My "G" rated version. I first visited mid-1970 on a R & R stop on a Coast Guard ship.
Just turned 18 years old and discovered drinking and nightclubs. The XO of the ship got plastered and bought a Thompson machine gun from some soldier on the street who promptly told his superiors who came to reclaim it.
Needless to say, they weren't too happy and we had to leave port the next day.
The attention I got as a young, tall, blue-eyed gringo was more than enough to make me return regularly until I got a job here.

CG "ship"?

 

[caribmike]

Luperón 1996.

 

[Squat]

I’m always intrigued by those who come by boat (I have a totally irrational fear of open water). Where did you originate? Florida? What made you choose DR?

Long story, so many private details... One day we'll sit down around a drink

 

[Kipling333]

It was so many years ago,but on my first trip I stayed at the lovely old Hotel Frances in Zona Colonial and then went by bus to Sosua via Santiago and San Francisco and Puerto Plata and stayed at a nice hotel where all the senior Government officials allegedly had their dirty week ends and then I stayed at another lovely hotel, alas no longer operating, called Hotel Catalina outside Cabrera and played golf at Playa Grande. The North Coast,especially around Cabrera was lovely then but I was put off by the roads, the bus drivers thought they were driving armored tanks, and lack of quality hospitals. So I headed east, bought land and returned to live a few years later.

 

[whirleybird]

Mr WB and I came here for 2 weeks holiday in 2005 specifically to look at property we wanted to live in, so, we broke the rules and bought our finca which is in the foothills of the mountain up towards Jamao. After Mr WB died (11 years ago), I decided to stay here as it's beautiful and has a small river which supplies all the water needs. I only have 7 dogs now (at one time was 14 dogs + 2 cats) but it is basically too big for me now. Margo and Tuly (my workers) live on the property in their own 3 bedroom casita and don't know how I would survive without them being a bit elderly now (me that is)! That first place we stayed was the AI between Sosua and Cabarete (can't remember the name it was then but it had a Casino and has been closed for a long time now)

 

[Kipling333]

Well,whirleybird, I am a widower and also live on a largish farm and the fact that in the DR you can find someone or more to look after you as you are heading towards the last stage in life is a great reason to build up a life here while you are younger ..just as you have done.

 

[Gadfly]

Mr WB and I came here for 2 weeks holiday in 2005 specifically to look at property we wanted to live in, so, we broke the rules and bought our finca which is in the foothills of the mountain up towards Jamao. After Mr WB died (11 years ago), I decided to stay here as it's beautiful and has a small river which supplies all the water needs. I only have 7 dogs now (at one time was 14 dogs + 2 cats) but it is basically too big for me now. Margo and Tuly (my workers) live on the property in their own 3 bedroom casita tp and don't know how I would survive without them being a bit elderly now (me that is)! That first place we stayed was the AI between Sosua and Cabarete (can't remember the name it was then but it had a Casino and has been closed for a long time now)

Breezes ?