Just got back from my first trip to the DR, and we had a great time. After a few days exploring the colonial zone and malecon in Santo Domingo, we wanted to figure a way to Barahona without dropping a bundle of $$ on car rental and $6.50/gal gas. Finally got help from DomRep Tours (thanks, Juan) who had an office in the colonial zone and sat with us for a while to figure out a plan. We took Caribe Tours to Barahona (yeah, my Spanish came in very handy there) where we were picked up by Cesar and taken to their family run B&B, Ranch Don Cesar. It was outstanding with nicely done European style bathrooms, great landscaping, very good food. We felt a little isolated not having our own car, though, but Cesar was great at hauling us up into the mountains to see their farms (fascinating!!!) and to Paraiso to explore the little village there. DomRep set up a tour to get us to Bahia de las Aguilas, since snorkeling there was a priority for us. Overall a fantastic experience and very doable if you don't want to rent a car. However, although it wasn't as pricey as staying at Casa Bonita or some Punta Cana resort, we did drop a few bucks to have all meals done at the B&B since the food was totally organic and healthy and to do that tour to haul us out to the Bahia. It's a viable option for those not wanting to rent a car yet see that area.