Newbie Questions!

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
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Hi guys,

I'm thinking about coming to the dominican, I work online so I can stay as long as I want, probably 6 months+

I'm sure these questions have been asked before but every time I start reading a post on here I get sucked in for 4 hours :).

I would like to see peoples answers to all these questions, rather than get different answers from different people, so I can judge experiences and opinions as a whole.

If you've got time to answer these I'd be very greatful!

1. Where is the best place to live at first for a newcomer - English, single male, 26 years, likes a drink (social),clubs, wants to meet girls, wouldnt mind finding mates my age, wanna be near the beach, I can't speak Spanish but I'm good at learning new languages.

2. On a budget of $2500 US per month all in what could i expect? Apartment? How many nights out? etc

3. I would need to live somewhere central, I don't want to buy a car and I can't ride a ped/motorbike for the next 12 months as I'm recovering from an open fracture on my elbow. Is that possible on my budget? What are taxi costs? Are central apartments expensive?

4. I need a stable internet connection to work, mainly Skype calls, Skype chat, emails, uploading to Google Docs. What's it like there and how much does it cost?

I have been looking around the forums and found some great advice, so if there are any other threads that answer these questions please post the link as I haven't found them.

Thanks in advance,

Cheers,

Reece.

:)
 

AndyGriffith

New member
Mar 11, 2010
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First of all...It is not 'The Dominican'. It is the Dominican Republic or La Republica Dominicana. Secondly, I would probably just move to central part of Santo Domingo: areas such as Naco, Piantini, Serralles, Paraiso, Evaristo Morales, La Esperilla, Julia-these are the areas that are close enough to going out to clubs, malls, etc.
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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You can live quite comfortably in Cabarete on $2.500 and is touristy with plenty of younger ones to mix with, loads of clean partying and so is a good first venue to settle for a while.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
11
2
0
First of all...It is not 'The Dominican'. It is the Dominican Republic or La Republica Dominicana.

Sorry I flicked the channel over on the thomas cook advert before they said Republic, thought it was just the Dominican.

Thanks I'll check those areas out.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
11
2
0
You can live quite comfortably in Cabarete on $2.500 and is touristy with plenty of younger ones to mix with, loads of clean partying and so is a good first venue to settle for a while.

Sounds good, I'll check it out, thanks.
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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First of all...It is not 'The Dominican'. It is the Dominican Republic or La Republica Dominicana. Secondly, I would probably just move to central part of Santo Domingo: areas such as Naco, Piantini, Serralles, Paraiso, Evaristo Morales, La Esperilla, Julia-these are the areas that are close enough to going out to clubs, malls, etc.

Nothing wrong with calling here the Dominican, the Republic or anything else the guy wants to, so whats with the attitude?

Santo Domingo isn't a good first venue (in my opinion)to base yourself. Big, and so difficult to get into a social circle, the Capital, so very expensive, not near a beach and taxis until you learn your way around will cost a fortune.
But as he said, he can read into each post what is good advice and what is not.
 

AndyGriffith

New member
Mar 11, 2010
326
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0
Nothing wrong with calling here the Dominican, the Republic or anything else the guy wants to, so whats with the attitude?

Santo Domingo isn't a good first venue (in my opinion)to base yourself. Big, and so difficult to get into a social circle, the Capital, so very expensive, not near a beach and taxis until you learn your way around will cost a fortune.
But as he said, he can read into each post what is good advice and what is not.

Well what kind of girls does the poster want to meet? Does he want to live in Cabarete and meet Euro tourist girls? I would figure one would want to get into more the city night life with all its options, but what do I know. No attitude, it's just that when people say 'The Dominican', it makes you look like the new guy in town, but the poster did say 'newbie'.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
11
2
0
Nothing wrong with calling here the Dominican, the Republic or anything else the guy wants to, so whats with the attitude?

Santo Domingo isn't a good first venue (in my opinion)to base yourself. Big, and so difficult to get into a social circle, the Capital, so very expensive, not near a beach and taxis until you learn your way around will cost a fortune.
But as he said, he can read into each post what is good advice and what is not.

I've just been having a look at some apartments in cabrete, just the first results in Google. Already seen some sweet looking ones for $400.
Is it like everywhere else i the world where you can knock ~20% off the internet price when you get there?
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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Most things are for bargaining, although you will find on apartments expats are the better landlords for that. In my experience Dominicans would rather lose the deal than drop the rent. On all else you can probably expect to reduce the price, I'm not quite sure what it is when it comes to property though.
I think around $400 is what you can expect to pay in Cabarete for a cute place to live. Best pay a little more for a month only and then hunt around on foot when there, you will pick upsetter deals by just calling numbers on the advertising boards and networking around the other young ones there. People are always coming and going so someone always knows of a place about to come up or is next door or whatever. Good luck, you'll have fun if you choose cabarete.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
11
2
0
Most things are for bargaining, although you will find on apartments expats are the better landlords for that. In my experience Dominicans would rather lose the deal than drop the rent. On all else you can probably expect to reduce the price, I'm not quite sure what it is when it comes to property though.
I think around $400 is what you can expect to pay in Cabarete for a cute place to live. Best pay a little more for a month only and then hunt around on foot when there, you will pick upsetter deals by just calling numbers on the advertising boards and networking around the other young ones there. People are always coming and going so someone always knows of a place about to come up or is next door or whatever. Good luck, you'll have fun if you choose cabarete.

Ok cool, are there any particular areas of Cabrete I should be looking into?
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
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I would figure one would want to get into more the city night life with all its options, but what do I know.

Do you think it would be a bit overwhelming moving to Santo Domingo, never been to the country before, don't know the language and that. Or are there expat areas?
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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Well what kind of girls does the poster want to meet? Does he want to live in Cabarete and meet Euro tourist girls? I would figure one would want to get into more the city night life with all its options, but what do I know. No attitude, it's just that when people say 'The Dominican', it makes you look like the new guy in town, but the poster did say 'newbie'.

I dunno, I've been around several years and call it the dominican, so do most people I know. Anyway, not even worth the energy to debate that.

Interesting you would choose here in Santo Domingo over the north coast for meeting people, making a social circle. Remember he doesn't speak Spanish either, would make living here almost impossible for day to day living.
When I lived over on the north I found it a brilliant place go party and make friends, meet women. Here in the capital it is so much more difficult, I couldn't live here if I didn't have my family around me, I'd go nuts from bordom.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
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Can you be specific about where that happens????

Bungalows on Koh samui were listed online at 12k Baht+, I ended up paying 7.5k with free broadband.

I think a lot of these websites charge a lot more than what you would pay if you went to the landlord directly. They're putting their commisions on top aren't they?

Maybe I'm wrong, I'm just saying what I've experienced in Bangkok and on Koh Samui.

When my x girlfriend was getting a room in London it was the same, so not 'everywhere else in the world' just 'England & Thailand' :)

I might be looking in the wrong places, if you know where I should be looking please let me know, I'm only using front page results on Google.
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
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Punta Cana/DR
www.mikefisher.fun
if they are on Google's frontpage Results those places must be top notch, lolol.
Germans name the Island DomRep as common usual naming, Dominicans refer to their country in smalltalks as 'La Republica/The Republic' or 'El Pais', nothing wrong when a english speaking foreigner name's it The Dominican as a shortcut for The Dominican Republic and btw a large number of english speaking Visitors whom I know and who visit several Times per Year name it that way, too, so it is usual every Day's language, nothing wrong nor offensive on it.

to plan right away a 6+months stay for a Newbie who never been on the Isle nor speaks the language to settle down quicker?, sounds like an Adventure, but some like exactly that.
I would see the Capital City as the wrong Place to start from scratch, the Northshore would be a more suitable Place for the starting Months IMHO.
good luck
Mike
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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Do you think it would be a bit overwhelming moving to Santo Domingo, never been to the country before, don't know the language and that. Or are there expat areas?

Just impossible without some Spanish, very lonely here young and without friends around. Very expensive, nothing at all like you might think, just like any capital city anywhere, but very humid, probably slot safer than London, which is a good point I suppose, but if you work online I see absolutely no need to surround yourself with city life.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
11
2
0
if they are on Google's frontpage Results those places must be top notch, lolol.
Germans name the Island DomRep as common usual naming, Dominicans refer to their country in smalltalks as 'La Republica/The Republic' or 'El Pais', nothing wrong when a english speaking foreigner name's it The Dominican as a shortcut for The Dominican Republic and btw a large number of english speaking Visitors whom I know and who visit several Times per Year name it that way, too, so it is usual every Day's language, nothing wrong nor offensive on it.

to plan right away a 6+months stay for a Newbie who never been on the Isle nor speaks the language to settle down quicker?, sounds like an Adventure, but some like exactly that.
I would see the Capital City as the wrong Place to start from scratch, the Northshore would be a more suitable Place for the starting Months IMHO.
good luck
Mike

Thanks Mike, I'll keep looking into Cabrete then, seems like a good place to start.

I don't like going on holiday, I hate it - I can't handle coming home, lol. So I like to go to places for long stretches. I don't plan to come back to the UK after so if I like it there I could stay for years. Just not making any definate plans.
Cheers.
 
Mar 1, 2009
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Hey Reece good luck in your DR quest. My sister in law has come to DR three times and she still say's that her favorite place was Cabarete. I've never been there but she is italian-american not Dominican at all like me, or her husband my brother (who yes was with her all three times). So if she enjoyed and she doesn't speak the language either than I think you will too.
 

Reece666

New member
Oct 18, 2010
11
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Just impossible without some Spanish, very lonely here young and without friends around. Very expensive, nothing at all like you might think, just like any capital city anywhere, but very humid, probably slot safer than London, which is a good point I suppose, but if you work online I see absolutely no need to surround yourself with city life.

I know what it's like. I lived in East Bangkok for 6 months, only 3 foreigners where I lived and none of the Thais spoke English at all. I had to live there at the time it was the only place I could get a job.

The only positive was the couple of mates I did have were top blokes and I learnt thai very quickly - I had to.

I don't really wan't to get into that situation again so you seem to be exactly on my level with what your saying.

Cabrete it is then!

BTW - Do expats tend to get bikes/cars (the younger ones with no family) or is there no need?
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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I know what it's like. I lived in East Bangkok for 6 months, only 3 foreigners where I lived and none of the Thais spoke English at all. I had to live there at the time it was the only place I could get a job.

The only positive was the couple of mates I did have were top blokes and I learnt thai very quickly - I had to.

I don't really wan't to get into that situation again so you seem to be exactly on my level with what your saying.

Cabrete it is then!

BTW - Do expats tend to get bikes/cars (the younger ones with no family) or is there no need?



No need really, plenty public transport at peanut costs to the surrounding villages, but Cabarete is small you you don't need it for there, at most jump on a moto and have him drive you where ever.