Hi all. Firstly, I want to express my appreciation for this site. It gave me a lot of useful information for planning my first trip to DR. I married a dominicana 5 years ago and ever since we have been trying to make plans to go down to visit some of her family that I?ve never met and see her country. We finally got to go a few weeks ago. We could only stay for 8 days but it at least gave me a taste of what DR is like. We spent 3 days in the capital with her family and 5 days in El Cortecito in the Punta Cana area.
If I had to summarize DR in one word, I would have to say?.HOT! As soon as we walked out of the airport, it felt like I hit a wall of heat and humidity. I was expecting it would be hot but it was even worse than I thought. I was surprised to find that it seemed like even the locals were uncomfortable in the heat but that they just deal with it. When you go to someone?s home, along with a drink, they may even offer you a napkin to wipe your forehead as a courtesy. But that being said, the next word I would describe the country as is BEAUTIFUL. It?s very lush and diverse landscape and of course incredible beaches.
My experience in the capital was good overall. I was expecting the worst, wondering what the neighborhood would be like that I was going to stay in since there would be no other tourists and you always hear about the crime there. I can honestly say that at no time during my entire trip did I feel threatened or nervous. I of course kept my eyes open especially in certain areas and kept everything close to me without flashing around a lot of money or fancy items. I never even noticed anyone eyeing me suspiciously. We stayed with my wife?s family in Mirador Norte north of Parque Mirador Sur. The neighborhood seemed like it would be considered middle class for Santo Domingo. There was a lot of building projects for new apartments there. We walked around a little and went to the park one evening. I also saw the east side when we visited with my wife?s half brother who lives in Invivienda. As far as I can tell, this would be considered the ?hood? because there was a lot of projects type buildings that look alike and conditions weren?t too good. Even so, I didn?t feel unsafe. We also went to the north to visit her grandfather in Santa Cruz.
I was impressed with some modern things that the city offered. We went to Mega Centro Mall on the east side and it felt like I was in any mall in the US. They are even building a subway system now. The traffic is a nightmare though. Fortunately, I didn?t have to drive. I depended on my wife?s family and public transportation. I found it interesting how the carros publicos (public cars) work. Everyone uses hand signals to communicate with the drivers as to what direction they need to go. It?s like a language of its own. The power outages were another annoyance. Two out of three days, the power went out but everyone keeps going there even when the traffic lights stopped working.
We didn?t get to see a lot in the capital since we had a short amount of time and had a lot of family to visit. We drove up and down the Malecon and ate at Adrian?s restaurant on the coast. I tried mofongo for the first time and enjoyed it. We walked a little in the colonial zone but I would have liked to spend more time there and walk on el conde. We visited the branch of Jehovah?s Witnesses east of the city, which was a nice experience.
While we were on the east side, we went to tres ojos. That was really interesting. We took my wife?s cousin because he had never been there. (I?ve found that many locals have never seen some of the attractions that their country has to offer.) Tres ojos was very interesting. We paid to have a tour guide show us around. I normally don?t do this but he was a professional and had worked there for 18 years so we learned a lot more than if we had just walked around on our own. If you go, ask for Carlos. It felt like we were in prehistoric times in some of the parts of the caves and lakes. Even saw a cayman (small croc) at the edge of the water.
After 3 days, we took a bus (Sitrabapu) from the capital to Cortecito which is on the east coast near Bavaro. It was very convenient and dropped us off right at the corner of town. We were told it was just a short walk to get to our B&B and I was glad to find out it was. We stayed at La Posada de Piedra which is a small B&B right on the beach in between the resorts. I chose it because it was close to town and more personal than a resort (and it was really cheap!). You can read about our experience there in another one of my threads. We liked some things about it but we decided to move across the street to El Cortecito Inn mostly for a/c. Cortecito was smaller than I hoped it would be. There were about 5 restaurants and mostly souvenir shops. One day, we took motoconchos to Bavaro and Punta Cana Plazas to do some shopping and to have an authentic domincan meal. All of the restaurants in Cortecito serve tourist food. There was one restaurant that served real dominican food there, the Baracan. It was in an alley and didn?t look very clean when we walked by the first day. After looking at it again at the end of our trip, I think we would have tried it.
The beach was INCREDIBLE! Beautiful white sand and green/blue waters. Palm trees blowing in the breeze. Downside: aggressive vendors and old europeans not wearing enough clothes. Both can be ignored. We went for a swim and even got pulled into a dance lesson at one of the resorts. As nice as the beach was, it was nothing compared to Isla Saona. We went on an excursion there and it was like our own private paradise. You can read about it in another one of my threads.
We went to the famous Captain Cooks for seafood one night since it was right down from our hotel. Excellent! We ordered a paella dish that was enough for 4 people. It starts with a salad and appetizers and then the main dish which had whole shrip and lobster tail. It was too much for us. Then, they finish the meal with a bowl of fruit and some mamajuana. Great experience for only $30 total.
And that?s about it. We had a great time and travel was unexpectedly smooth at the airports and bus stations. Now, I have a nice tan although I?m peeling a little from that day at Saona. Even my wife got burnt a little. I?m also scratching a lot of mosquito bites hoping that they didn?t give me malaria or dengue. And since I?m back in frigid Ohio, I?ve got a cold. But my memories of DR will be with me forever or at least until I can go back again.
Vince D
P.S. - contact me if you'd like to see the pics
If I had to summarize DR in one word, I would have to say?.HOT! As soon as we walked out of the airport, it felt like I hit a wall of heat and humidity. I was expecting it would be hot but it was even worse than I thought. I was surprised to find that it seemed like even the locals were uncomfortable in the heat but that they just deal with it. When you go to someone?s home, along with a drink, they may even offer you a napkin to wipe your forehead as a courtesy. But that being said, the next word I would describe the country as is BEAUTIFUL. It?s very lush and diverse landscape and of course incredible beaches.
My experience in the capital was good overall. I was expecting the worst, wondering what the neighborhood would be like that I was going to stay in since there would be no other tourists and you always hear about the crime there. I can honestly say that at no time during my entire trip did I feel threatened or nervous. I of course kept my eyes open especially in certain areas and kept everything close to me without flashing around a lot of money or fancy items. I never even noticed anyone eyeing me suspiciously. We stayed with my wife?s family in Mirador Norte north of Parque Mirador Sur. The neighborhood seemed like it would be considered middle class for Santo Domingo. There was a lot of building projects for new apartments there. We walked around a little and went to the park one evening. I also saw the east side when we visited with my wife?s half brother who lives in Invivienda. As far as I can tell, this would be considered the ?hood? because there was a lot of projects type buildings that look alike and conditions weren?t too good. Even so, I didn?t feel unsafe. We also went to the north to visit her grandfather in Santa Cruz.
I was impressed with some modern things that the city offered. We went to Mega Centro Mall on the east side and it felt like I was in any mall in the US. They are even building a subway system now. The traffic is a nightmare though. Fortunately, I didn?t have to drive. I depended on my wife?s family and public transportation. I found it interesting how the carros publicos (public cars) work. Everyone uses hand signals to communicate with the drivers as to what direction they need to go. It?s like a language of its own. The power outages were another annoyance. Two out of three days, the power went out but everyone keeps going there even when the traffic lights stopped working.
We didn?t get to see a lot in the capital since we had a short amount of time and had a lot of family to visit. We drove up and down the Malecon and ate at Adrian?s restaurant on the coast. I tried mofongo for the first time and enjoyed it. We walked a little in the colonial zone but I would have liked to spend more time there and walk on el conde. We visited the branch of Jehovah?s Witnesses east of the city, which was a nice experience.
While we were on the east side, we went to tres ojos. That was really interesting. We took my wife?s cousin because he had never been there. (I?ve found that many locals have never seen some of the attractions that their country has to offer.) Tres ojos was very interesting. We paid to have a tour guide show us around. I normally don?t do this but he was a professional and had worked there for 18 years so we learned a lot more than if we had just walked around on our own. If you go, ask for Carlos. It felt like we were in prehistoric times in some of the parts of the caves and lakes. Even saw a cayman (small croc) at the edge of the water.
After 3 days, we took a bus (Sitrabapu) from the capital to Cortecito which is on the east coast near Bavaro. It was very convenient and dropped us off right at the corner of town. We were told it was just a short walk to get to our B&B and I was glad to find out it was. We stayed at La Posada de Piedra which is a small B&B right on the beach in between the resorts. I chose it because it was close to town and more personal than a resort (and it was really cheap!). You can read about our experience there in another one of my threads. We liked some things about it but we decided to move across the street to El Cortecito Inn mostly for a/c. Cortecito was smaller than I hoped it would be. There were about 5 restaurants and mostly souvenir shops. One day, we took motoconchos to Bavaro and Punta Cana Plazas to do some shopping and to have an authentic domincan meal. All of the restaurants in Cortecito serve tourist food. There was one restaurant that served real dominican food there, the Baracan. It was in an alley and didn?t look very clean when we walked by the first day. After looking at it again at the end of our trip, I think we would have tried it.
The beach was INCREDIBLE! Beautiful white sand and green/blue waters. Palm trees blowing in the breeze. Downside: aggressive vendors and old europeans not wearing enough clothes. Both can be ignored. We went for a swim and even got pulled into a dance lesson at one of the resorts. As nice as the beach was, it was nothing compared to Isla Saona. We went on an excursion there and it was like our own private paradise. You can read about it in another one of my threads.
We went to the famous Captain Cooks for seafood one night since it was right down from our hotel. Excellent! We ordered a paella dish that was enough for 4 people. It starts with a salad and appetizers and then the main dish which had whole shrip and lobster tail. It was too much for us. Then, they finish the meal with a bowl of fruit and some mamajuana. Great experience for only $30 total.
And that?s about it. We had a great time and travel was unexpectedly smooth at the airports and bus stations. Now, I have a nice tan although I?m peeling a little from that day at Saona. Even my wife got burnt a little. I?m also scratching a lot of mosquito bites hoping that they didn?t give me malaria or dengue. And since I?m back in frigid Ohio, I?ve got a cold. But my memories of DR will be with me forever or at least until I can go back again.
Vince D
P.S. - contact me if you'd like to see the pics
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