live in santo domingo, (maybe santiago) more oppertunities for work although it would be hard to find anything decent here in any place. probably best to start your own business. puerto plata will get very boring very quickly after you get tired of the beach. plennnty of things to do in santo domingo, more schools for your kids, much more safe, lots of nice areas, places to shop, friends for your kids, more of everything. you can easily take the bus very cheap to get to the beaches anytime you want, boca chica and juan dolio only 20-30 minutes away. boca chica is the perfect kids beach because of the calm shallow water and the reef that surrounds it to keep things that want to eat you and your kids out but it's also the sleaziest place in DR. once your on the beach all is well but that touristy street beside it is filled with drug addicts, dealers, prostitutes, beggars and people who just want to scam you. if you go with your family of course the dealers and prostitues wont bother you but youll have people asking you for money every 5 feet if you choose to walk up and down that street behind the beach. don't change your dollars( or whatever) for pesos on the street. half the money you get back will be counterfeit. if you decide to go to santo domingo, check out boca chica(don't be scared to go,its pretty) but skip that street behind it. if you don't like that beach, head down to juan dolio just a few minutes down the road. much cleaner and safer place to be with waves, since your kids are kind of old they'd probably rather have big waves anyway. if neither of those cut it for you..there are plenty of other beaches with the farthest being about 5 hours away most being 2-3. with you guys being young im sure youll find santo domingo the best for you. some of these old folks on here can't handle all the action of the big city. they went to puerto plata instead of florida. there's plenty of places around the entire country where you can rent furnished apartments with everything included (furniture, lights, internet) for weeks to months at a time. that way you can get a taste of each place and find what is best for you and your family. just stay away from tourist spots. youll get sick of DR quick in those places. you will be continuously harassed by beggars and the "hey friend friend" guys. also DR is not really the place to go to get away from greed and craziness. you'll find anywhere in the US a much better place to be for that. there are plenty of nice neighborhoods in santo domingo where you can find apartments 225-300 (zona universitaria is one of them). one more thing keep your husband close to you...real close. it will be difficult for him here, maybe for you too. if you have any questions about santo domingo send me a message
