Which city is best?

[andy a]

Tony C,

You might be basically right about the big city negatives of Santiago - overdevelopment, noise, etc. Yes, it is also often boring.

On the other hand, it has positives that you don't mention:
Cheaper, nicer, and more honest taxi drivers than Santo Domingo;
Cheap, yet comfortable hotels for the budget traveler;
Less apparent street crime and fewer hustlers;
The ability to see virtually the entire core of the city by foot.

It's central location within an hour or so of interesting destinations in all directions is also nice.

Also, no place is as boring once one fits into its culture, makes friends, etc.

By the way, I can't tell the difference between the heat in Santo Domingo and Santiago. Santiago, though, at least offers escape in the nearby mountains.

 

[Tony C]

Andy a

This thread is about moving to a area so who cares about Taxi's and hotels? Street crime is worse in Santiago. And I can see the whole central core of Des Moines by foot also. Does that make it better?
So what if you can escape to the mountains? In Santo Domingo you can escape to the beaches. The only beaches near Santiago are Puerto Plata's(Yuck) and Sosua's(Yuck, Yuck)!!!

Tony C.

 

[Eddy]

Watch the Yuck Yuck

Sosua has the nicest beach on the north coast.

 

[Hillbilly]

Oh stop it!!! This is silly!

http://dr1.com/media/cgi-bin/media....hotos&image=Hillbilly_Aug04_37.jpg&img=32&tt=

How's that for a beach?

No vendors!

No grabage!

HB

 

[Snuffy]

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for Tony. Personally I find Santo Domingo temperature hotter than Santiago. I don't know what you define as "culture", but the entire country is a cultural experience.

Santo Domingo is a lot more expensive to live in than Santiago. I would pay triple in Santo Domingo for the condo I live in...in Santiago. If money is no issue than her and her husband can live anywhere and be just fine.

Santiago may be boring...but then the rest of the country is within driving distance. So if you want to go away for the weekend...wonderful.

My point was that Santiago makes for an easier transition. It gives them a chance to get settled without having to learn immediately the skills of living in this country where you can easily be taken advantage of if you don't know what you are doing.

The idea is not to live here permanently but to explore the country and then decide where you want to live.

But, I doubt many would choose Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is a good place for a single guy or for someone interested in business...but that can also be found elsewhere in the country.

Interesting that almost every time I have discussed cities, towns with the locals, they always get a bitter look on their face when Santo Domingo comes up. They say.....Expensive, Traffic, Garbage, Hot. And oh yea....Santo Domingo has a wonderful coastline. The garbage sweeping down the river that washes back upon the shore along the Malecon is to die for!

 

[Criss Colon]

I can' believe that no one asked you the most important question!

How much money do you plan on spending on this house with the ocean view?If you think that you can come to the DR and find your "Dreamhouse" for $100,000 US,it is just that,a "Dreamhouse"!We are talking about 2, or 3,or 4'or more times that much depending on location,location,and then there is location!!! It will also cost you several thousand dollars a month to live here.A vehicle cost at least 50% MORE THAN IN THE US,and furniture and appliances are also expensive.The power can be "Off" for hours or even days! I pay about $250 US a month!!!Water can be "Off" for days to weeks!No police or emergency response!I would not use the word"STUPID",I would use the word "INSANE"!!!I have lived in various "3rd World" countries,but nothing prepared me for the Dominican Republic,not even VietNam!I doubt that cheap sex with teenagers is a "Draw" to you,so what makes the DR look so good(ON PAPER) to you?CRISCO

 

[Hillbilly]

That scenario is only valid in Santo Domingo....Places like Mao, La Vega Jarabacoa and Santiago have pertty good water and electric supply these days....well, at least water is okey...

HB

 

[kris]

Jeanne, in doing some research myself I have found the cost of living in the D.R. (that is if you want to live like you are more than likely living now) to be quite at bit more expensive than the U.S. That is if you want a house, my husband has found an apartment to rent 2bdrms 2bthrms for 1,000 US dollars a month(it has airconditioning) in Juan Dolio. Friends live in the Metro and rent a fully furnished house for $2500.00 plus dollars. American groceries are also more. But if you eat and live like a natural Dominican you can do pretty well. It's all in the life style you plan to live. We tend to be pretty spoiled. It can be a good cleansing/simplifying your life experience. The D.R. is a pleasant place to live. Be very flexible and patient.

I would advise you to rent a while before you buy. You almost have to ,I believe you need to establish residency before you can buy property in the D.R. and prove some sort of income or fiscal responsibility. Financing is hard to get you almost need to pay in full, the lending institutes won't lend you a whole lot, interest is high also. Hope this helps, come on down and live/enjoy for a while before taking the plunge.

 

[Jeanne]

I again have to thank you all for your thought provoking posts. Not only am I getting a bit more of a 'feel' for the different areas--other than the usual tourist blurbs, questions I've never considered before are suddenly hatching out. Practical aspects such as lawyers, titles, medical care aside--you all now have me thinking. What am I willing to do without? What do I absolutely need physically, culturally and mentally? Quite an exercise, but to do justice to myself and the DR, a necessary one.

Ken, I've already printed up your post and carefully placed it in my map of the DR, I'm looking forward to exploring!

Thanks for the bucket of cold water, Andy A.

Hillbilly, I'll file your advice mentally under 'Cover Your A**'.

I'm not sure I'll make it to Santiago this trip Snuffy, but it does sound like an excellent hub to explore the rest of the country.

Santo Domingo sounds like my equivalent of N.Y.C. and Chicago--I love to visit them for the museums, sporting events, symphonies and plays, but a 24/7 diet of it would wear out my last frazzled nerve.

Andy B, I'll E-mail you sometime before I leave for Samana.

Thanks for your information about the cost of living Kris, I'll have to explore it further. I am looking forward to a simpler life and being more flexible and patient couldn't hurt me.

Crisco, thanks for your concern about my finances, but don't be so shy, tell me how you really feel!

 

[Ken]

Jeanne, keep in mind when you are exploring those heights overlooking the bay that rain catching is a viable source of fresh water in Samana. There are frequent showers there, not enough to hamper activities (many come in the early morning hours), except on those days there are heavy rains due to weather fronts. But if your roof is designed to catch water and direct it to a cistern, you can go a long way toward meeting your water needs. This isn't true in many places in the DR, but Samana is always green because droughts are rare.

 

[Jeanne]

Dear Maiko,
I occurred to me, after answering everyone, I forgot to thank you for your unabashed enthusiasum--you are real, true and free.
Jeanne

 

[andy a]

Jeanne, since you are obviously for real, I hope that I was not too abrupt, and apologize if I was.

In fact, a simple lifestyle is probably the main attraction of the DR to me. To take good advantage of that, though, in my opinion one needs to spend time in the campo. Yes, it can be done, and I like it
immensely myself, but one has to simply forfeit many or even most of the things that he takes for granted elsewhere. As I said in my original post, I was not trying to stop you, but to let you be aware.

Furthermore, as much as I like the campo, I still need to stay in the city a lot too, with the typical city problems discussed here.

One must do what one must do. You are not locked in yet, so you have a choice.

If you do choose the DR, good luck. Good luck anyway.

 

[Escott]

Well I guess that is what makes a horserace. Some people like the Number one horse and some like the number 2 horse. Go figger. I never bet unless I know the winner before the race starts.

Kris... you don't need to establish residency before you purchase real estate. You need to establish residency before you work legally.

Also I think that they saw you coming if you pay that much for rent. I can rent a 2 bedroom Condo in Sosua or Cabarete for 325 US a month.

I can buy one for 35-50K us with about 120 a month maintence.

 

[Jeanne]

Andy A,
I appreciate 'abrupt'--it tends to be honest and I can't thank you enough for your unintended insights. The obvious--poverty, garbage, HIV, 'sex tourism', land title problems, language differences (I'm studying spanish now), political indifference and financial instability-- I think --I can handle.

I hope I never get 'locked in' (I call that a Roach Motel). I will add that to my 'Cover My A**' file. You've been a friend, Thanks, Jeanne

 

[Ken]

Didn't realize that rentals were so high in Juan Dolio, Kris. I live in Sosua and you can do better than that. Of course I haven't seen your apartment; maybe there is nothing to compare it with in Sosua.

jazzcom is right with respect to residency being a requirement for purchase. I have a number of friends and neighbors who own their condo or house but who do not have residency.

 

[Snuffy]

How much money do you plan on spending on this house with the ocean view?If you think that you can come to the DR and find your "Dreamhouse" for $100,000 US,it is just that,a "Dreamhouse"!We are talking about 2, or 3,or 4'or more times that much depending on location,location,and then there is location!!! It will also cost you several thousand dollars a month to live here.A vehicle cost at least 50% MORE THAN IN THE US,and furniture and appliances are also expensive.The power can be "Off" for hours or even days! I pay about $250 US a month!!!Water can be "Off" for days to weeks!No police or emergency response!I would not use the word"STUPID",I would use the word "INSANE"!!!I have lived in various "3rd World" countries,but nothing prepared me for the Dominican Republic,not even VietNam!I doubt that cheap sex with teenagers is a "Draw" to you,so what makes the DR look so good(ON PAPER) to you?CRISCO
__________________________________________________

Hmmm...after you buy the land...you could build the house for around $100K if you know what you are doing. That is if roads to your location are adequate. But, this would require knowing some people and understanding the process.

I live in Santiago and we have been experiencing regular outages lately...once every few days....they last for a few hours. My electricity runs about $40USD a month.

No problem with water.

Ambulances and Police readily available.

Little sex trade.

We could get by on $1000USD. We actually spend more like $1500USD.

Just my experience. I do know that Santo Domingo is a lot more expensive.

Samana is a beautiful place and if you can build a home there that would be awesome. I love that bluff overlooking Las G.
Only problem is it seems a long drive to a city. But would be an great place to have a home.

My opinion and experience only!

 

[Golo100]

Are you ready for this?

To the dreamers:

- much of Samana real estate is in litigation for property titles. Some properties have been sold many times over to different owners. Watch out!!

-Aside from beaches and beatiful landscapes Samana is a dead end town. No culture and few other places to go. It is strictly a beach town. Many of its roads are for SUV's only.

-Are you ready for 10-12 hour blackouts, no water for hours, lots of garbage, bachata music at all hours(have you heard the group AVENTURA...the only cool bachateros)? Are you ready to be surrounded by hundreds of motorcyclists while you drive?

-Are you ready for people without manners? Dominicans do not stand in line for anything. Only the loudmouths get in front. There are no traffic rules obeyed.

-Are you a socialite? Only socialites have fun in Santiago. If you don't belong, you are out of most important activities. At the very least you are looked upon as a "has been". Santiago is the most biased town in DR. It has a second city complex just like Chicago, except they think they are important. Santiago is now the second capital of Haiti. Haitian beggars have taken up the streets.

-Jarabacoa is for mountain people only. There is nothing else to do but ecological tourism. True you can travel everywhere from there, but you need a strong SUV. Your brakes and transmission will not last very long. And cars and car repair is very expensive. All auto mechanics are thieves.

-Dreamhouse? Be sure you are ready to pay for 24 hour security. Otherwise you will have to have you and your family chained to your house. Thieves will be sitting in your lawn waiting for you to leave the house so they can pick up the merchandise for their next garage sale. And this is everywhere. A closed-security condo is your best bet, and even there I have heard case of the security guards being tied up like chicken headed to the boiling pot. Our thieves are better armed than CIA middle east operatives.

-Santo Domingo has the most to offer for cosmopolitan people. The rest of the country is light years behind in everything, except maybe Santiago which is a cheap imitation. But Santo Domingo is also the chaos city of the country. Life is too fast and traffic too slow. Be prepared to pay over US$1000 a month for rent for any decent small apartment, plus maintenance fee, the highest electricity bills in Latin America, and equally expensive communications. Your car will not last very long with the potholes.

-Juan Dolio, La Romana, Bavaro and Punta Cana are very expensive. Punta Cana real estate is for the jet set(that is if you want to be where the real living is) Blackouts are not a problem here. But other than beaches, and hotel life, there is little else
to do here, unless you fall inlove with a Dominican and live like a Dominican.

TW

 

[kris]

Did not want to live in Sousa or Cabarete. We work in San Pedro. The rent includes maid service, air, and generator. Have never been without power. Guess you pay for conveniences.

 

[cejay]

go for it, move to santo domingo. great place, american food and just like any other city. my father-in-law owns real nice apartments in santo domingo in a good area. if you need more info let me know and i can give you my father-in-law's telephone number to contact him about prices and what you are looking for. they are all apartments with 1 penthouse left. good luck -cejay