Dan: The worst time to find affordable lodging in Santo Domingo is December 20-31, 2000, unless you book at least 8 months in advance of departure; and even that may be questionable. Many US stationed Dominicans travel to the DR to visit family and friends and stay in these local budget hotels. Your best bet would be to avoid this time of year. An added dilemma is that flights sell quickly. Unless you know someone with a private jet or you have flight privileges an airline employee, you need to book your flight for Xmas to New Years at least one year in advance. Doesn't do you much good to find the accommodations but can't get the flight. One possible option, and this should be exercised as a last resort is the Puerto Rico Ferry that travels between Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo every day. Check the archives for information on the ferry. I believe it costs somewhare in the area of $100.00 to $250.00 one way, and takes something like 8 eights between destinations before you are able to debark from the ferry (customs stuff and so forth). Not the best way to travel, but you may find this to be an alternative solution should you have an aching pain to travel to the DR in December. Other dates that could be problematic is Easter Weekend which is a major holiday in the DR; although since everyone heads to the beach during this weekend, hotel accommodations may be scarcer in Boca Chica and other outlying beach areas than in Santo Domingo; however, for the tourists who wants to participate in the rites of passage but still enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Santo Domingo, you may find hotel accommodations equally scarce at this time of year. Hope this information helps; and remember, sometimes you get what you pay for. Don't expect 3 star if you are only willing to cough up $20.00. I once stayed in a $20.00 hotel and it was crawling with roaches. Buyer/consumer beware. Check out the section of this website featuring hotel accommodations and read the reviews of other travelers who have patronized hotels you are thinking about staying. Hotel owners can be evasive; they want your American dollars, right? You need an unbiased opinion. If staying in a flea bag hotel is neither here nor there for you, another major factor is security, particularly if you don't look Dominican. In the DR like in the U.S. (no exception) crime can be a problem; although does not occur with such frequency that would one would have to generate a travel advisory; however, an African American male walking around on the streets of Santo Domingo would be less obvious than a caucasion male; they know you definitely don't belong (not local), and may target you for a robbery or a con/scam. Please don't get the wrong impression here. Most Dominicans can be very warm and friendly people; but don't think you are in utopia and that such things as crime doesn't exist. Where there is poverty, there is crime, like anywhere else in this world, and the temptation of an easy buck can be strong enough to motivate an otherwise sensible person to do something that goes beyond their normal moral character.
Good luck in your travel pursuits.
Michael
