writing comprehensive travel guide to "real" DR

[Me_again]

How about: A Backpacker's Guide to . . . . But whatever you do, please don't call it The Dominican. I even have trouble just typing that ghastly misnomer.

Meanwhile I admire your aspirations and hope you sift the wheat from the chaff in these replies but . . .

Seriously folks, as Bob Hope was wont to say (if you have to ask who Bob Hope is, just stop reading right now) it never occurred to me to look for guides to the DR.

But please be sure to read Mad Dogs and English Couple, and What About the Saucepans plus of course all of the many articles in DR1 as backdrop to your venture.

wbr

 

[Viajero]

I would certainly pay up to $US20 for a really good guide to how to travel around the DR on the same transportation that Dominicans use: guaguas, Caribetours, Metro and such

Just curious ... what about Caribetours and Metro do you want to know that is not available on their websites?

 

[DavidZ]

Just curious ... what about Caribetours and Metro do you want to know that is not available on their websites?

How about:

What's near the bus station in each location?
How to get from the bus station to area attractions/listed hotels?
How long the actual trip between specific cities takes?
Which stops have food/bathrooms, etc?
That they are COLD!
Some (maybe all?) Caribe Tours stations have Caribe Express exchange windows with probably the best rates in the country
Oh and everything else that's on the website if you don't read Spanish.

 

[jstarebel]

I personally think the op should research what is available before investing effort into a travel guide thats to be sold. I wouls especially be interested in whats available on the internet for free. I reall can't speak for "land lubbers" , but I can tell you that the best cruising guide for the DR is available free of charge and can be downloaded off the internet as can other really good cruising guides for the other islands in the Caribbean. I would think its the same for travelling by land too. Don't get me wrong, there are definately cruising guides for sale, but why buy one when the same amd sometimes better information is available for free.. I saw a post by someone mentioning thay he would pay for a guide telling him where hotels that locals would stay in, but my first time in La Capital, I found the Aparta Hotel which was dirt cheap on the internet. Just my take.. if you look, you will find and usually for free !

 

[mofongoloco]

I never found any budget options in DR. has anyone else found "something really nice" in the 10-12 dollar range? I am a santo domingo guy. long weekends. I have never found a place for less than 75ish. while adequate, certainly not really nice. so, in answer to your question I would buy your book/guide. however, its out of date the minute it is off the presses now. the whole world has gone trip advisor.

 

[drtravelguide]

it would be probably something like "DRAdventure" "DRfuntimes" or sth like that

How about: A Backpacker's Guide to . . . . But whatever you do, please don't call it The Dominican. I even have trouble just typing that ghastly misnomer.

Meanwhile I admire your aspirations and hope you sift the wheat from the chaff in these replies but . . .

Seriously folks, as Bob Hope was wont to say (if you have to ask who Bob Hope is, just stop reading right now) it never occurred to me to look for guides to the DR.

But please be sure to read Mad Dogs and English Couple, and What About the Saucepans plus of course all of the many articles in DR1 as backdrop to your venture.

wbr

 

[drtravelguide]

It depends where, in Santo Domingo is not that probable...the cheapest that I found was for almost 15 usd and it was in the same standard as usually the hotels for 8 usd are ;-)
howver, sometimes, in "normal places" - not Santo Domingo nor Sosua for 12-15 usd you can easily get hot water in your room (if you need it)...
I wouldn't call these cheap hotels (7-10 usd) "something really nice" - but rather something decent, and by that I mean - clean, safe, not noisy (DR way), without insects and with cold shower, fan, bed with clean sheets and window...what else do you need ? :>

I never found any budget options in DR. has anyone else found "something really nice" in the 10-12 dollar range? I am a santo domingo guy. long weekends. I have never found a place for less than 75ish. while adequate, certainly not really nice. so, in answer to your question I would buy your book/guide. however, its out of date the minute it is off the presses now. the whole world has gone trip advisor.

 

[mountainannie]

The one thing that would make it worth its price to me would be a route map for the carros publicos and buses in Santo Domingo. This is well kept secret. I think that Fenetrano must know. But I have never seen it available anywhere on line. There is one map for the buses but nothing for the carros.

There is nothing even that tells you where the guaguas leave from.. I am not sure that even you will be able to get all the insider infor... like it is better to take the guagua to Pedernales than the Caribe Tours as Caribe Tours will end at Barahona and you have to get on the GuaGua anyway and you will then not find a seat.

I am not so sure about the 300 peso rooms. I think that from what I have seen of my travels about 1000 pesos is about the bottom limit for a room with a bathroom that would be acceptable for an American tourist.. clean sheets and perhaps a window. There are lots of those. and most of them are sweet.

I found the Lonely Planet for the DR to be really disappointing. I have used them all through Central America but it seemed that they just did not like it here. I mean.. they gave all sorts of reviews for all inclusives which is the complete opposite of the Lonely Planet experience and did not even bother to travel to lots of the little towns that I have been to.

 

[LTSteve]

Hey guys, how you doing ? I've been lurker on this forum for a long time...
I lived in DR for almost one year..By "lived" I mean that I traveled a lot in this beautiful yet crazy country on my own motorbike...
I spend like that around 9 months...Always staying in cheap hotels, always riding on bike, talking with Dominicans and having some fun with the girls etc. etc.
Therefore, I think that I met this country fairly well...
So now I have idea...I plan to write comprehensive guide to "cheap" DR, written by someone who lived like that and enjoyed it...Yeah yeah...I heard it already..."you cant live in DR if you dont have 2k USD/month and if you dont live inside gated community"...Yet, I got like up to 1k/usd monthly, I changed (cheap) hotels every few days, I ate well, I had other fun times and I totally did it - almost one year of adventure for under 1000 usd/monthly...
So my question is: Would you be interested in buying such guide to DR ? Inside this guide there would be a lot of listings of really cheap (yet decent hotels) in few dozens places in DR (actually - almost every place worth visiting in this country in my country), some tips on living in DR, most beautiful places, interesting beaches, places in the mountains and near the lakes+ some sociological and antropological observations from Dominican Republic...In total it would be like maybe 50 pages of A4 text converted into really nice designed ;-) blog - guide to DR...
Do you see place in the market for such thing ? Would you buy it ? It would be definately for the people who like adventures and such type of travel...unfortunately i haven't seen so many of them in DR during my stay in there...Too bad, as this country is worth it, with nice and friendly people....
Thanx !

I think the problem with your guide would be that there are only a small group of people who are interested in living cheaply and moving from place to place over the course of a year or more. Most people moving to the DR seems to be ex-pats who are retiring here part time or full time, are over 50 and not interested slumming it. They are looking for a nice apartment, beach life and security.