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| *Travel Tips>>>Dominican Republic Travel Tips |
Have u been to the dominican republic? |
Travel Info How do we stay safe? What can we bring to help out? Are we nuts for renting a car and driving around the country? Recommend any "must see" places, places to stay on the N Coast? Thanks!! Travel Tips You are absolutely safe but don't check your brain at the airport. Driving here is difficult. Thousands of small motorcycles and they drive as if they were completely uncivilized. If you are NOT confident don't do it. Get the best insurance and rent from a reputable firm. The North Coast is a treasure chest of beaches and things to see. If you are flying into Puerto Plata just leave the airport and turn left. First stop is Sosua which was founded by Jews before WWII escaping from Hitlers Europe. Beach is great and there are many hotels. Lots to do. Casino, Museum, Golf, Diving, Nightlife, Beautiful Women, Hiking, Swimming and you must go into QuiXotes Restaurant on the main street. One of the owners is known to answer questions here and is always willing to help people seeking information in the mornings at breakfast/Lunch time. After Sosua you will get to Cabarete (15 minutes away) which is the Kite Surfing, Wind Surfing capital of the Caribbean. Even watching these sports is exhilerating! Of course the beaches are beautiful and there is even a Long Board Surf Beach there. Nite life is entirely on the beach which is a very different scene here compared to the rest of the country. After you leave Cabarete you will drive one hour to Playa Grande which is considered the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean except instead of having 8 holes on the water this wonderful Robert Trent Course has 12 holes on the ocean. Just beyond is the Playa Grande Beach which is of course a popular beach. Just past Playa Grande (15) minutes is a town by the name of Cabrera. Tourism here is high end with people renting villas for upwards of 15,000 US dollars for a week. Lovely villas line the ocean and cliffs. 1.5 hours away along the lovely North Coast Highway you will get to Las Terenas and Las Galares which are lovely beach towns. 1/2 hour later you end up in Samana. When you get to Samana make sure you go out on a boat to see the Whales. The beach will always be to your left on this trip and the mountains will be to the right. It is green and lush the whole time. There are 50 beaches you can stop at on the way from the airport to Samana. You will have a great time. Dominican people always have a smile on their faces and man can they dance. Stop at a Tipico sometime on your trip. You can tell a tipico because they are usually attached to a Car Wash/Gas Station and play loud Merenge, Bachata and Salsa music. It is worth the trip to watch these women dance... I go to these places all the time and never had a problem either with Dominicans or extrajaneros. No one will bother you except to sell you stuff and find one way or another to part you with your money. Just say no and if that doesn't work wag your second finger at their faces and that will. (not the third:)) Bring school supplies for the kids, perfumes for the women and a old celluar phone for just about anyone. Even the poorest person has a nicer cell phone than I have for some reason I don't quite get! If you have clothes your children have grown out of believe me they will be appreciated. You can drop this stuff off at QuiXotes Restaurant in Sosua for distribution on the North Coast if you want. Have a great trip. Others I have been 5 times to Santo Domingo and found it generally safe - and tremendously enjoyable. Crass poverty stands next flashy wealth. I'm not sure how you can help, but as a tourist try to spend more on local attractions instead of all-inclusive foreign hotel chains. Hey, Serge & Jazzpagin! Excellent! This is the first time I saw two people give two such good answers here right in a row. The whole advice is correct. If I can stress one thing - STAY AWAY FROM ALL INCLUSIVES. They treat you like stupid unexperienced travellers, and don't let you enjoy the place. They also keep the locals in poverty and send the profits abroad. I mean they really exploit badly. Better to patronize small businesses and keep some locals in work. Sound advice about driving and everything else. If you want a bit of an adventure, I can also reccommend a 2 day trip to Montecristi / Dajabon, maybe Punta Rusia on the way back. Have a blast, avoid all-incusives! if visiting the N coast must see Cabarete and sosua, Puerto Plata's Malecon, and certainly Santiago. we have water parks in both sousa and santiago. Santiago is the second main city in the country. Visit Monumento de los caballeros. renting a car is a good idea if you wanna go around the area. safe stay at a hotel, but that zone has more resorts all inclusive plan, than it has hotels. if looking for a nice place to stay, you can consider Santiago's Gran Almirante Hotel |
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