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Dominican Republic: where to go, what to do?

EvilYoda

EvilYoda

Lifer
I've been thinking about taking a vacation while I have some time off coming up...so last night I bought a ticket to DR from 3/19-24.

Has anyone vacationed there before? I was thinking about renting a car but some friends said not to. I'd like to stay a few nights in Santa Domingo and a few in Punta Cana with the goal of doing some day hikes and finding a secluded beach or two.

Any information is welcome...safety tips, best places to go, where to eat, etc. Thanks.
 
You a Cigar guy?

Dominican Republic supposed to be one of the best places for Cigar lovers... go on some tours or something,

If not a cigar fan, I imagine beaches, bars, night life would be great fun.
 
Stayed at the RIU Palace Punta Cana about 9 years ago, right after they built it.
I sat around with my wife and drank copious amounts of booze. Was our 1 year wedding anniversary trip.
We had fun. Was a lounge on the beach kind of vacation.
 
Not a smoker, unfortunately.

This will be a fairly laid back vacation (in terms of partying/drinking)...really looking forward to some good hiking and laying out on a beach. Will definitely check out some bars and the nightlife but won't be as crazy as some trips have been recently.
 
Yeah, I was thinking of visiting friends in Boston, DC, or Dallas (I travel a lot so I wanted to go to a city that I haven't been to as much)...but at $330, it wasn't a very hard decision to make. If I end up just going on my own, I'll probably find some $50/night airbnb and pack light. I'll take some pictures and post them up here when I'm back, if I remember to. 🙂
 
from what i hear, in DR you don't want to go explore. you basically want to stay in your resort. just not very safe. never been there myself though. but i have a friend who has family there and he goes there often, and he's the one who has told me that.
 
Been to Punta Cana once, stayed at the resort the whole time for three days. Didn't go anywhere outside because people say not to. Lounged on the beach, they have enough activities there. Float around in the pool, and of course hang around the swim-up bar, a lot.

Oh, and I went to the massage place at the resort (because it was included with the package), came out missing cash from my wallet, pretty much all of it except one bill. The police actually came and took a report, lol.
 
I been there 9 times in the last year. I only really like staying in the farmland (campo) and going to local clubs and people's houses to eat. I dislike hotel and resort life. It's a waste of money and boring for me. I'd rather hang out with locals and drink and eat my ass off.

The beaches and rivers are nice also, but it's cold this time of year. I just got back this Sunday from there. 🙂
 
SSSnail said:
Didn't go anywhere outside because people say not to.
Oh, and I went to the massage place at the resort (because it was included with the package), came out missing cash from my wallet, pretty much all of it except one bill. The police actually came and took a report, lol.
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Wow, I've been there a lot and haven't had a single issue once. The people there are wonderful and I've been in some of the so called "bad" neighborhoods alone with no issue.

It might help that my skin color blends me in, and I dress like a local most of the time.

I would never go there and just sit in a boring ass resort all day.
 
Went in 2013 for my brother's wedding. It was OK and agree with the general consensus that you stay at your resort and don't venture out. It will make sense once you arrive and take the shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

Overall, while it was not bad, I'm not a sit at the pool all day type of person. If it wasn't for my brother and all his friends, it would have been a boring vacation. I much preferred Cancun where we got to go on excursions like Chichen Itza and then had a variety of places to eat and shop at.
 
amdhunter said:
Wow, I've been there a lot and haven't had a single issue once. The people there are wonderful and I've been in some of the so called "bad" neighborhoods alone with no issue.

It might help that my skin color blends me in, and I dress like a local most of the time.

I would never go there and just sit in a boring ass resort all day.
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It was a free trip from my previous company, all inclusive. There were enough things to do to keep me occupied for the days that I was there, but I wouldn't go back.
 
Some nice wind surfing in Cabarete, i heard they are making an effort to clean up Sosua, most of the resorts in the Puerto Plata area are pretty dated, Iberostar Puerto Plata is pretty good though.
 
amdhunter said:
and I dress like a local most of the time.
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How do locals dress? I'm Chinese so I obviously won't "blend in" but I'm liking the information so far. I assumed that the downtown/SD would be where the culture is but I just had someone tell me tonight to not even bother with it. I might just make a day trip out of it or something.

Do you have any recommendations on whether or not I should rent a car? If it's easy enough getting around by local taxi/moto/bus, I'll do that.

Any favorite places off the beaten path? With 5 days there I'm hoping to see some nice sights, get in some solid hikes, and spend the rest of my time relaxing on a beach.
 
EvilYoda said:
Not a smoker, unfortunately.

This will be a fairly laid back vacation (in terms of partying/drinking)...really looking forward to some good hiking and laying out on a beach. Will definitely check out some bars and the nightlife but won't be as crazy as some trips have been recently.
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Thats better for your health and your wallet!
I have never been out there, but I am sure Dominican Republic would make an awesome vacation spot. Enjoy it man!
 
I plan on visiting San Diego in mid-April for some surfing lessons...looks like that's something I can do in DR as well. Anybody have any experience with surf lessons there?
 
Yea do NOT rent a car. They do not follow any rules of the road and if you get in a accident they can hold you there till its settled.

Me and wife honeymooned there. Lots of history in the Capital but its still a 3rd world country. So do not drink the tap water or go out after dark. Even the locals drink bottled water.
 
Jimzz said:
Yea do NOT rent a car. They do not follow any rules of the road and if you get in a accident they can hold you there till its settled.

Me and wife honeymooned there. Lots of history in the Capital but its still a 3rd world country. So do not drink the tap water or go out after dark. Even the locals drink bottled water.
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Driving at night there is a special treat, they love their high beams
 
KMFJD said:
Driving at night there is a special treat, they love their high beams
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Yea on the way back to the airport our driver was flashing his high beams and honking the horn at every light/stop sign. Was told people drive at night with no headlights, high speeds, and just blow through red lights all the time.
 
DR is the only experience with the Caribbean that i've had. I stayed at the dreams resort in la romana (near punta cana) for a week. I'm certainly not a resort person. Basically stayed in the resort, drank and ate. resort and staff were nice. everyone kept calling me jackie chan... i guess not many asians go there lol. did a few excursions to go see the countryside, got cheap cigars. lots of poverty and people selling trinkets. Lots of haitians working in sugar cane fields. Venturing off resort without a local didn't seem safe to me at all. I don't think i would go back any time soon...
 
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