Santo Domingo

[Jaosousa]

I have visited all of the Ave Pasteur casas. Some people like the lounge, sports bar or pool hall scene (like me).

On Avenida Pasteur just down the block from the casas and on the other side of the street is a sports place, supposedly with a bar, billiards (pool tables) and batting cages (baseball). Just south of that sporting place a Haitian guy sells whole fruit from a cart (he probably lives in the building there, with his family, artwork hangs on the walls), just about across the street from him is the new hotel shakey: http://www.hotelshakey.com/

Anyone can buy whole fruit from the Haitian guy, if they are on that street in the daytime.

[Jaosousa]

I have tried airbnb for santiago and I thought the owners were mostly pain.

Two apartments in Santiago I might look into, one has a rooftop jacuzzi that looks like it could be fun to entertain with some Santiagueras (maybe ellas desnuda por la jacuzzi en la noche); https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/256060. And this one with a private pool; https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/773149.

Jarabacoa is very green (many plants) and is close to Santiago, this Country cabin type house in Jarabacoa has a fireplace (you can supply the large oval cognac glasses and cognac, to drink in front of the fireplace with a favorita, LOL); https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/787982

[Jaosousa]

in fact, the only time i had an issue with driving was in pto pta. i was stopped at an intersection and after looking to my left steered to make a right turn, only to discover to my horror and dismay that an idiot on a scooter had since sneaked in. to my right. in a f. ing hurry. no helmet.no nothing and with a little child on the pillion. just a little knock could have been bad.

i came into contact with a motorcycle that had an older person as a passenger in san pedro de macoris. very low speed contact side to side, no damage to the motorcycle or to the car, it was mostly my fault.

[Tempoecorto]

Santo Domingo has less motorcycles and scooters zipping around than places like san pedro de macoris and puerto plata.

In fact, the only time I had an issue with driving was in Pto Pta. I was stopped at an intersection and after looking to my left steered to make a right turn, only to discover to my horror and dismay that an idiot on a scooter had since sneaked in. To my right. In a f. Ing hurry. No helmet.no nothing and with a little child on the pillion. Just a little knock could have been bad.

[Tempoecorto]

Anytime.

Thanks Jaosousa and Cagep1967 for your suggestions. Much appreciated.

[Jaosousa]

I might be coming in from San Cristobal so 30 de Mayo works. At the same time, I was wondering if there is anything in the los prados or zona universitaria. Along 27 de Febrero. I may have to pick up people at places like acropolis and I hate long drives back and forth in a city, where driving is always chaotic what with two wheelers. Thanks again.

Anytime.

Santo Domingo has less motorcycles and scooters zipping around than places like san pedro de macoris and puerto plata. Tripadvisor has a site where people list vacation rentals, called flipkey. An ISG member I know made reservations for this apartment on the Malecon (seems not far from UASD University), he had to cancel his trip and the guy listed on flipkey quickly refunded his money. I have inquired through email to the same guy and he was quick to respond to my emails. Seems he rents at least two apartments, one on the malecon, south of UASD; the other about two blocks east of Maximo Gomez (Ave. Maximo Gomez has the Metro); http://www.flipkey.com/santo-domingo...ntals/p159824/.

This apartment, from the photos, seems to be on Avenida Independencia, probably about a block from the Malecon Center and the Hilton Hotel. UASD is about 3-4 blocks north; http://www.flipkey.com/santo-domingo...ntals/p344485/.

Acropolis Mall is on Avenida Winston Churchill, as Cagep1967 suggested, BQ Hotel on Ave Sarasota (and a few blocks west of Churchill) would be convenient if you wanted to be close to Acropolis; http://www.bqhoteles.com/en/bq-santo-domingo-hotel.html.

[SavePros321]

I have not used GPS in the DR (Dominicanas sitting in the passenger seat sometimes give directions). An ISG member who I was giving a ride, used his apple iphone maps program to confirm where to turn one time (he connected to his US cell phone company data service). Nokia has free maps (including for the DR) for some of its cell phones that don't require a data connection to access (after they are installed into the cell phone). Bogiemaker previously gave good information regarding Garmin GPS in the DR.

Casa del Conductor insurance according to ISG member Professor is only available through Hertz rental. I have never rented with Hertz in the DR. The first four car rentals in the DR were with Avis, the last 20 or more rentals have been with Alamo / National. Third Party liability insurance is mandatory if you decline Alamo / National's more costly collision / loss damage insurance. Alamo / National's collision / loss insurance costs about $20 per day and includes third party liability insurance. My MasterCard credit card provides coverage for loss of the vehicle (it does not cover expensive SUV vehicles) therefore I can decline Alamo's $20 per day insurance and instead pay around $10 for their third party liability insurance. I also pay about $4 per day for glass and tire coverage (with that coverage Alamo has replaced free of charge at least 4 tires that were damaged while driving. Avis in the DR tried to charge me over $100 for a damaged non-repairable tire). I always reserve online to receive and return the car rental at the airport. Alamo / National is open 24/7 at the santo domingo airport.

The first time I entered into the City of Santo Domingo, I was driving a rental car. It was a Friday night in December over 10 years ago. My connection to Puerto Plata from San Juan, Puerto Rico was not held by American Airlines (because of high winds my flight from Newark, New Jersey was late arriving into San Juan, Puerto Rico). American Airlines put me on a 4pm flight to Santo Domingo. My 70 year old father had flown in the day before with another family member to Puerto Plata and they were waiting for me at the Sosua Bay Hotel, it was our first trip to Sosua and first trip to the north shore of the DR (we had visited bavaro one time and boca chica twice). When I arrived into las americas airport (SDQ) , I rented a car with Avis for the drive to Sosua. My Spanish was not very good. I drove into Santo Domingo, got lost in Santo Domingo, sun went down and after at least an hour of driving in santo domingo, I found the highway toward Santiago. The Dominicans were very nice about giving me directions, I didn't understand everything they were saying. I eventually arrived in front of the Sosua Bay Hotel that night around midnight.

Nowadays there is GPS and smart phones with maps programs. Also youtube where you can see videos of different routes that some drivers have uploaded. Google maps are free and can be looked at prior to a trip. Being a member of a site like the ISG where you can get tips and information about driving prior to a trip are advantages available to you.

A sped up video showing the drive from Zona Colonial to the SDQ airport (las americas airport) , taking the pontoon (floating bridge) , avenida espana and the las americas highway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYsxvssK_Yg

In some ways driving in the DR is safer and easier than driving where I live in New York State. In the DR there is no snow and ice on the roads, generally no heavy fog in the DR. Where I live I have to worry about deer, bear, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, rabbits and other animals running onto the road. On a sunny day in the DR, there are places where you can easily drive 100mph on a nice flat, straight. 4 lane road, that passes trees and shrubs, with no other vehicles around, no pedestrians and no animals.

===============

Link to original post:

http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...=1#post1396638

[SavePros321]

I have not used GPS in the DR (Dominicanas sitting in the passenger seat sometimes give directions). An ISG member who I was giving a ride, used his apple iphone maps program to confirm where to turn one time (he connected to his US cell phone company data service). Nokia has free maps (including for the DR) for some of its cell phones that don't require a data connection to access (after they are installed into the cell phone). Bogiemaker previously gave good information regarding Garmin GPS in the DR.

Casa del Conductor insurance according to ISG member Professor is only available through Hertz rental. I have never rented with Hertz in the DR. The first four car rentals in the DR were with Avis, the last 20 or more rentals have been with Alamo / National. Third Party liability insurance is mandatory if you decline Alamo / National's more costly collision / loss damage insurance. Alamo / National's collision / loss insurance costs about $20 per day and includes third party liability insurance. My MasterCard credit card provides coverage for loss of the vehicle (it does not cover expensive SUV vehicles) therefore I can decline Alamo's $20 per day insurance and instead pay around $10 for their third party liability insurance. I also pay about $4 per day for glass and tire coverage (with that coverage Alamo has replaced free of charge at least 4 tires that were damaged while driving. Avis in the DR tried to charge me over $100 for a damaged non-repairable tire). I always reserve online to receive and return the car rental at the airport. Alamo / National is open 24/7 at the santo domingo airport.

The first time I entered into the City of Santo Domingo, I was driving a rental car. It was a Friday night in December over 10 years ago. My connection to Puerto Plata from San Juan, Puerto Rico was not held by American Airlines (because of high winds my flight from Newark, New Jersey was late arriving into San Juan, Puerto Rico). American Airlines put me on a 4pm flight to Santo Domingo. My 70 year old father had flown in the day before with another family member to Puerto Plata and they were waiting for me at the Sosua Bay Hotel, it was our first trip to Sosua and first trip to the north shore of the DR (we had visited bavaro one time and boca chica twice). When I arrived into las americas airport (SDQ) , I rented a car with Avis for the drive to Sosua. My Spanish was not very good. I drove into Santo Domingo, got lost in Santo Domingo, sun went down and after at least an hour of driving in santo domingo, I found the highway toward Santiago. The Dominicans were very nice about giving me directions, I didn't understand everything they were saying. I eventually arrived in front of the Sosua Bay Hotel that night around midnight.

Nowadays there is GPS and smart phones with maps programs. Also youtube where you can see videos of different routes that some drivers have uploaded. Google maps are free and can be looked at prior to a trip. Being a member of a site like the ISG where you can get tips and information about driving prior to a trip are advantages available to you.

A sped up video showing the drive from Zona Colonial to the SDQ airport (las americas airport) , taking the pontoon (floating bridge) , avenida espana and the las americas highway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYsxvssK_Yg

In some ways driving in the DR is safer and easier than driving where I live in New York State. In the DR there is no snow and ice on the roads, generally no heavy fog in the DR. Where I live I have to worry about deer, bear, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, rabbits and other animals running onto the road. On a sunny day in the DR, there are places where you can easily drive 100mph on a nice flat, straight. 4 lane road, that passes trees and shrubs, with no other vehicles around, no pedestrians and no animals.

Good info Jao, and thanks!

[Tempoecorto]

Casa del Conductor insurance according to ISG member Professor is only available through Hertz rental. I have never rented with Hertz in the DR. The first four car rentals in the DR were with Avis, the last 20 or more rentals have been with Alamo / National.

Third Party liability insurance is mandatory if you decline Alamo / National's more costly collision / loss damage insurance. Alamo / National's collision / loss insurance costs about $20 per day and includes third party liability insurance.

Based on my knowledge of two rentals in Santiago from Nelly (Ace rent a car) :

A) Casa del conductor is all BS. It is supposed to be a "hotel" with state supervision instead of throwing one to Jail, and the supervised stay is to avoid flight risks. Now for example Santiago has a "casa" but not Montecristi where I traveled. Now if someone is to tell me that if something happens while driving in Montecristi and I have casa del conductor. The state will drive me back all the way to Santiago, I think it is all hogwash! If you drive locally, it may have some sense.

Be) I have seen this Third party liabliity : to protect you in case you hit someone etc. I am told it is mandatory but when I spoke to a rental company called Economy, the guy said something like: if you show that you have proof of that insurance, they are not going to charge. The fact is, with Nelly, I have not paid anything other than the rental and taxes, the second time I rented. First time, I was way scared so I had bought that liability but figured out after some driving if I drive daytime, not drunk (I am never drunk) , and pay attention I cannot quite run into someone. Heck, I used to drive a BMW in Autobahn at 200 Km / hour. That was way more vigilant driving.

My two cents is that nothing is quite "written in stone" in the DR like in many third world countries. What a visitor will do is a combination of one's comfort with levels of risk tolerance.

[Jaosousa]

Hotel BQ (also known as delta) on Sarasota, nice hotel, chica friendly, small pool on the roof, great views, great breakfast. I haven't stayed with them since they've modernized (they are a bit trendy now) , all in all a good hotel not too expensive and in the center of the city. Not the touristy places.

There used to be SWs on Avenida Sarasota at night. Hotel Embajador is about three blocks from the BQ Hotel on Sarasota (BQ also operates a hotel and casino on Ave. 27 de Febrero). Avenida Sarasota is a pretty street, bella vista mall is close to there and the high end apartments on Anacoana overlooking the park, are close to there as well. Hotel El Embajador is guest friendly with a good pool. The BQ Hotel on Sarasota, I have been told is guest friendly and has a rooftop pool. Nice area.

[Cagep1967]

This apartment might be owned by an expat,

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/812312

$69US per night to rent. I have not seen this apartment in person, I have a fairly good idea where it might be located. Almost at the western end of the malecon (before the toll, before Haina). It might be good for you, because you can easily enter onto Avenida Luperon from near there and head north to Avenida Kennedy (Autopista Duarte) where you would make a left and then go straight to return to Santiago and Puerto Plata. If the building is located where I believe it is located, there is a good Italian restaurant (Pirata) there, which has discreet outdoor seating facing the Sea, on the shoreline. Ciudad de Amor (so called on google maps) is in that location with at least 6 cabanas (probably a 2 minute drive to the nearest cabana from the apartment building). Prive Cabana is close-by, I have previously posted photos of Prive Cabana. The neighborhood called Herrera is off avenida luperon and has many attractive Dominicanas, drive in that neighborhood on a Friday night is an interesting experience. Jumbo has a modern looking store on Avenida Luperon.

Gazcue is the neighborhood just west of zona colonial. Gazcue has numerous medical offices and clinics, government offices, political party headquarters, stores, pharmacies, large old homes with large pieces of property, apartment buildings and hotels. Generally in Gazcue, you will see more locals than other tourists. Zona Colonial has more tourists, but also has a large percentage of Dominicans who work there or study there or go shopping there or go there to eat or drink.

I'll send another link for an apartment that is less west.

Hotel BQ (also known as delta) on Sarasota, nice hotel, chica friendly, small pool on the roof, great views, great breakfast. I haven't stayed with them since they've modernized (they are a bit trendy now) , all in all a good hotel not too expensive and in the center of the city. Not the touristy places.

[Cagep1967]

Cagep1967, you should probably have your own thread. I am sure you have hundreds of interesting / funny stories to tell! I can imagine that as an American who is living the DR, everyday is probably an adventure!

Most of my days are tranquil, I have a main girl who lives with me. She's great takes care of all my needs. She thinks about me all the time. For Valentines day, I got her an eliptical machine for the house (she's put on some weight) , not much thought on my part. For my gift, she got me a coffee mug (I drink several cups a day) with a special picture on it and some special writing, she had it made to order. She also remembered me talking about smoking a hookah, she went out of her way to find a place to buy one and got that for me as well. For me that is a great gift, something I enjoy but would not have thought about buying for myself.

For her birthday in May, I'm going to throw a pool party, outside of the city they have these restaurant / bars / pools. They are great, I'm going to throw her a kickass birthday party and all her friends will be jealous. She likes to show of her american marido and how I treat her.

I love it down here, I make a good living. Things are very affordable for me, my quality of life here is much higher than in the states. I've brought my mother, uncle and cousins down for visits. My mother is coming for plastic surgery real soon, very high end clinic, highly recommended doctor. My mother wants new breasts, tummy tuck, neck and arms done. Less than $4500 per procedure.

I'm working on a deal, where if it comes through, I will be living here tax free for a very long time. Got to keep dreaming.

[Tempoecorto]

This apartment might be owned by an expat,

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/812312

$69US per night to rent. I have not seen this apartment in person, I have a fairly good idea where it might be located. Almost at the western end of the malecon (before the toll, before Haina). It might be good for you, because you can easily enter onto Avenida Luperon from near there and head north to Avenida Kennedy (Autopista Duarte) where you would make a left and then go straight to return to Santiago and Puerto Plata. If the building is located where I believe it is located, there is a good Italian restaurant (Pirata) there, which has discreet outdoor seating facing the Sea, on the shoreline. Ciudad de Amor (so called on google maps) is in that location with at least 6 cabanas (probably a 2 minute drive to the nearest cabana from the apartment building). Prive Cabana is close-by, I have previously posted photos of Prive Cabana. The neighborhood called Herrera is off avenida luperon and has many attractive Dominicanas, drive in that neighborhood on a Friday night is an interesting experience. Jumbo has a modern looking store on Avenida Luperon.

I'll send another link for an apartment that is less west.

Grateful to you Jaosousa for your time and the details. I have tried airbnb for santiago and I thought the owners were mostly pain. You cannot bring guests, I will need list of visitors and all that kind of nonsense so I essentially told them to stuff it. However I will try this link. I might be coming in from San Cristobal so 30 de Mayo works. At the same time, I was wondering if there is anything in the los prados or zona universitaria. Along 27 de Febrero. I may have to pick up people at places like acropolis and I hate long drives back and forth in a city, where driving is always chaotic what with two wheelers. Thanks again.

[Jaosousa]

Can you share some more insight with SD newbies such as myself? :

-How many trips to SD did you take before you were comfortable enough to start driving there?

-Do you get your rental cars from the airport? If so, what company would you recommend?

-What is the name of the insurance you should buy ("Casa del conductor?")

-Also, is GPS of any use in the DR?

I have not used GPS in the DR (Dominicanas sitting in the passenger seat sometimes give directions). An ISG member who I was giving a ride, used his apple iphone maps program to confirm where to turn one time (he connected to his US cell phone company data service). Nokia has free maps (including for the DR) for some of its cell phones that don't require a data connection to access (after they are installed into the cell phone). Bogiemaker previously gave good information regarding Garmin GPS in the DR.

Casa del Conductor insurance according to ISG member Professor is only available through Hertz rental. I have never rented with Hertz in the DR. The first four car rentals in the DR were with Avis, the last 20 or more rentals have been with Alamo/National. Third Party liability insurance is mandatory if you decline Alamo/National's more costly collision/loss damage insurance. Alamo/National's collision/loss insurance costs about $20 per day and includes third party liability insurance. My MasterCard credit card provides coverage for loss of the vehicle (it does not cover expensive SUV vehicles) therefore I can decline Alamo's $20 per day insurance and instead pay around $10 for their third party liability insurance. I also pay about $4 per day for glass and tire coverage (with that coverage Alamo has replaced free of charge at least 4 tires that were damaged while driving. Avis in the DR tried to charge me over $100 for a damaged non-repairable tire). I always reserve online to receive and return the car rental at the airport. Alamo/National is open 24/7 at the santo domingo airport.

The first time I entered into the City of Santo Domingo, I was driving a rental car. It was a Friday night in December over 10 years ago. My connection to Puerto Plata from San Juan, Puerto Rico was not held by American Airlines (because of high winds my flight from Newark, New Jersey was late arriving into San Juan, Puerto Rico). American Airlines put me on a 4pm flight to Santo Domingo. My 70 year old father had flown in the day before with another family member to Puerto Plata and they were waiting for me at the Sosua Bay Hotel, it was our first trip to Sosua and first trip to the north shore of the DR (we had visited bavaro one time and boca chica twice). When I arrived into las americas airport (SDQ), I rented a car with Avis for the drive to Sosua. My Spanish was not very good. I drove into Santo Domingo, got lost in Santo Domingo, sun went down and after at least an hour of driving in santo domingo, I found the highway toward Santiago. The Dominicans were very nice about giving me directions, I didn't understand everything they were saying. I eventually arrived in front of the Sosua Bay Hotel that night around midnight.

Nowadays there is GPS and smart phones with maps programs. Also youtube where you can see videos of different routes that some drivers have uploaded. Google maps are free and can be looked at prior to a trip. Being a member of a site like the ISG where you can get tips and information about driving prior to a trip are advantages available to you.

A sped up video showing the drive from Zona Colonial to the SDQ airport (las americas airport), taking the pontoon (floating bridge), avenida espana and the las americas highway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYsxvssK_Yg

In some ways driving in the DR is safer and easier than driving where I live in New York State. In the DR there is no snow and ice on the roads, generally no heavy fog in the DR. Where I live I have to worry about deer, bear, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, rabbits and other animals running onto the road. On a sunny day in the DR, there are places where you can easily drive 100mph on a nice flat, straight, 4 lane road, that passes trees and shrubs, with no other vehicles around, no pedestrians and no animals.

[SavePros321]

since most guys are just going down for a quick weekend, all the preventive advice in the world really won't matter a whole hell of a lot. having visited countless times and essentially living in the d.r. for a couple of years in the past, i've done my share of stupid things, and in all honesty, sharing them only brings grief on the person exposing his ego to the forum and all that happens is a bunch of ego-stricken posters bash him rather than consider that he was brave enough to offer himself up to help prevent someone else enjoying the same train wreck. all stupid things have their eventual consequences, some greater than others.

as an alternative, i'm going to list a couple or so things for short time visitors that i'd put in my little lettered pocket reference list:

1) never announce when you are going to the d.r.;

2) always tell them (sosua girls / rats / anyone) that you are leaving a week later than your true departure date;

3) always negotiate with the girl of your choice up front;

4) if there is still a problem with service or payment, pay them, smile, let them leave happy they took advantage of you, and then never speak to them again;

5) never use a "street concierge" that will "help translate" or "find the good girls" for you;

6) never buy weed or any other drugs, as easy as it may seem, and as confident you may be "no one will find out";

7) never go with a girl that doesn't have a "cedula" and be sure to confirm the i'd is actually hers;

8) never hook up, regardless of the times they say "it's ok". with an **** girl. this is wrong, and also if you're american, illegal;

9) never give up your contact information, and furthermore i suggest you may even have a d. r, alias;

10) never send money to a chica despite your kind heart, her professed needs, or otherwise;

11) never believe that a girl that is taking money from you actually loves you."teamo, teamo, teamo". it really means nothing to them but they know it strokes your ego;

12) do not go to their house, get around their children, or involved with their family;

13) always treat them well, treat them like a lady and show them a good time and they will almost always return the favor;

14) always have a wingman, and make sure to meet and hang with some of the veterans. they can be pretty strange and quirky at times, but they know the ropes if you do find some trouble;

15) go see a dominican professional baseball game, take a chica, your wingman and another chica. the games are an incredible experience you'll never forget;

16) go there, have a nice vacation, have some fun with the girls, and go back home. as a friend of mine says, never take your vacation home with you.

this is a good start to a successful vacation.

========================

original post:

http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...=1#post1396369