Travel Announcements Only (No questions or comments please)

[Willynme]

Be there Feb 14 thru Feb 18 for good times to be had. The conde is awesome and Boca Chica for the beach in the daytime. Anyone being there for hookup would be great---cafe for beer and chica watching and great food---let me know. I am from cinci and speak spanish so-so. 44yo easy going dude--just dumped chica so I am solo this time and looking forward.

[James Bowen]

I've been more or less all over Asia and figured it was time for a change. I'm planning a trip to the DR in mid-March for a little under a week and have never been there before. I've heard great things about Blackbeards and was considering staying there. Any suggestions on other places to stay and/or things and places to see and do?

[Usboys]

Hello forum,

I am going to DR in early January does anyone know about this hotel.

Property Name: Barcelo Lina
Address: Av. Maximo Gomez, Santa Domingo, DO

[Member #3437]

Did I say "pass on the right"

Sigh.

The guy passed me on the left, hitting the driver's door when I turned at the car wash. Sorry I screwed up the story.

[Member #3437]

Regarding car rental and insurance; I rent every time and always get the full coverage and one time my rentals' transmission went almost completely dead and the windshield cracked on the way back to the airport, I was terrified but left the car at the AVIS lot at SDQ airport before it even opened in that condition, and never heard anything about it! Get insurance coverage.

And I would tell you the opposite. But first the story.

Several years ago I was in a rental car of Gypsies and got fucking creamed by the Sosua car wash by some asshole resort transporter in a van. Frankly, I was lucky I didn't get killed. As it was, I had two cracked ribs, glass in my eye, cuts, etc. As I was turning off the main drag at the car wash, a van loaded with tourists tried to pass me on the right and just annihilated my car, pushing me all the way into the car wash. I knew I was hit when all the glass exploded in my face and the door came crashing into my side. I sat there for a minute, then I got out, and the guy starts yelling as I notice every dominican at the car wash, about 100 of them, are running for my car. I am certain they hoped I was dead or unconscious so they could rob the body and contents of the car, but when they discovered that 1) the gringo wasn't dead and 2) he spoke spanish and 3) wasn't intimidated by the other driver's demands for money and threatening behavior, they actually were kind of on my side. Typical dominican behavior. They probably thought they could 'sell me' advice or something. Anyway, I told the other driver that he was an asshole for trying to pass me on the right, and that he needed to give me money. He insisted I pay him, so I took out my cell and said, 'lets let the police decide who pays' and he RAN back to his smashed van and took off with a load of fat confused tourists looking at me as they passed by. What he didn't know was I had no idea how to call the police on a Dominican phone. But I digress. He left and I got in the car, dragging car parts and limped down to the police station at about 2 miles per hour and made a report. I triumpantly told them I got the guy's tag number, and the cop laughed and told me that the car already had a different tag on it and to forget it.

Back to the damage part. First, a plug for Gypsy. I called her and she delivered a new car to me immediately and was concerned for my well being. She as always was a class act.

Anyway, as always I had rejected the damage waiver coverage and had charged the car on my platinum credit card. THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO DO. If you get in an accident, you get a police report, and all documentation from the card company, and they charge the damage on your credit card when you turn the car in. The damage was suprisingly low (I vaguely remember 1900 dollars) because the cost of labor is so cheap.

When you get home, you file a claim, and they send you a check. "They" is not the credit card company, but a third party insurance company that the credit card company farms out the coverage to. This is included in most top end credit cards. While it is certainly more convenient to pay for the extra coverage, you are really just paying for convienence. If you have a good credit card (platinum, gold) with protection and a big limit, don't waste your money.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I certainly hope that the author or somebody else will post a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

[Score77]

Last year I was in SD. When you get to customs do you have to pay a local fee and get a slip from a booth on the side before proceeding to customs?

Thanks,

Jay

[Supertigre]

I am thinking about going to the DR at the end of august but worry about the the weather being hurricane season. Also how hard will it be to find women in bad weather. Do any other people give me an idea of what to expect.

If there is a direct hit by a hurricane, then all bets are off, but the north coast is much less vulnerable to hurricanes than the south coast, partly because it is sheltered by mountains, but also because most hurricanes seem to track along the south coast past DR, Haiti, Cuba, and Jamaica.

You can still find women in bad weather.

[Gas6459]

Regarding car rental and insurance; I rent every time and always get the full coverage and one time my rentals' transmission went almost completely dead and the windshield cracked on the way back to the airport, I was terrified but left the car at the AVIS lot at SDQ airport before it even opened in that condition, and never heard anything about it! Get insurance coverage.

[BoricuaOnline]

I am going to Santo Domingo next week. My first trip. How far is it to Santiago? I got some numbers of some chicas there, but debating whether it is worth the trip. how much by taxi? bus? plane? I am not up on the lay of the land in DR yet... thanks guys..

OD

Take Metro or Caribe buses, 2 h 30 m of travel, an amount similar to 8 dollars. Nice big A/C buses with bath and space for luggage.

[Orgasm Donor]

I am going to Santo Domingo next week. My first trip. How far is it to Santiago? I got some numbers of some chicas there, but debating whether it is worth the trip. how much by taxi? bus? plane? I am not up on the lay of the land in DR yet... thanks guys..

OD

[Member #3437]

Whats up to all the oldtimers from Sosua? BB, Fantasy, etc?

Anyway, any of you guys going to be in Sosua or PP in January? I am doing 5 days in the sewer from 1-5 to 1-10, and would love to hook up with my old buddies.

Anyone going to be around?

[Yanqui69]

I'd rent from the airport and get all the insurance - liability - theft, etc - available having said all this.

Definitely have insurance. I will risk the credit card for the car (and have had to use it!) and get liability from the company. Worth the security.

Personally, I make reservations online with the national companies at the airport. That way, you have a reputable bunch to deal with (as I said, I had to use the credit card insurance, the rental company provided my credit card with all the necessary claims info).

yanqui69

[Mister]

What is everyones opinion about car insurance in DR, do you pay for it or not? ...

Let's put it this way... Your credit card company may offer you some car rental insurance, but not full coverage. For example, if you total the car, some credit card companies will pay up to $50,000USD for damages to your car rental BUT NOTHING FOR the damages you may have caused to the other vehicle, property, etc. If your credit card company offers car rental insurance and you find yourself in a wreck, it may take them days to get the claim paid and guess where you might be staying during this waiting period? In jail most likely. Most car rental agencies will put you in jail to make sure that you don't flee the country without paying. On the other hand, some car rental agencies will be happy if you just paid the deduct. on the rental. Be warned though: Read the contract in its entirety and note what the deduct. is. It may be as high as $3,000 USD.

I'd rent from the airport and get all the insurance - liability - theft, etc - available having said all this.


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MISTER NYC © 2006

[Tony1739]

Hello to all that come to this site and give great info. I'm pretty new here but I want to know if there are going to be any other people traveling to Sosua. Me and bro will be there Sept 1st to Sept 10th and we plan on having fun, so if anyone else is going to be down there please let us know.

Also one more question if I may. What is everyones opinion about car insurance in DR, do you pay for it or not? I would appreciate any info thanks.

[Griot]

It sounds like you will be busing it with the distances you are talking. Maybe a taxi from BC to SDQ. No one around here will really reccomend a rental car, but it is a options if you can drive confortable in a environment roughly 5 times worst than NYC driving without any rules of the road. There are risk associated if you have an accident. I here there is a small airline that flyes amoungst the DR airports that may be an option also.

I drove to Punta Cana and found NOTHING but resorts. I will not fly into there unless I am desperate. I was very disappointed (not with the airport It is cute!). Your plane may be bigger. You will not get the airfares into SDQ that you get into Punta Cana, so expect to pay maybe a little over a $100 US dollars more.

It sounds like you will be in the DR for a week or 2 , Enjoy.

Griot

Ok everything I've read on this board tells me to get out of Punta Cana as soon as I land. I arrive at 1:30pm on a Tuesday. I got a ridiculously low airfare so I can't complain but from now on I'll only fly into SDQ or POP. Ok, how do I get from Punta Cana to Boca Chica without spending mucho dinero on a taxi? After Boca Chica for a couple of days, I will make my way to Sosua and then on to Cabarete and then back to Punta Cana for my flight back to the states. Should I bus it all the way back to Punta Cana or try to fly from POP to PUJ?