Puerto Plata

[Charles Pooter]

My opinion as a person that has stayed at both places multiple times both places are "in the middle of nowhere" for different reasons for different types of mongers, hence the reason for the ongoing debate.

Totally agree, and that is all I have been saying all along. Different strokes for different folks. No need for the continued pissing up the wall contest. Same goes for the equally stupid "which is better, Blackbeards or Sosua?" vendetta to which the answer is, equally,"It depends what your priorities are."

Jenny's market in Costambar.

That's the one. Sorry I got the name wrong. (Long time since I have been to Costambar. Too far off the beaten track. LOL.)

. the taxis in Playa Dorada are as bad as the taxis in Costambar, thieves.

Indeed, but they were not relevant to my post. No-one at Field of Dreams need call a Playa Dorada taxi. The private city taxis in Puerto Plata are very reasonably priced. I think the minimum is 150 pesos and you can go quite a long way for that.

Charles, you are assuming that most mongers staying at FOD would use publicos for their transportation needs but the fact is that they don't. That said, mongers that care about keeping there expenses in check on the north coast should learn the public transportation system or else you will get fucked by the taxistas, plain and simple.

Sadly true. Some are too nervous or too snobbish to use publicos, but most don't use them simply because they are not aware of them or don't know how they work. Hotels owners are slow to instruct them because they receive a commission or, at least, goodwill from calling cabs.

I am no longer much use on this earth but one of my remaining roles is to show newbie mongers how to make best use of the public transport system to save lots of money. I have done so many times and guys have generally been very grateful.

[Manizales911]

This is exactly the point I was trying to make. The discussion was whether either Field of Dreams or Blackbeards is in "the middle of nowhere". It comes up frequently on this and other boards. If money is no object you can get to anywhere you want to go from Blackbeards by taking (as you accurately post) a 800 pesos and upwards return trip in a private taxi. You can get to most of the same places from Field of Dreams with a 60 to 100 peso return trip on public transport. (Though not by motoconcho, as Frannie assumed. I wouldn't recommend taking a moto for any distance along the main highway. Also they are not always easy to find outside Field of Dreams).

For some posters here that 700 peso difference means nothing for a bit of comfort and convenience. Most are on a tighter budget and would prefer to spend it on pussy rather than enrich the Costambar taxi mafiosos.

If you are with a group of three or four guys, then it is not an issue as taxis charge per distance and time and not per person, so even the expensive Costambar taxis become reasonable per person.

The supermarket I was referring to with all the facilities, which you could reach from Field of Dreams in the same amount of time as it takes to walk to Wendy's (have I got the name right?) from Blackbeards, is Jose Luis.

Charles, you are assuming that most mongers staying at FOD would use publicos for their transportation needs but the fact is that they don't. That said, mongers that care about keeping there expenses in check on the north coast should learn the public transportation system or else you will get fucked by the taxistas, plain and simple.

My opinion as a person that has stayed at both places multiple times both places are "in the middle of nowhere" for different reasons for different types of mongers, hence the reason for the ongoing debate.

Jenny's market in Costambar is small in size but has just about anything for someone staying there, they have tailored their inventory to meet the immediate needs of residents and certainly the needs of the folks staying at BB's and the other couple of hotels / apartments in Costambar. There are plenty of restaurants in Costambar and a few cool bars and of course the beach and a golf course, all within walking distance or a relatively safe motoconcho ride for the lazy like me. Getting to Sosua or Puerto Plata is expensive by taxi or one needs to take a motoconcho to reach the main road to catch a publico for those that are willing and able.

FOD on the other hand is on the main road so it is easy to catch publicos for those that are willing and able otherwise you will take a taxi everywhere, restaurants, bars, markets, etc. Nothing is within an easy walk and the only thing that is within a difficult walk is Play Dorada, there you will have stores to pick up necessities and restaurants but you will pay through the ass big time, and the taxis in Playa Dorada are as bad as the taxis in Costambar, thieves.

Just my dos centavos.

[Charles Pooter]

Big ones are La Sirena and Tropical Supermarket, but the prices are not really worth 800 pesos taxi cost from Costambar.

This is exactly the point I was trying to make. The discussion was whether either Field of Dreams or Blackbeards is in "the middle of nowhere". It comes up frequently on this and other boards. If money is no object you can get to anywhere you want to go from Blackbeards by taking (as you accurately post) a 800 pesos and upwards return trip in a private taxi. You can get to most of the same places from Field of Dreams with a 60 to 100 peso return trip on public transport. (Though not by motoconcho, as Frannie assumed. I wouldn't recommend taking a moto for any distance along the main highway. Also they are not always easy to find outside Field of Dreams).

For some posters here that 700 peso difference means nothing for a bit of comfort and convenience. Most are on a tighter budget and would prefer to spend it on pussy rather than enrich the Costambar taxi mafiosos.

If you are with a group of three or four guys, then it is not an issue as taxis charge per distance and time and not per person, so even the expensive Costambar taxis become reasonable per person.

The supermarket I was referring to with all the facilities, which you could reach from Field of Dreams in the same amount of time as it takes to walk to Wendy's (have I got the name right?) from Blackbeards, is Jose Luis.

[Bliadun]

Big ones are La Sirena and Tropical Supermarket, but the prices are not really worth 800 pesos taxi cost from Costambar.

I was talking about a real supermarket with maybe 40 staff, a bank, a WU branch, a Claro branch, an Orange branch, a restaurant with wi-fi, repairs service, etc, etc, not a mom & pop store. Not a big deal to me, but maybe to the recent poster for whom shopping features high on his priority list.

[Charles Pooter]

One near the entrance to Costambar (good one) .10-15 minutes walk from BB, this one with really good exchange rate.

Another one on the beach (not so good) 5-10 minutes walk from BB.

I was talking about a real supermarket with maybe 40 staff, a bank, a WU branch, a Claro branch, an Orange branch, a restaurant with wi-fi, repairs service, etc, etc, not a mom & pop store. Not a big deal to me, but maybe to the recent poster for whom shopping features high on his priority list.

[Bliadun]

One near the entrance to Costambar (good one) ,10-15 minutes walk from BB, this one with really good exchange rate.

Another one on the beach (not so good) ,5-10 minutes walk from BB.

For me it is a question of cheap and convenient access to interesting locations (beaches, bars, stores, banks, Sosua, Montellano, Pto Pta city, Malecon, Cabarete and points east, etc.) Field of Dreams qualifies, Blackbeards doesn't.

But as you say, there is no right and wrong about it. It depends what your priorities are. For example, someone just posted that one his priorities is proximity to a convenience store. I have stayed a total of seven months at Field of Dreams over the years and cannot remember ever needing one urgently. Though if I did there is a supermarket and choice of half dozen colmados not more than 15 minutes away, which I guess is about the time it takes to walk to Wendy's from Blackbeards? No supermarkets or banks in Costambar.

I do remember a starving haitiana and I wanted pizza at 3. 00am in the morning at Field of Dreams and we went out and bought one and were back eating it in bed within 40 minutes at the additional cost of 120 pesos for transport. Best of luck with that at Blackbeards.

[Frannie]

Are there any flights from Puerto Plata to Port au Prince?

Yes, but you have to change planes at Miami.

[Frannie]

I do remember a starving haitiana and I wanted pizza at 3. 00am in the morning at Field of Dreams and we went out and bought one and were back eating it in bed within 40 minutes at the additional cost of 120 pesos for transport. Best of luck with that at Blackbeards.

It can be difficult to transport a pizza on a motoconcho. I did not know you can get one in Puerto Plata at 3:00 a. M, but then at that hour I am tucked up in bed. Blackbeards is or was just down the road from a pizzeria, but not an all night place. Field of Dreams rules when it comes to 3:00 a. M. Pizza.

There is a new place on the Malecon where you can get handmade Italian pizza and other fine foods made by a Neapolitan. But not at 3:00 a. M, I think.

[Charles Pooter]

Are there any flights from Puerto Plata to Port au Prince?

I wish.

Awkward trip from Pto Plata to Potoprens whether you go via Santo Domingo or via Okap.

I once knew a puta from Cristal who flew from Pto Pta to Potoprens in a privately chartered light plane on her own dime (though sharing with three other passengers). Not suggesting she did that regularly though. Probably had just enjoyed a profitable couple of weeks with a high-roller.

[Mr Enternational]

Are there any flights from Puerto Plata to Port au Prince?

Not sure if there would be a market for that. Google: flights POP PAP

[Shamester]

Are there any flights from Puerto Plata to Port au Prince?

[Charles Pooter]

Of course it all depends on your definition of "middle of nowhere".

For me it is a question of cheap and convenient access to interesting locations (beaches, bars, stores, banks, Sosua, Montellano, Pto Pta city, Malecon, Cabarete and points east, etc.) Field of Dreams qualifies, Blackbeards doesn't.

But as you say, there is no right and wrong about it. It depends what your priorities are. For example, someone just posted that one his priorities is proximity to a convenience store. I have stayed a total of seven months at Field of Dreams over the years and cannot remember ever needing one urgently. Though if I did there is a supermarket and choice of half dozen colmados not more than 15 minutes away, which I guess is about the time it takes to walk to Wendy's from Blackbeards? No supermarkets or banks in Costambar.

I do remember a starving haitiana and I wanted pizza at 3. 00am in the morning at Field of Dreams and we went out and bought one and were back eating it in bed within 40 minutes at the additional cost of 120 pesos for transport. Best of luck with that at Blackbeards.

[Tempoecorto]

This point has been disputed for a decade. When I first visited the DR I stayed at BB and my main concern before I came was that I had read that it was "in the middle of nowhere". It isn't, but FOD is. The Playa Dorada stores and beach ARE within walking distance, sort of, but it is quite a walk in hot weather.

Of course it all depends on your definition of "middle of nowhere". To people used to living in a large city, a village like Costambar is "the middle of nowhere", because it is not close to big city amenities. To others, including myself,"the middle of nowhere" would mean that there is no other building within close walking distance-which would describe Field of Dreams.

Interesting! I discovered BB last October by accident. I had encountered a woman on Facebook from PP who used to work in some hotel around and so when I told her I would like to see costambar beaches, she told me "sure. Next time when you are around". In October, she guided me. We drove in my car, from PP center. Actually Caribe Express. All the way to the outskirts of PP and where the UASD campus is, we veered to the right and after some boondocks, got to the so-called Costambar gates where a guard waved us in. Inside, she and I drove around a bit when I spied Blackbeards which was smack in the middle of a bunch of houses while I had imagined it to be in some kind of Island of Dr. Moreaux, LOL, far from anything. Then we went to the beach for lunch and as it so happened, bumped into an American woman, a Canadian woman, a Dutch woman, married to a Domenican, who owned the restaurant, all my age group. In short one man and 4 women including the young woman I was with who spoke English well. We had a good fun time chatting together before I and the woman I was with, left for a cabana, there was one close by on the way out of the city that she guided me to.

I do not know what is "walkable" distance for others but I thought the beach from Blackbeards is eminently walkable and around the gate, there were stores and such. If I recall correctly.

[Frannie]

I have never been to Blackbeards (BBs), but I heard that there are stores, restaurants and a beach all within a short walking distance. Kind of funny, because I had read a post on this forum, before my trip, that BBs was isolated and FOD was not. It's probably the opposite. But that poster may have meant that FOD is closer to Sosua and Puerto Plata than BBs is.

This point has been disputed for a decade. When I first visited the DR I stayed at BB and my main concern before I came was that I had read that it was "in the middle of nowhere". It isn't, but FOD is. The Playa Dorada stores and beach ARE within walking distance, sort of, but it is quite a walk in hot weather.

Of course it all depends on your definition of "middle of nowhere". To people used to living in a large city, a village like Costambar is "the middle of nowhere", because it is not close to big city amenities. To others, including myself,"the middle of nowhere" would mean that there is no other building within close walking distance-which would describe Field of Dreams.

[Henry R]

Trip report, where to start?

I just got back from a three week trip to the DR. This was WAY LONGER than I ever wanted to stay in the DR at one time, but the purpose of this trip was to take advantage of 'medical tourism' (or more precisely 'dental tourism') and three weeks was necessary to complete the procedures. The partaking of the chicas along the way was a phenomenal side benefit of the trip. I had all the work done in a clinic in the DR, and with including airfare, hotel, food, transportation and paying for the dental work, I saved a couple thousand dollars over what I was quoted to have the work done in the US. I am extremely satisfied with the outcome and I had a trip I will never forget.

I have been to the DR close to 20 times since late 2006. Over the years I did the novia thing (yes, I was Western Union novio for a bit of time –no more, learned my lesson here) , hit Sosua, BBs and Santiago, but mostly I spent my time on the North Coast. My personal preference in punting is that I like being a spoon fed monger and although I break things up by occasionally visiting Sosua, I like the 'point and click' atmosphere of a place like BBs. This trip I had a lot of time on my hands, I thought I would explore a bit and broaden my horizons in several areas. I decided not to rent a car for my entire trip and I thought this was a good opportunity to try different modes of transport available here.

With this much time on my hands, I knew I could not do my entire stay at BBs. I knew I would get claustrophobic if I did. I also saw this as an opportunity to get a firsthand comparison of BBs to FOD. I booked about a week at BBs and another at FOD. I left things up in the air from there. Let me preface things here by saying I am not a shill for either place, I just am giving you my opinion.

BBs. They were the first DR establishment I visited in 2006. The place was nice back then, but I will tell you John has done nothing but try to improve the place since he bought it. His latest improvements have brought the hotel to an upper mid-level hotel by US standards. They finally have consistent HOT WATER! Nice A / C, very clean rooms and Wi-Fi available in my rooms (all total I had 3 rooms).20 plus girls are available in the afternoon shift and 25-35 chicas in the evening. The evening shift dresses up to the nines and there were a lot of 'doable' chicas available from noon on. The food has improved over the years and I am seeing more locals stopping by to eat as a testament to the improvement. Food prices for dinner average $8-$10. Tim, Cliff and Martha kept the place running smoothly without John being present my entire stay. I got 40. 9 pesos / US dollar from Jenny's and I made use of the local pharmacy and Solo Mia's restaurant. I also took one chica out to Los Tres Coco's in La Roka, a great restaurant 10 minutes from Costambar. When I first started travelling to the DR I got 33 pesos / US dollar and BBs chica rates were 1300 ST / 2500 TLN (about $40/$75 respectively) , today it is 1600 ST / 3000 TLN (about $40/$75 respectively). For the most part, BBs runs like a well-oiled machine. It was a lot rougher around the edges when I first started my travels there.

My biggest complaint, if you want to call it that, is the Costambar Taxi Mafia prices. Once you get to know your way around the DR and how cheap things are, you hate it when you know you are being gouged by paying 'gringo prices'. A Costambar mafia taxi to Puerto Plata clinic was 800 pesos ($20) , PP taxi back to BBS was $10. Motoconcho BBs to PP clinic 300 pesos ($7. 50) , PP motochoncho back to BBs. 75 to 100 pesos (about $2 to $2. 50)

FOD. The hotel itself is set up well. The grounds are manicured and the rooms are clean. The murals of hand painted, half naked women on every flat wall does creep me out, but some of the guys I talked to down there liked the hand crafted aspect of it. To each his own I guess. Jeffrey, Jamie and Pedro run the place. Neecko the Romanian bartender is a hoot and one of the biggest assets of FOD. FOD is completely surrounded by high walls and it sits alone, surrounded by a large field, across from the service entrance to Playa Dorada. Although this hotel is closer to PP and the airport than BBs, you can't get anywhere worthwhile by walking. One afternoon I took a 10 minute walk straight toward the sea cutting through Playa Dorada and I was told I could not use the beach because they were all private. On my walk there and back, Playa Dorada was a ghost town. Playa Dorada ain't what it used to be.

With FOD being somewhat isolated, having high walls and its close proximity to Playa Dorada has some advantages. For those people staying across the street in Playa Dorada, girls are available throughout the day; they can rent a room for a quickie and bypass the hassle and price of Crystals. I ran into another advantage while I was at FOD, there was a crew of guys throwing a semi-private party and it started to get a bit wild. At one point I saw one guy lying on the pool table getting a blow job from one of the chicas in full view of everyone. You won't see that at BBs. Being in a residential community, BBs does not allow nudity in any public areas. Obviously that situation doesn't bother FOD. They can also really crank up the music at night, something FOD can get away with vs. BBs having neighbors close by.

FODs location provides disadvantages in that if you want to do most anything off site, change money, get food, buy Cialis, anything else, you need to catch a ride. I was able to turn this disadvantage into a plus as I finally learned how to use the gua-gua's (local public transport). I caught the gua-gua in front of FOD for a 25 minute ride to Sosua for 100 pesos each way. It cost 30 pesos to catch a ride to the Puerto Plata clinic. Yes, you are stuffed in either a Toyota Corolla with 7 other Dominicans or a minivan with 19 of your closest friends, but really it is an experience and it is safe.

From my point of view, FOD is a nice place for a short stay, one, no more than two nights. The place reminds me a lot of how BBs used to be a long time ago. They have not worked out all the kinks. All the drama of the place works out in front of you if you stay there for any length of time. Jamie runs around like a chicken with his head cut off handling the problem of the moment. Rules are made up and broken on the spot by Jamie and Pedro. Maria is supposed to be the Mamason, but then Pedro says he is the Papason. The girls seem to playing the guys all the time. Jamie takes a chica of his choice to his room every night for the privilege of the chica keeping her job. Pedro jokes that he (Jamie) is 'quality control' for the chicas. The lunch and dinner plates are more expensive than BBs. Their menu is more limited and they don't have all the items listed on it. One night I asked for lasagna ('sorry, we are out') , then the pork steak from their signature dishes page ('sorry, we are out') , before settling on the bacon cheeseburger (that is one of their best selections).

Some of these comparisons / observations may be knit-picky, but here goes. When I first arrived, I had to get the girl who checked me in to fix things in my room so my TV would turn on, so my toilet would flush (it was plugged up) and show me how to turn on the air conditioner. It turns out the air conditioner in my room has a wall switch that turns it on or off, with no temperature control available. When I turned it on to go to bed at night, it would wake me up at about 4 am as it got too cold, it had iced up and was making that fan blade hitting ice noise. Even on a cool morning I still had to turn on the air conditioner when my room got stuffy, as there is only one window and no cross ventilation in my room. Not every room has a mini-fridge, which I miss a lot, especially if I get thirsty in the middle of the night. They have no clear cut ways to use the 'house phone' and you kind of have to muddle through it all yourself. Nowhere was I told or was it written that the chicas have an agreed to price of 1600 and 3000, just like BBs, but you can negotiate if you want to. No matter where you go, chica quality is always up for personal taste, as well as 'luck of the draw', but I was there for over a week and although there were always 10 to 20 chicas available, but to my taste, there were really only about 4 or five chicas that were 'doable'. The girls seem a lot 'hungrier' than BBs and I found myself locked in my room at times to keep from being pestered by the chicas for a date when I wanted to be left alone. This 'hunger' is a double edged sword as those few chicas I did choose to be with gave me a very high level of service. I like having ambient lighting while I am doing the deed with my chica, and BBs has small lamps off to the side that are perfect for that. At FOD their only lighting was the main overhead lights and I just didn't like the atmosphere it created (again, some of this may be knit-picky).

I realize this may sound like an advert for BBs, and in a way I guess it is. Really I am glad there is a place like FOD out there as it creates some competition for BBs and competition is a good thing. I wonder how long it would have been for BBs to get flat screen TVs had it not been for FOD? FOD reminds me a lot of BBs from years ago, but a bit more disorganized. It is going to take FOD a while to get things down pat and to find its niche. FOD is not BBs 'lite', nor should it be. Since I have been going down to the DR I have seen FOD change hands too many times, but I really think this time they have a chance to make it work. If for no other reason than Playa Dorada no longer has the pull that it used to.

PS: I have purposefully stayed off the boards and away from the punting community for a few years now. Life circumstances have pushed me out of the workforce and into an early retirement, thus causing a dramatic shift in my punting priorities / opportunities. Right or wrong, I chose not to communicate with even good friends over the years from the board as I dealt (and am dealing) with these changes. It was just too hard to juggle real life with my fantasy (mongering) life. My apologies to those I have intentionally ignored (you know who you are). I am only rejoining the conversation here on ISG as I have again been able to partake in our shared hobby on a limited basis and I have a few observations I thought I should share with the board. 'Nuff said on that subject.

I stayed at FOD last Fall, and I fully agree with several of your comments. Here are the notes I took last Fall. I didn't know about the gua-guas (public transport) at the time. Otherwise I could've gotten around more. I never got around to posting my notes until now, but they were written long before I read your post:

I was at Field of Dreams (FOD) once for a few days last Fall (2012). So what I write may be somewhat outdated now. Some things were good, some weren't. Here is what I thought:

I thought the owners and staff were friendly and helpful.

The room and restaurant were OK, and the swimming pool was nice.

The satellite TVs shut off when it rained though. I heard satellite TVs had more problems with rain here than in the US.

I thought there were 2 or 3 good looking girls and a few others who were just OK. Most were not my type.

(I had heard about the not so great quality of the girls before I went, but one of the owners wrote on this forum, before I left for my trip, that the quality was improving, with new and better looking girls arriving everyday. If so, I didn't see them). But I was only there for a few days, so a couple of lookers were enough. And the two lookers I was with, for a few hours, were very good!

My main complaint was the isolation. There was no store or restaurant within walking distance. (At the time, last Fall, there was a restaurant a block away on the main road, to the left, but it was closed, with a "for rent" sign on it).

It is important for me to have a convenience store nearby to buy things. Also, Playa Dorado Hotel and it's beach and its disco were not within walking distance either. And taking taxis there or to stores everyday would be expensive. So personally I would not spend more than a few days at FOD, because of the isolation, if having stores or restaurants or beaches or discos within walking distance is important to you.

I have never been to Blackbeards (BBs), but I heard that there are stores, restaurants and a beach all within a short walking distance. Kind of funny, because I had read a post on this forum, before my trip, that BBs was isolated and FOD was not. It's probably the opposite. But that poster may have meant that FOD is closer to Sosua and Puerto Plata than BBs is.

Finally, a tourist I met at FOD, who had also stayed at BBs, complained that very few girls at FOD will spend the whole night with a customer. He said that all the girls at BBs will spend the whole night with a customer.