Santiago

[OldKool]

Thanks so much. Your reports gives us so many more options for enjoying the DR. The details are so valuable. The women in Santiago.

Are very beautiful. I plan to use some of your tips when I am there.

QUOTE=Camaro1257;1659157]Camaro in Santiago Synopsis December 2014.

[Mr Gogo]

I am flying into Santiago on 1/30 and arrive around 2 am on a Saturday morning via Spirit? Where would I find nice ladies and a cabana to kill a few hours until the bus stations open up? Limited Spanish skills and first time to DR so would appreciate any advice.

I've flown into the DR probably about 50 times and that is the worst flight to take. The Spirit flight out of FFL to STI was delayed because it comes out of NY and they were snowed in. I'm just over 6 feet and my knees touched the seat in front of me plus the pilot hit every bump in the sky. By the time I got to Sosua it was 6 am and my internal clock was all fucked up. It was my worst flight ever and haven't flown Spirit since.

If you read down Camaro just did a great report with all the info you requested.

[Gato1]

I am flying into Santiago on 1/30 and arrive around 2 am on a Saturday morning via Spirit? Where would I find nice ladies and a cabana to kill a few hours until the bus stations open up? Limited Spanish skills and first time to DR so would appreciate any advice.

[Camaro1257]

Camaro in Santiago Synopsis December 2014.

I have just completed the Santiago portion of my most recent excursion into the Dominican Republic. In my past trips I have done several date excursions into Santiago from Sosua, but this is the first time I have spent the weekend in the city. This report will contain my observations from previous trips as well as this current trip.

This synopsis will be a companion to my Sosua and Puerto Plata reports. This trip included 9 days in Sosua 2 days in Puerto Plata and 3 days in Santiago. I will do a report detailing my experiences in the other 2 destinations. Below I have listed my observations of Santiago for your review.

Zeus Cabana- Autopista Duarte.

In my future trips I will try to visit as many different cabanas in Santiago as I can to see the differences. The room was small comfortable and clean. There was a small couch and queen size bed along with a table and chairs that you can use for dining. I enjoyed the piped in music which was easy listening Latin music that was easy to make love by.

The condoms were not on the bed like many cabanas they were in the bathroom in a tray on top of the toilet. The food was decent. I ordered a cubano sandwhich sin queso and why did they give me a sandwich with cheese? The food order mix up was the only complaint I had. The room was more than sufficient to do the job.

Heilos Cabana-Autopista Duarte.

Heilos Cabana is less than 5 minutes from the International Car Wash, the property is very nice with fountains and great landscaping. The room was great with a couch in a small living room area, dining room area with tables chairs and mirrors on the walls. There was a decent sized bedroom with a sex chair complete with instructions.

One complaint I had was the music was jacked up with a lot of static so I could not set the mood with my chica. Overall the room was very nice and comfortable.

Pegasus Cabana-Avenida Rafel Vidal.

Pegasus Cabana was un-impressive the room was very small with a table chair and bed. The room was not divided into sections like some of the other cabanas. The music did not have a volume control nor did the air-conditioner have a temperature control. The room was very basic and not as comfortable as the others.

Platino Hotel & Casino.

The Platino Hotel & Casino is in the Platinum Plaza in Santiago. Although I had a queen size room it was much a much smaller hotel room than I am accustomed to. There wasn't enough room for a chair; the only place you could sit is on the bed which could present a problem with the wrong chica. There was a small refrigerator with mini bar the air conditioning and WIFI worked well.

Platino Bar & Lounge.

Platino Bar & Lounge is connected to the hotel. The restaurant and casino are in the same plaza but outside the hotel. I suspect this is a favorite hotel for mongers, one morning at breakfast I saw 2 older gentlemen with younger women that were very attractive; I will let you guess what they were doing the night before.

There is a balcony and upstairs and downstairs to the venue. Breakfast is included daily and the food is descent. The restaurant also provides room service. My biggest complaint not only about the hotel but about the restaurant is that everything has a cramped feel and is small. I felt like I needed more room to maneuver where ever I was on the property.

*I will give the Platino staff their props because everyone was professional and courteous and seemed genuinely interested in customer service.

*It should be noted that the Platino Hotel & Casino is approximately 5 minutes from both The Monument and Bella Terra -Mall therefore it is in a good location. However there is not much accessible in walking distance therefore you will need transportation.

Transportation.

For my transportation needs I would have the front desk call a taxi. For taxis you can negotiate an hourly rate between 300-500 pesos. The minimum taxi fare is 200 pesos. I spent about 1000 pesos in taxi fare per day but that is less than what I would pay to rent a car and I don't have to worry about traffic or gasoline.

Traffic in Santiago is not as bad as in Santo Domingo since Santo Domingo is larger but it can be horrendous at times. I was glad I did not have to maneuver through what sometimes was gridlock therefore my money was well spent.

Bella Terra Mall.

Bella Terra Mall is a multiple level mall with parts outside and parts inside with an open air feel. It was a nice mall however there were many spaces vacant which gave it a ghetto feel.

Migras Bella Terra Mall.

Migras is an outdoor venue (bar restaurant) in the entrance of the Bella Terra Mall. It has an excellent vibe the only problem would be in the event of inclement weather it would be uncomfortable. On the night I was there it was a little cool around 68 degrees but not as cool as it was in Sosua the previous week.

I absolutely love this place the staff and the food was great. They specialize in fruit drinks and other alcoholic beverages. After dark a DJ fires up the turn tables and it changes from an outdoor restaurant to a club atmosphere. There were a couple birthday celebrations while I was there. I highly recommend this venue and I surely will return on my next visit to Santiago.

Vitolas Cigar Club & Restaurant.

Vitolas is next door to Platino Hotel and has an indoor and outdoor section. Inside there is a cigar store and bar, I walked inside and could smell the cigar smoke so I decided to go outside in the open air section.

There was a cigar, food and drink menu. It was a much laid back atmosphere and the club faced the street so you could watch the cars go by and enjoy the evening breeze. The food menu varied from sandwiches to full course meals including steak and fish. I had a filet de mero which was very good.

*I noticed many restaurants put cheese on their mashed potatoes which is something I am unaccustomed to at home.

Please don't ask me where I was.

I wanted to get some change and a haircut but there was nothing in walking distance so I had a taxi take me around.

First he took me to a casa de cambio where you had to be buzzed in after which you are facing a window that is blacked out with gates in front of it. I cannot see inside the window and I am thinking WTF? So I slide my money in and get my change. That was the weirdest feeling I have ever had in a change house not being able to see the attendant changing my money. I got 43.5 DOP -1 US.

Next I went to a barber shop for a haircut and shave. The barber is working on me like he is a surgeon. After my shave he puts 3 applications of different lotions on my face and I left feeling like I had more of a facial than haircut and shave. How much? 250 pesos. WTF? In the US I pay $20.00 just for a haircut.

CONYASO!

The Monument of Heros.

It was not my intent to hunt for pros on the Santiago portion of my journey because I had a few non & semi pros lined up but everything fell through and I was left with an open evening. I decided to go to the Monument to see what I could find.

I took a taxi to the Monument and when I arrived I found the entire area alive and vibrant. There was a carnival across the street and the bars and food carts that surround the Monument were busy. You could hear music as you walked around the Monument and the area was full of children, teenagers and couples but I saw very few singles and no one who appeared to be working. This was around 10 pm but later when my taxisita drove me through the area around 1 am I could see some streetwalker traffic.

The Monument is absolutely beautiful at night because the lights that illuminate the Monument can be seen at quite a distance. The Monument makes for a great date location because you can ascend to the top of the Monument you can walk around it or you can sit on the benches and chill.

The International Car Wash.

On my maiden excursion to Santiago I visited La Colonia Car Wash and International Car Wash both of which are on Autopista Duarte about 5 minutes from one another.

The International Car Wash then and now has the best talent of any car wash I have been to in the Dominican Republic. Most women were 7's and arguably there were some 9's present. There is an inside club with bar and dance floor and an outside seating area with plastic chairs.

I met a chica at the International Car Wash last year and it seemed like we hit it off so we agreed on 3000 pesos which is the standard across the board for takeout for all chicas. I left to continue my recon and when I came back I was ready to take her bust she changed the price from 3000 to 5000 pesos. I have no idea what happened but I politely got up and walked away. I saw her again on this occasion but we did not exchange saludos but she kept staring at me while I was speaking with my new chica.

The rate is 3000 pesos for 2 hours and you can go to a cabana or a hotel. I generally do not pay 3000 pesos for ST but some of the women at this venue will make you think twice about what you are willing to pay. I would recommend the International Car Wash to any monger who visits Santiago. The 3000 pesos turned out to be money very well spent.

Dominican Time-Ahorita.

I experienced the meaning of "ahorita" this trip from taxis saying they were 5 minutes away and arriving 30 minutes later to chicas being up to 1 hour and a half late. While waiting for my chicas if I did not have a cell phone communicating with them on whatsapp I would have left them because they took so long.

Since "ahorita" is part of the culture I will need to get used to it.

Las Mujeres.

I had some incredible experiences with my chicas this trip. My selection ranged from a strict PFP chica from the International Car Wash to a semi pro med student to a non-pro civilian that didn't ask for a peso.

PFP pro.

The International Car Wash provides some of the best talent in Santiago. I clicked with my chica like we had known one another for years. I was quite surprised after many lack luster performances in Sosua. She not only was affectionate but after we were done she was in no hurry to leave and we actually talked laughed and cuddled for almost an hour after we were done handling our business. She gave me one of the best PFP experiences in my mongering carreer.

Semi Pro.

I met her on Dominican Cupid and after 3 whatsapp messages she let me know she was in the University and she was interested in "citas o amistad" we negotiated 3000 pesos TLN and I had a pleasant time with her. She was distant at times but not in a rude way kind of in a nervous way. Over all it was a pleasant experience.

Non Pro Civilian.

I met her on Dominican Cupid and when we met for drinks she was hard to read. One thing making the transition from pros to non pros is you have to be careful not to treat all women like prostitutes because many will be offended at the hint of money for sex.

She was hard to read because I did not know which way to go with her until I saw smiles when I happened to see the naked photos in her phone. On the second date she came to my room and everything started slow but ended with a bang. She was a biter and very vocal. In fact after one session she pulled off the condom and commenced to giving me a very good BBBJ it was at that time I knew I was not in Sosua.

My cost was taxi fare dinner and drinks. It was refreshing not to give a woman money after sex.

Conclusion.

Going forward I will be spending a lot of time in Santiago therefore I hope I can find one or two regulars that I can see frequently. Although I plan to live in the Sosua area I am not too excited about being there during the weekends so weekend excursions to Santiago will be right up my alley.

This trip only scratched the surface of what Santiago has to offer therefore I am looking forward to experiencing more.

[BogieMaker]

Hodelpa is pretty good, in Santiago I feel the options are rather limited but I have never gone wrong with the Hodelpa by the airport or the Gran Almirante. I would expect the Centro Plaza to be the same.

At the time you are leaving (8:00 AM) it's not that busy. There is usually just the DL flight in the AM which I have taken before. Get there (STI) an hour and half before and you should be fine, the morning flights are rarely ever delayed since the incoming flight is from the night before and it's on the ground for several hours. While the minimum for a checked bag is an hour before, I have been able to make it through with 45 minutes. I do have status with DL and that tends to help. I wouldn't suggest pushing it late however. The airport does not have much in terms of shopping or eating, once you get past security it is not very exciting. I've been at STI during busy and non-busy hours, it has never taken me more than 15-20 minutes to get through passport control and security.

Thanks everyone for the hotel recommendations. Booked into the Hodelpa Centro Plaza but they were full and they transfered us to the Hodelpa Garden Court for the same price. I must say it was a very nice hotel and less than 5 minutes from the hotel with shuttle service. A little expensive compared to other options but it was nice to have a good nights sleep before the flight home. Compared to SDQ the Santiago airport was a breeze both directions.

[OldKool]

It blows my mind when guys pay $150 for a cab ride to Sosua. When a Dominican can make the same trip for less then 10 dollars and a half hour difference in travel time. Thanks for the heads up.

Yesterday walked out of the gates of STI airport and negotiated a cab fare of 500 pesos to metro bus Santiago. Then paid metro 195 for the ride to Sosua. Also there is a claro store 200 yards from metro to buy a SIM card.

[Mr Gogo]

Yesterday walked out of the gates of STI airport and negotiated a cab fare of 500 pesos to metro bus Santiago. Then paid metro 195 for the ride to Sosua. Also there is a claro store 200 yards from metro to buy a SIM card.

[Puntz79]

I have an early morning 8:00 AM flight out of STI and was wondering which hotel you might recommend in Santiago.

I have looked at Aloha Sol but they show booked. Other possible options are Hotel Platino which is priced right and Hodelpa Centro Plaza which is more expensive.

Also it has been several years since I have flown out of STI how much time should I allot for pass through security? Arriving an hour before the flight seem about right for a smaller airport.

Thanks.

Hodelpa is pretty good, in Santiago I feel the options are rather limited but I have never gone wrong with the Hodelpa by the airport or the Gran Almirante. I would expect the Centro Plaza to be the same.

At the time you are leaving (8:00 AM) it's not that busy. There is usually just the DL flight in the AM which I have taken before. Get there (STI) an hour and half before and you should be fine, the morning flights are rarely ever delayed since the incoming flight is from the night before and it's on the ground for several hours. While the minimum for a checked bag is an hour before, I have been able to make it through with 45 minutes. I do have status with DL and that tends to help. I wouldn't suggest pushing it late however. The airport does not have much in terms of shopping or eating, once you get past security it is not very exciting. I've been at STI during busy and non-busy hours, it has never taken me more than 15-20 minutes to get through passport control and security.

[Yanqui69]

I have an early morning 8:00 AM flight out of STI and was wondering which hotel you might recommend in Santiago.

I have looked at Aloha Sol but they show booked. Other possible options are Hotel Platino which is priced right and Hodelpa Centro Plaza which is more expensive.

Also it has been several years since I have flown out of STI how much time should I allot for pass through security? Arriving an hour before the flight seem about right for a smaller airport.

Thanks.

I travel out of STI regularly and I always recommend 2 hours.

I know this sounds like overkill, but I'm former military and the attitude of "hurry up and wait" has its positive points.

Better 40 minutes early than miss flight by 4 minutes.

It all depends on what the crowd is like that day.

I have arrived on days with very few passengers and others when there were long lines at each phase (ticketing, customs / immigration, and security).

On crowded days, I'm glad I arrived early.

On sparse days, I take advantage of my spare time and smoke a cigar before entering the customs / security door.

[BogieMaker]

If you have checked baggage it MUST be checked in at least an hour before flight time and I have seen them refuse bags that were only ten minutes late.

Thanks for that information I will make sure we are there more than an hour before.

[Manizales911]

Also it has been several years since I have flown out of STI how much time should I allot for pass through security? Arriving an hour before the flight seem about right for a smaller airport.

Thanks.

If you have checked baggage it MUST be checked in at least an hour before flight time and I have seen them refuse bags that were only ten minutes late.

[Qualude]

I have an early morning 8:00 AM flight out of STI and was wondering which hotel you might recommend in Santiago.

I have looked at Aloha Sol but they show booked. Other possible options are Hotel Platino which is priced right and Hodelpa Centro Plaza which is more expensive.

Also it has been several years since I have flown out of STI how much time should I allot for pass through security? Arriving an hour before the flight seem about right for a smaller airport.

Thanks.

FYI the Holdepa runs a free shuttle to and from the airport which would save you $20+ on a cab ride. They also have a good breakfast buffet. The rooms are small but nice. You should keep this in mind and figuring out the price.

[Tempoecorto]

Try sending an email to Hotel Aloha Sol: reservaalohasol@yahoo.es. Often times websites may show a place as busy but writing direct helps and they will book without you having to give credit card info. You may write in English.

To be on the safe side I would get to STI at 6.30 AM, which means leaving hotel at 6.00 AM at that hour. Also check the airline website for flight delays which are not too uncommon.

I have an early morning 8:00 AM flight out of STI and was wondering which hotel you might recommend in Santiago.

I have looked at Aloha Sol but they show booked. Other possible options are Hotel Platino which is priced right and Hodelpa Centro Plaza which is more expensive.

Also it has been several years since I have flown out of STI how much time should I allot for pass through security? Arriving an hour before the flight seem about right for a smaller airport.

Thanks.

[BogieMaker]

I have an early morning 8:00 AM flight out of STI and was wondering which hotel you might recommend in Santiago.

I have looked at Aloha Sol but they show booked. Other possible options are Hotel Platino which is priced right and Hodelpa Centro Plaza which is more expensive.

Also it has been several years since I have flown out of STI how much time should I allot for pass through security? Arriving an hour before the flight seem about right for a smaller airport.

Thanks.

[Mr Enternational]

We get to the room and she offers me a massage. Now I know I am in! DAMIT I haven't had sex in 2 days. The massage is mediocre but mamma always taught me it's the thought that counts. So she interrupts the massage and guess what? The questions come. Lo que tu quieres conmigo?

My answer to this is always, "I want what you want." Also, at some point during the massage I would have put her hand on my dick if she didn't do it first. Sometimes you have to lead a horse to water.

She starts with I am not that kind of girl and she has to get home because her mother is strict blah blah blah. So I respond in caballero fashion and walk her outside after we call the cab. I remembered Brooklyn Beas admonition about Sosua and told her I was staying in Cabarette. She insist she wants to come see me in Cabarette so I asked her about her mother and she says that's different because she travels throughout the country as a dancer on occasion and that would be her excuse.

That is one thing I never get in Latin America. They can't stay with you when you are in town, but their family will let them go out of town. Why will their family let them go out of town? Where do they think they get the money to travel? Who do they think they are going to stay with out of town? So why not just tell your family you are going out of town, but instead you stay in town with me?

And see I would have told her I was staying in Sosua. Then I would have added in disbelief that it seems like there are a lot of hookers up there. She has to know if she is not going to fuck me then I will definitely be getting some pussy elsewhere. It wouldn't have been so easy to let her good thing get away if she knew that evil was lurking. You gotta balance the gentleman with the mannish.