Santiago

[Orgasmico]

Took a cab from El Conde to Metro Tours and caught the bus to Satiago. Checked in at Los Jardines and stopped at Jumbo for a bite to eat. Pulled this chica's number that was selling some products in Jumbo. May try to get her to meet me at TGIF for a few drinks tomorrow since its 2 blocks from my hotel. Also stopped by both malls and didn't see Hooters. Maybe it closed up. My wing pulled a nice chica that works at one of the kiosks in Plaza Las Americas and she started blowing up his cell an hour later. Planning to hit Soho and maybe Monte Bar tonight. Also ran into 3 cueros at the casino up the street that made it clear they are available.

[Tempoecorto]

Ask every dude on the plane where they are going, then hitch a ride.

This is an appropriate suggestion. I always land in Santiago and at an ungodly hour and pass the night at the airport waiting for the daylight. Last trip I got there, I showed two guys the location to buy the tourist card. Evidently it was their first time. Later I saw them coming up to the food court and so we chatted and had beer together. One guy called up a taxi driver and then I spoke to the taxi man in Spanish to iron out the details for the Sosua trip and they left. If the cost is split, the ride gets better so there is incentive on all sides to share a ride.

[Riky Rapido]

If you are coming in on the late night Spirit flight and are in need of someone to pick you up and somewhere to stay until you can get the bus to the north coast, we can accommodate you? We have a spot in Villa Olga, which is ten minutes from the airport, and five minutes from the Caribe Tours and Metro bus stations (right up the street from Plaza International). We can have a drive pick you up from the airport and drop you off. We have free wifi internet and beds. We are new so, we are not completely setup but, we can get you out the streets.

Please pm me for more details.

In the future we will have vacation rentals for the Santiago area.

I know this dude Negro and he's a boni fide gent.

[Negro562]

If you are coming in on the late night Spirit flight and are in need of someone to pick you up and somewhere to stay until you can get the bus to the north coast, we can accommodate you? We have a spot in Villa Olga, which is ten minutes from the airport, and five minutes from the Caribe Tours and Metro bus stations (right up the street from Plaza International). We can have a drive pick you up from the airport and drop you off. We have free wifi internet and beds. We are new so, we are not completely setup but, we can get you out the streets.

Please pm me for more details.

In the future we will have vacation rentals for the Santiago area.

[Hillbilly69]

I too am flying into Santiago and arriving some time around 2:30 am with my final destination being the north coast. I am not renting a car this trip, but rather doing the taxi to the bus station thing. By the time I pick up my luggage, buy my tourist card and clear customs, it will be 3 or 3:30 am. I cannot check into my hotel until early afternoon, and I don't look forward to sitting around the airport or bus station for several hours.

I would LOVE to get a few hours sleep before I make my trek via Caribe Tours. I am cheap and trying to save money for the chicas, and I am wondering if taking a taxi to a cabana, sleep for 4-5 hours and then taxi it to the bus station for my final leg to the north coast makes sense.

I am open to any other suggestions and if the cabana thing is good, which one would your suggest and how much will it cost?

Any input is appreciated as I don't look forward to starting out my trip sitting around waiting and them being so tired that I am a walking zombie.

Ask every dude on the plane where they are going, then hitch a ride.

[GrayHair]

I too am flying into Santiago and arriving some time around 2:30 am with my final destination being the north coast. I am not renting a car this trip, but rather doing the taxi to the bus station thing. By the time I pick up my luggage, buy my tourist card and clear customs, it will be 3 or 3:30 am. I cannot check into my hotel until early afternoon, and I don't look forward to sitting around the airport or bus station for several hours.

I would LOVE to get a few hours sleep before I make my trek via Caribe Tours. I am cheap and trying to save money for the chicas, and I am wondering if taking a taxi to a cabana, sleep for 4-5 hours and then taxi it to the bus station for my final leg to the north coast makes sense.

I am open to any other suggestions and if the cabana thing is good, which one would your suggest and how much will it cost?

Any input is appreciated as I don't look forward to starting out my trip sitting around waiting and them being so tired that I am a walking zombie.

[Riky Rapido]

Will be doing BB's for the first time. Been to SOS a few times though. If anyone else headed for SOS / POP / BB is coming in to Santiago about the same time, PM me. Maybe we can soften the blow on a taxi ride?

Avoid the expense and take a Carib Tours bus, or a Metro, take a taxi from the airport, you may have to wait until 6am for a bus, not sure the schedule, but they leave every hour during the day. After de-planing you'll have maybe a 2 hour wait at the bus station. The Metro bus line ends right smack in the center of Sosua. If you don't have a lot of baggage, either take a 3 minute walk to a hotel or use a motorcycle taxi. 50pesos. Do not carry a lot of cash, use your debit card at a BANK ATM for pesos. Happy Hunting

[Keeper50]

Will be doing BB's for the first time. Been to SOS a few times though. If anyone else headed for SOS / POP / BB is coming in to Santiago about the same time, PM me. Maybe we can soften the blow on a taxi ride?

[Doker44]

I can not get a hold of my regular driver and I coming into Sousa from Santiago. I will be arriving at like 2:30am, there are cabs there at that hour correct? Also if anybody has someone they can recommend pm me please.

Thanks.

Doker

[Sammy Sosa]

The $1000+ hold is what is required by the rental company in the DR to waive collusion & theft insurance. It has nothing to do with what you would end up paying if uninsured. Sorry for not being more clear.

(I personally have collision & theft coverage from my Credit Card and personal auto insurance, hence I have no reason to use the car rental's one, except possibly to save some paper work in case of claim)

Sammy Sosa, just think, how much a $1, 000 hold will help you in case of a theft? They will held YOU unless your CC has a rental vehicle cost balance. You need a paid waiver.

[Questner]

Sammy Sosa, just think, how much a $1, 000 hold will help you in case of a theft? They will held YOU unless your CC has a rental vehicle cost balance. You need a paid waiver.

[Sammy Sosa]

At my last trip last Month, rental car companies refused to waive collision & theft insurance, because Visa & Mastercard do not let them hold $1000+ on your credit card anymore, in case of damage to your car. Tried several of the major international rental car and got the same story. Budget in Santo Domingo even showed me the letter they received from Visa / Mastercard saying no more hold on cards in the Dominican Republic. This, of course, increases daily rental cost by $25+/day.

Nelly at SDQ did take my Mastercard though, without the collision insurance. Being a local rental car agency, maybe they did not get the letter from Visa / Mastercard yet.

Rental car companies told me you can still get the insurance waiver with an American Express. Just got the JetBlue AmEx with car rental insurance (good investment anyway, JetBlue being the airline I fly the most those days)

(to Joa: I still owe you a beer. Next Month?)

Alamo-National offers 4 types of insurance on their online reservation page with their prices (Hertz online for Dom Rep tells you to get the price of additional insurance at the counter. ISG Member Helpmann had a negative experience with Hertz in the Dom Rep). My Mastercard credit card provides coverage for Collision Damage Waiver / Theft Protection (CDW-TP) , so I Decline the insurance that Alamo offers for $19. 50 (Collision Damage Waiver / Theft Protection). When you decline Alamo's Collision Damage Waiver / Theft Protection, it is mandatory to purchase Third Party Liability insurance for $9US per day. I also purchase Tires And Windshield Protection for $3. 75 per day.

I have asked the guys at Alamo numerous times, what happens if there is an accident with personal injuries to another person and they have told me no jail time. A guy at Alamo who I have known for over 5 years told me a story about a guy who rented from Alamo in santo domingo airport about a year and half ago, drove the rental to boca chica, had an accident with a guy on a motorcycle and the motorcycle guy died, the alamo worker said the renter did not go to jail.

I have rented over 20 times with alamo and never had a problem (the reserved price online is the price that gets charged to my credit card). I was told several of the large rental companies, maybe hertz, nelly and a few others are owned by the same group of people.

Chevy Spark is a tiny, but good car. The Chevrolet Aveo I would not rent again (several times I had problems with that car). The Nissan Tilda is sometimes only about $25US more than the Spark, the Nissan Tilda (similar to a Nissan Versa in the US) is a better car than the Spark.

[Tempoecorto]

Any tips for gaming chics from STI on Facebook to set up "appointments"?

Well, I give you two examples. The conversation right from the beginning so you can see I do not have any magic catch. First one worked the other did not. I did not know anyone of them. All I got to see are their profile (friend of the friend) and pic and then a random call on my part. You can notice two different personalities (as you notice the first one was a piece of cake. The second one was a bright one, in college. I chatted for much longer but to no avail. Well truth be told, she said she was moving to Argentina so I called it a day after a bunch of such exchanges) in the two examples. Sometimes I get lucky, other times draught.

• T Conversation started September 10, 2012.

Hola babe. Gracias. Cuanto eres sensual. Me envias tu cel por favor?

• T 3:50pm.

Why dime si tienes msn tambien con cam? Gracias.

• September 24, 2012.

• 6:19pm.

Brenda

809-xxx-yyyy.

• 7:00pm.

T

Muchas gracias bella.

• 7:16pm.

T

Quiero verte en santiago, estoy alli proximo mes. Megustaria pasar tiempo juntos. Comiendo, tomando, disfrutando.

• October 25, 2012.

• 3:19pm.

Brenda

Si amor esperare tu llamada el lunes. Espero k no me falles pork yo tbn tengo deceo de conocerte why compartir momentos contigoo. Bay.

• Conversation started September 22, 2012.

• 11:56am.

T

Hola babe.

• 11:57am.

Suleika

Hola!

Me gustaria saber quien eres.

• 11:57am.

T

Gracias bella.

• 11:57am.

Suleika

No lo conozco de ningun lado.

• 11:58am.

T

Amigo de caterin.

Any specific question based on this, ask away. Good luck!

[Orgasmico]

Facebook: The facebook contacts worked rather well this time in that, even though I had whittled down the numbers to a low 4/5, three worked out very well and given that facebook is 'free', one may give that a shot. Once you have a hook up, you can try the friend of the friend route, to cast the net wider.

Any tips for gaming chics from STI on Facebook to set up "appointments"?

[Manizales911]

I am looking to visit early 2013 and was wondering if anyone had any tips or experience on the easiest or cheapest way to fly? I have already read the Santiago portion of the forum and found a lot of good info once I have landed.

Flying there seems to be a pain with all the airport switching in NYC or long layovers! I have lots of flexibility, so I want to avoid hassle as much as possible.

Thanks!

One of my wingmen is from Toronto. During high season he gets chartered flights out of Toronto dirt cheap. Other times of the year he flies out of Buffalo or Niagara.