Apartment Rentals in the DR
I've gotten several PM's asking about info on apartments as a result of mentioning them in my semi-recent report on Santo Domingo. I am far from an expert and any input would be helpful. I only rented apartments in SD and Sosua, both good experiences which resulted in saving money.
On both occasions, I used TripAdvisor. TA owns FlipKey, and that's what I used. In Santo Domingo, I rented an extremely spacious apartment in Gascue. 1000+ square feet, nice area near the Malecon and the historic district. It was a gated complex that seemed to consist of mostly expats, though it was mostly empty when I was there. There's parking and a security guard, though no problems having visitors. It was a tad cheaper than a hotel, but I felt there was a lot more freedom. It was $69 / night. If that was the only fee, it would be great, but add on a bunch of stupid add on fees, like $25 clean up fee and an application fee. Plus, you pay electric. While there was no 28% (?) tax, the bullshit fees were kind of a trade off.
In Sosua, the fees weren't nearly as onerous and the apartment was cheaper. Also they had a great swimming pool.
Take care when using Flipkey. Take the reviews with a grain of salt. For example, I became friendly with the agent for the apartment in Gascue. I told him I was going to give it 4 stars, not 5. It didn't merit 5 stars and I wasn't going to bullshit. The only reason I told him beforehand was I want to be able to rent that apartment again. He asked me not to post the review if I wasn't going to give it 5 stars. So, these reviews can be manipulated.
I found that by talking directly to the agent (or owner) is a good way to get a feel for what to expect. The agent for the apartment in Sosua came recommended so that was a no brainer. The apartment was fantastic. The only problem was it was incredibly hot in Sosua at the time and there was only 1 AC, not enough. Otherwise, it was a fantastic deal.
As mentioned by another member, there are many rental sites out there and one shouldn't be confined to Flipkey. For example, the other member's examples, are airnb, northbeachmanagement dot com, bestsosuarealestate dot com and apartments dot com.
My guess is that apartment rentals are only prevalent in the bigger cities / towns and tourist areas.
Apartment rentals in the DR
[QUOTE=Jooks;1518627]My guess is that apartment rentals are only prevalent in the bigger cities / towns and tourist areas.[/QUOTE]I've rented an apartment in Cabarete many times and almost only in Cabarete Palm Beach Condos (link below). They are privately owned mostly by foreigners and rented when not used by the owners. In fact I was negotiating to buy one at one time. For a short term stay they are an exceptional value as they are spectacular (by DR standards) though not the cheapest digs you'll find, but right on the beach with parking and security and GF. Great location right behind the bakery in the center of town. All units are good but the top floor "penthouses" are really great. Again, not the cheapest but for longer stays the owners will negotiate prices.
I have also used VRBO a few times but usually farther out towards Gaspar Hernandez with good results. Some interesting typicos down there as well.
[url]www.cabaretecondos.com[/url]
Nice resort for weekend close to Santo Domingo
I want to take my Dominicana to a resort for the weekend. Any recommendations on a seaside resort close to Santo Domingo?
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