General Info

I am sure you know if you want to be independently mobile. Most of the veterans will say don't drive, because of possible accidents , and jail, speaking no spanish, getting lost and there is jail, being pulled over by the police and not knowning why and then there is jail, no traffic rules and laws and jail, disappearing highways that lead to jail.

I was in much the same boat as you and I did the entire island and no jail. I will do it again in January. It probable helped that I am Black and had the smallest cheapest car avail at Alamo. If I were white and driving a nice new mid size car or SUV, I would be in JAIL!

I passed many motorcycle cops but none bothered me. Its not that bad as long as you do not stand out like a sore thumb. Blend in and drive like a Dominican and you will be alright.

Griot

[QUOTE=Jet69]I am weighing my options for rental vs. cabs. I plan on driving from the capital to the east coast. I have read on public forums NOT to rent a car.

Gadey or anyone else. I do not speak any Spanish but I am a sort of dare devil (meaning I am not afraid of my own shadow in foreign contries). Any advice from the board, rent or cab?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Jet69]I am weighing my options for rental vs. cabs. I plan on driving from the capital to the east coast. I have read on public forums NOT to rent a car.

Gadey or anyone else. I do not speak any Spanish but I am a sort of dare devil (meaning I am not afraid of my own shadow in foreign contries). Any advice from the board, rent or cab?[/QUOTE]

You're a daredevil but do you know anything about what's going on in the city now?

I have rented cars in all parts of the DR in the past. My recommendation is to rent on the north coast (not a big deal except for the Motoconchos) and to avoid renting in the capital SDQ and stick with cabs.

Right now you've got the Metro construction project causing havoc all over Maximo Gomez and 27 de febrero. Are you going to know how to negotiate that mess? Stick to cabs.

(Also don't anybody ever try to drive in Honduras. What a friggin' mistake that was. Either in Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula! There's where a guy needs to be a daredevil. Not important on this forum, but I just had to get that in!) (lol) :D

cheers all.............

If Ford is in the country. He normally is fingering one girl while getting blown by another all while drinking a presidente and dodging the massive potholes.

i too was almost scared of of renting from reading some posts. i ended up taking a chance and renting a car and was glad i did. i rented a compact (chevy c2) from santiago airport and drove to santo domingo. i drove a good amount while in both santiago and santo domingo with no problems. i always took cabs at night becasue i was drinking. i was never stopped by police and i did pass a few while speeding on the autopista.

word of advice- stay away from avenue duarte in sd. i made the mistake of taking this road during the day and it was absolutly insane gridlock with no traffic lights. you had bumper to bumper cars going in both directions with right of way being determined by which car edges their bumper closer to the other cars. really funny looking back at it now. other than that street i had no issues.

rental car was about $25 a day without taxes.

i say go for it and rent the car. you end up seeing so much more.

mc

I have benn renting cars in sdq for 22 years and see no big deal about it. Then again I am from Boston and have been dodging the big dig for years.

Amigo of King Kong

By the way here is some photos from last month.

Thanks for all the tips. I made ONE mistake in that I said I would be going East when I am acutally going from Santo Domingo (after staying in the city for 3 days) to Puetro Plata. I would like to drive across the county rather than spend 150 dollars on a private car to get there. Unless someone has some better suggestions on how to get to Puerto Plata? I had done some research but can't seem to find anywhere that can point me to a decent bus service that does this trip.

Renting a car in Puerto Plata sounds like the best plan, IF i can find a car rental place.

You guys ROCK and as this is my first trip I am looking for ALL the tips I can get. Including how I can ditch the wife to get to crytsals for some night action:)

I have been to Thailand and LOVE to go to Montreal. If you guys have never given Montreal a thought....DO IT. Beautiful girls (I am picky) for 160 and hour. If you are polite and clean (I am 50) you will gave a great time for an hour or two a day. Strip clubs are FANTASIC and some are full service...CBJ for 80 bucks. [url]www.montrealxxxtase.com[/url]
[url]http://www.montrealsmostwanted.com/[/url] Two sites to get you started and addicted. GREAT place in the summer and HOT french speaking woman.
Thanks for the help.

[QUOTE=Mikecnyc]Word of advice- stay away from avenue Duarte in SD. I made the mistake of taking this road during the day and it was absolutly insane gridlock with no traffic lights. You had bumper to bumper cars going in both directions with right of way being determined by which car edges their bumper closer to the other cars. Really funny looking back at it now. Other than that street I had no issues.[/QUOTE]Avenida Duarte in Santo Domingo is possibly the craziest street to drive down in the capital. Nevertheless, once you've driven down it, you can handle just about any street in the country.

-Helpmann :D

[QUOTE=Jet69]Thanks for all the tips. I made ONE mistake in that I said I would be going East when I am acutally going from Santo Domingo (after staying in the city for 3 days) to Puetro Plata. I would like to drive across the county rather than spend 150 dollars on a private car to get there. Unless someone has some better suggestions on how to get to Puerto Plata? I had done some research but can't seem to find anywhere that can point me to a decent bus service that does this trip.[/QUOTE]Caribe Tours. Extremely reliable.

[url]www.caribetours.com.do[/url]

-Helpmann :)

[QUOTE=Jet69]Thanks for all the tips. I made ONE mistake in that I said I would be going East when I am acutally going from Santo Domingo (after staying in the city for 3 days) to Puetro Plata. I would like to drive across the county rather than spend 150 dollars on a private car to get there. Unless someone has some better suggestions on how to get to Puerto Plata? I had done some research but can't seem to find anywhere that can point me to a decent bus service that does this trip.

Renting a car in Puerto Plata sounds like the best plan, IF i can find a car rental place.

You guys ROCK and as this is my first trip I am looking for ALL the tips I can get. Including how I can ditch the wife to get to crytsals for some night action:)

I have been to Thailand and LOVE to go to Montreal. If you guys have never given Montreal a thought....DO IT. Beautiful girls (I am picky) for 160 and hour. If you are polite and clean (I am 50) you will gave a great time for an hour or two a day. Strip clubs are FANTASIC and some are full service...CBJ for 80 bucks. [url]www.montrealxxxtase.com[/url]
[url]http://www.montrealsmostwanted.com/[/url] Two sites to get you started and addicted. GREAT place in the summer and HOT french speaking woman.
Thanks for the help.[/QUOTE]

My recommendation is to use a national company and get the insurance (not just for the rental car, but liability for others). NO one obeys any traffic rules that we would recognize. The motoconchos will pass on every side and cut in front of cars, as suicidal as that sounds.

Make all turns, lane changes, etc slowly and gradually, to the idiots can react and move over.
I made a left turn (from the left lane, with turn signal on) and had an idiot on a motoconcho slam into me, ripping off the rear view mirror and denting the driver side door. (The moron was passing on the extreme left, against the oncoming traffic). Only my Dominican girlfriend saved me from disaster.

Any accident will be YOUR fault, because YOU are the only one with money. Everyone will have their hand out, including the police.

Use only national rental agencies. In the PP/Sosua area, the airport has several and there are offices in PP.

Have insurance.

Drive VERY defensively.

Having had my "lesson" in DR driving, I still drive rentals.
Good luck!

Rules to follow about renting a car in DR.
1. Book it online through orbitz , expedia etc
2. Take third party coverage if your credit card covers comprehensive coverage. Sometimes I take full coverage in spite of credit card coverage.
3. Inspect the car closely although you are tired from the flight. Go through check list with the car guy carefully. All cars in DR have body damage.
4. Pay special attention to hubcaps, kick it and make sure it is not loose. They charge an arm and leg for lost hubcaps.
5. Check the spare tire and make sure it is good.
6. Check the mirrors and make sure they are good.
7. Now you are ready to go. Do not slam your brakes everytime you see somebody is crossing the street. The car behind is liable to hit you. Persons tend to get out of your way just in time. They have had plenty of experience dodging cars.
8. When you park make sure it is well lighted or there is an attendant.
9. Do not stop even if somebody motions you to stop in the middle of night.
10. Do not pick up hitchhikers even if it is a girl. It could be a scam.
Happy motoring.

[QUOTE=Sammon]Rules to follow about renting a car in DR.
1. Book it online through orbitz , expedia etc
2. Take third party coverage if your credit card covers comprehensive coverage. Sometimes I take full coverage in spite of credit card coverage.
3. Inspect the car closely although you are tired from the flight. Go through check list with the car guy carefully. All cars in DR have body damage.
4. Pay special attention to hubcaps, kick it and make sure it is not loose. They charge an arm and leg for lost hubcaps.
5. Check the spare tire and make sure it is good.
6. Check the mirrors and make sure they are good.
7. Now you are ready to go. Do not slam your brakes everytime you see somebody is crossing the street. The car behind is liable to hit you. Persons tend to get out of your way just in time. They have had plenty of experience dodging cars.
8. When you park make sure it is well lighted or there is an attendant.
9. Do not stop even if somebody motions you to stop in the middle of night.
10. Do not pick up hitchhikers even if it is a girl. It could be a scam.
Happy motoring.[/QUOTE]I disagree with #1. I don't believe anyone should pay in advance for any service offered in the Dominican Republic (from rental cars to women.) It's no guarantee of service.

Other than that, rent from the major car companies (Alamo, Avis, Hertz) keep a photocopy of your drivers license and passport in the glove compartment, drive defensively, and if possible, stay off the roads after 12am (police check points.)

-Helpmann :)

May be I am just lucky but i have never had a real bad experience in all my years renting cars in the DR. I used europcar last time and was treated very well. They actually under charged by $50 dolars and had to call me in the states to get permission to charge the $50 dollars I did in fact owe them. The manager was so surprised and thankful that I did give permision he promised me a free upgrade upon my next visit.

Amigo of King Kong

To Amigo del gran gorila :) - I've never had any real bad experiences in car rentals either but I've always thought that I'm probably overdue. :(

I think the advice offered by yanqui69, Helpmann and Sammon is pretty solid. The drivers in the DR aren't the worst drivers I've ever seen (Honduras and Venezuela might edge them out) but they're very close to the top of the list!

I've driven in SDQ but its not a pleasant experience for a vacation and if you've never experienced it before - the motoconchos that rule the roads of Puerta Plata, Cabarete, Sosua and Rio San Juan can be quite disconcerting.


How about the "ready-made" charities? You guys ever experience these while driving your rental cars? -- I'll give you a visual.

You're driving along in say Boca Chica, doing about 20 mph and you approach a crest in the road with about 3 or 4 people standing on each side. Just as you approach the group they pull taut a thick chain that stretches across the width of the roadway and blocks your path. You hit the brakes and avoid hitting the chain (that would have scratched the ever-loving crap out of the entire hood and roof of your rental car) by inches!

As you sit there in disbelief one of the group pushes a little crippled child in a wheelchair up to the drivers door of your car with a sign in Spanish that reads "this child needs an operation so he can walk - please help!" The person pushing the wheelchair raps on your window with a large tin coffee can for "voluntary donations!"

A friend of mine once started yelling "I'm not giving you goddamn peso now move the goddamn chain!" - and they just ignoed him and stood there motionless.

They remained in that position for 10 straight minutes without moving. Eventually he had to back up and turn around and go down a different street!

These "ready-made" panhandlers work in groups, they may or may not be legitimate but are well known for targeting cars driven by Americanos and have been known to scratch up a car or two in their time.

Try explaining that to your credit card company's auto insurance carrier--
"Now let me try to understand this Mr. Smith, you're claiming that the $2500 worth of damage to your rental car was caused by a metal chain that was "pulled" across the street by a group of Dominicanos who's child had leukemia??" "You really expect us to believe that?"

"You would if you'd ever been to the DR" :D

Based on the info I have decided on the following. Take a cab to and from the airport to my motel in SDQ and then a bus across to Puerto Plata. I looked at taking a "private taxi" acorss to Puerto Plata but the 150 U.S. dollars seems high. I can't get an exact price for a bus but it looks like 10 U.S. dollars for each passenger. Anyone know?

Once in Puerto Plata I am going to try and rent a car for a day or two. I have rented a motorbike in Thailand and even though the driving is fast and furious (unsafe) I had a blast. Can you rent motorbikes is Pureto Plata to drive yourself?

I would lilke to get away from the significant other to do some exploring on my own.

Jet