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[QUOTE=Yanqui69;2446152]I wish them all luck.
You know they all have to be hurting financially.
The hotel staff, in particular.[/QUOTE]In the BB newsletter the owner John, mentioned that the government was giving employees a portion of their salary on 4/15 & he was giving them the difference in what they were making. Also gave all the chicas some $ for food, etc and donated all the food on hand to split among them all.
Price for ST in USD in January 2018-$37, in September 2019-$49. So about one third price hike in dollars, not in pesos!
Brazil recently became cheaper for everything by about 30-50% comparing to DR. Last week I checked air ticket prices for this fall and it was cheaper than DR. Brazil is better in every way besides the flight time. It's not an option for short trips, but for a week or two, I would choose Brazil.
[QUOTE=Yanqui69;2446153]Prices just seem to be keeping up with inflation.
I recall when a Short Time was 1500 pesos, but that was when you got 30 DOP to the dollar. Now, its over 50 to the dollar.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Yanqui69;2446153]Prices just seem to be keeping up with inflation.
I recall when a Short Time was 1500 pesos, but that was when you got 30 DOP to the dollar. Now, its over 50 to the dollar.[/QUOTE]More than likely they have the girl price in pesos loosely pegged to the USD. When you look at their website everything is in USD; nothing is in DOP.
[QUOTE=YyzTravel;2446446]Anyone recommend the best way for me to get to Blackbeard's from Santo Domingo (SDQ?) I already bought a flight to SDQ and want to split my time between Blackbeards / Sousa / Santo Domingo.
It's about a 3.5 hour drive, and there are ZERO direct flights on Google flights. Is Uber or a transportation service the best way to go?[/QUOTE]I used Tropiclinks on my last trip, but it was from Santiago. Google their site, but I think they have service from SD. [URL]https://www.tropiclink.net[/URL]. It is a shared ride, on their website, it says they can go from SD to Blackbeards. They have a US number that you can call for info and pricing on your exact dates. If you read deep in the Sosua forum, you might find bus info from SD, I know I have read about it in the past, but can't direct you to a thread at the moment. This may be a cheaper way if you can figure it out.
[QUOTE=YyzTravel;2446446]Anyone recommend the best way for me to get to Blackbeard's from Santo Domingo (SDQ?) I already bought a flight to SDQ and want to split my time between Blackbeards / Sousa / Santo Domingo.
It's about a 3.5 hour drive, and there are ZERO direct flights on Google flights. Is Uber or a transportation service the best way to go?[/QUOTE]I take an uber taxi from Santo Domingo airport to either metro bus or caribe tours. Then I take the bus to Puerto Plata. You can take an uber or motoconcho from Puerto Plata bus station to Blakbeards which is very close. This is very cost effective, comfortable buses and may be the best way.
First of all I would like to thank all of the informative posters. As a first-time poster this thread has given me a wealth of information & goes quite far back. I feel like I have a great idea of what to expect from BB. I've been keeping a close eye on travel restrictions in and out of the DR. It would appear that they will be opening airports countrywide July 1st. Although I will not be able to travel that soon I hope to get in late July early August. Consistent numbers across multiple websites are saying 40 to 50% hotels will open in July with the remainder in November. Just curious if anyone has an inside scoop on the situation with BB?
[QUOTE=Cannibal86;2457740]First of all I would like to thank all of the informative posters. As a first-time poster this thread has given me a wealth of information & goes quite far back. I feel like I have a great idea of what to expect from BB. I've been keeping a close eye on travel restrictions in and out of the DR. It would appear that they will be opening airports countrywide July 1st. Although I will not be able to travel that soon I hope to get in late July early August. Consistent numbers across multiple websites are saying 40 to 50% hotels will open in July with the remainder in November. Just curious if anyone has an inside scoop on the situation with BB?[/QUOTE]The most recent communication from BB's says: "As to when then Hotel will be re-opening remains up in the air as there are many variables in play that at this time cannot be answered definitively. But as soon as we know. All you Pirates will know right away; as we can't wait to welcome you back as soon as possible. Please remember that our office is not answering emails on a regular basis; so if you can. Refrain from sending us reservation and availability requests until we announce a re-opening date. " I suggest you get on their email list so that you'll get the word about when they plan to re-open. Personally, I won't be too quick to book a flight for their planned reopening day. Or week. Or even month. Government policy about what business can and cannot reopen, both in the DR and elsewhere, changes frequently in response to the evolution of the pandemic. Whenever you get there, though, enjoy your stay!
[QUOTE=TravisMcGee;2457816]The most recent communication from BB's says: "As to when then Hotel will be re-opening remains up in the air as there are many variables in play that at this time cannot be answered definitively. But as soon as we know. All you Pirates will know right away; as we can't wait to welcome you back as soon as possible. Please remember that our office is not answering emails on a regular basis; so if you can. Refrain from sending us reservation and availability requests until we announce a re-opening date. " I suggest you get on their email list so that you'll get the word about when they plan to re-open. Personally, I won't be too quick to book a flight for their planned reopening day. Or week. Or even month. Government policy about what business can and cannot reopen, both in the DR and elsewhere, changes frequently in response to the evolution of the pandemic. Whenever you get there, though, enjoy your stay![/QUOTE]Thank you for the reply I am in fact on their email list. Coming that early is likely a pipe dream. But I know that for me personally if I don't put a loose plan together then I will let other things get in the way and it won't happen. I've been telling myself for more than 10 years that I was going to make a trip to Pattaya needless to say I have not done that. The Chase does not interest me I had considered the DR as a destination previously. But was not willing to pay the outrageous cost of something like blue paradise or Playboy vacations. And chasing tail in Sosua easy as it may be is not my cup of tea. I honestly didn't know BB's existed until after the world was already in lockdown for covid-19. If it weren't for a misspelled Google search and a write-up from rockit reports I would still be in the dark. I am a total greenhorn to P4P or international travel for that matter. Having read every scrap of information that is available on this forum pertaining to BB's for me it's an absolute no-brainer. I cannot think of one single question to ask that has not already been answered tenfold by the wealth of information that is available in this thread. My time is so limited that's the point and click nature in close proximity to Kansas City where I live is fucking perfect. Reading this forum has gotten me acquainted with who the legends both ladies and guests are past and present and I can't wait to get my pasty white ass down there.
[QUOTE=Cannibal86;2458963]...the point and click nature...[/QUOTE]Other easy-to-get-to options in that category would be The Hotel M (a / k / a The Mansion a / k / a / Casa Blanca) in Medellin and Campo Alegre in Curaao. The former is still closed, as far as I know, due to the pandemic and the latter has reportedly been forced into bankruptcy, but when things open up again I wouldn't be surprised if both those places opened as well. There's also the Hotel Del Rey in San Jose, Costa Rica. I like both "the chase" and the "point and click"; it all depends on time, distance, money, opportunity, and my state of mind. LMK if and when you make your BB's reservations; I might be there too.
[QUOTE=TravisMcGee;2459025]I like both "the chase" and the "point and click"; it all depends on time, distance, money, opportunity, and my state of mind. LMK if and when you make your BB's reservations; I might be there too.[/QUOTE]You couldn't have said that better time and distance are the two biggest factors for me. At the maximum I can take 5 days off from work plus Saturday and Sunday so a total of 7. Travel time and boots on the ground would all be within that time frame. Which is largely reason I've never buckled down and committed to a Thailand trip. But with the DR and BB's being in such close proximity to home I would have five full days to enjoy. Even having to switch planes in Miami from MCI I can be in POP inside of 7 hours from takeoff. I suppose I shouldn't say that I don't or wouldn't like the chase because under the right circumstances I'm sure I could. I don't chase here in the States because I'm not interested in having a long-term at this point in my life. But something tells me it's much different abroad. For getting my feet wet in the world of transactional intimacy and the DR I feel like BB's is the right choice for me. As far as letting you know if and when I make my reservations absolutely as long as you don't mind hanging around with a younger fellow I just turned 34. I'm sold I'm coming it's just a matter of when.
The latest snippet from BB's email:
All you Pirates are for sure chomping at the bit to get some definite dates as to when the hotel will re-open. Until we have some concrete info on international flight schedules and border restrictions provided to us from the Airlines and the DR government, a firm date for us to announce the opening of the hotel unfortunately remains unknown.
I saw the last email newsletter, but any folks on the ground there has any better information?
[URL]https://www.ocean-side-realty.com/Costambar/Puerto_Plata/Commercial_Real_Estate/Busy_Adult_Resort_2_Minute_walk_to_beach/Costambar/Agent/Listing_277046766.html[/URL]
[QUOTE=Manizales911;2465027][URL]https://www.ocean-side-realty.com/Costambar/Puerto_Plata/Commercial_Real_Estate/Busy_Adult_Resort_2_Minute_walk_to_beach/Costambar/Agent/Listing_277046766.html[/URL][/QUOTE]Hoping that's an old listing from the last time it changed hands. It does say 14 year old resort which doesn't line up with how long they been in operation seeing as how this thread was started in 1999. Not sure how long they were in operation before that.
When I go to the URL it redirects to an online pharmacy.