General Info

[QUOTE=Sloored; 1158524]First time trip to DR. Booked a flight on Delta headed to SDQ the challenge that I have is I will be staying at BB's WELL north of Santo Domingo. Does anyone have suggestion on transportation to get to Costambar? I know Caribe Tours is an option, but understand its like a 6 hour drive with the multiple stops?

Was wondering what other options are available if any.

Thanks in advance,

Larry[/QUOTE]Depends if you want to rent a car, take a bus or be in a car with someone else driving. Also depends what time your flight gets into SDQ (santo Domingo) airport. Rental car companies in DR allow you to rent in one location and return the car to another location.

Several ISG members have rented cars at the SDQ airport and then driven to Sosua and Puerto Plata. Taking the new high for Samana to the end and then going left (west) along the road that runs along the north shore, the trip could take about 3 hours, depending on fast you want to drive, also depending on whether you drive at night or in the day time, with no rain.

If you don't want to rent a car, A2B Transfers has shared transfers from SDQ airport into santo domingo city for about $16US. Some ISG members have had trouble reserving with A2B transfers. Taxi drivers on the main floor of the airport near the exit will ask for $40US or more, for the trip into Santo Domingo City. ISG member Boricua Online has a taxi driver that charges him $25US. Some guys go to the second floor of the airport, where passengers arrive for departing flights out of DR, and talk with a taxi driver who is dropping off passengers and sometimes they get a better rate.

Two major bus lines you can take from Santo Domingo City to Puerto Plata, Metro and Caribe Tours. Usually Caribe Tours is a little cheaper and may have more buses scheduled for the trip to puerto plata. Metro and Caribe Tours have webpages with their schedules. The Caribe Tours bus station in Santo Domingo on Ave 27 de Febrero, would be about 10 minutes closer to the airport. The Metro Bus Station is located further inside Santo Domingo, on Avenida Churchill, north of Avenida 27 de Febrero.

Bus fares, santo domingo to puerto plata should be under $10US.

The Metro and Caribe Tours bus stations in Puerto Plata City, would be about a 10 minute taxi ride to Costambar.

Travel times will increase, if you ride during rush hour or if there is a heavy rain.

Usually only a few stops between santo domingo and puerto plata. Most buses will go from Santo Domingo and stop in Santiago and then from Santiago to Puero Plata. Several ISG members have taken the bus from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata.

Hiring a taxi to drive you to Costambar from the Santo Domingo Airport, more than likely will cost well over $100US.

[QUOTE=Sloored; 1158524]First time trip to DR. Booked a flight on Delta headed to SDQ the challenge that I have is I will be staying at BB's WELL north of Santo Domingo. Does anyone have suggestion on transportation to get to Costambar? I know Caribe Tours is an option, but understand its like a 6 hour drive with the multiple stops?

Was wondering what other options are available if any.

Thanks in advance,

Larry[/QUOTE]Larry,

The bus ride to Puerto Plata from SDQ is generally about four and a half to five hours and they only stop twice maybe three times. Then you will need a taxi into Costambar. The only other option is a taxi from SDQ to Costambar and he is only going to save you about a half hour maybe 45 minutes and it will cost you some serious coin, about 200-225 USD. You should have flown into POP airport.

[QUOTE=Sloored; 1158524]First time trip to DR. Booked a flight on Delta headed to SDQ the challenge that I have is I will be staying at BB's WELL north of Santo Domingo. Does anyone have suggestion on transportation to get to Costambar? I know Caribe Tours is an option, but understand its like a 6 hour drive with the multiple stops?

Was wondering what other options are available if any. [/QUOTE]Rent a car and drive or take Caribe Tours. You will come out cheaper renting the car I suspect because the one way taxi ride from the airport to Caribe Tours in Santo Domingo will be at least $20 alone. If you rent a car it will be like $20/day and you can go where you want when you want. On the flip side you don't know where you are going and you may not speak Spanish.

Treatment: Rehydration is the cornerstone of treatment for cholera. Oral rehydration salts and, when necessary, intravenous fluids and electrolytes, if administered in a timely manner and in adequate volumes, will reduce fatalities to well under 1. Oral rehydration salts, in the United States, these products can be purchased at stores that sell equipment for camping or other outdoor activities.

Antibiotics reduce fluid requirements and duration of illness. Antibiotics are indicated for severe cases, which can be treated with tetracycline, doxycycline, furazolidone, erythromycin, or ciprofloxacin. When possible, antimicrobial susceptibility testing should inform treatment choices.

[url]http://www.cdc.gov/cholera/treatment.html[/url]

Health Information for Travelers to Dominican Republic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

[url]http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/dominican-republic.htm[/url]

Halofantrine (marketed as Halfan) is widely used overseas to treat malaria. CDC recommends that you do NOT use halofantrine because of serious heart-related side effects, including deaths. You should avoid using antimalarial drugs that are not recommended unless you have been diagnosed with life-threatening malaria and no other options are immediately available.

For detailed information about these antimalarial drugs, see Choosing a Drug to Prevent Malaria.

Medicines you may need:

The prescription medicines you take every day.

Antimalarial drugs, if traveling to a malaria-risk area in Dominican Republic and prescribed by your doctor.

Medicine for diarrhea, usually over-the-counter.

Other items you may need:

Antibacterial hand wipes or alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

To prevent insect / mosquito bites, bring:

Lightweight long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a hat to wear outside, whenever possible.

Flying-insect spray to help clear rooms of mosquitoes. The product should contain a pyrethroid insecticide; these insecticides quickly kill flying insects, including mosquitoes.

Be Careful about Food and Water.

Diseases from food and water are the leading cause of illness in travelers. Follow these tips for safe eating and drinking:

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially before eating. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand gel (with at least 60% alcohol).

Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes. If this is not possible, learn how to make water safer to drink.

Do not eat food purchased from street vendors.

Make sure food is fully cooked.

Avoid dairy products, unless you know they have been pasteurized.

Diseases from food and water often cause vomiting and diarrhea. Make sure to bring diarrhea medicine with you so that you can treat mild cases yourself.

[QUOTE=Manizales911; 1158578]Larry,

The bus ride to Puerto Plata from SDQ is generally about four and a half to five hours and they only stop twice maybe three times. Then you will need a taxi into Costambar. The only other option is a taxi from SDQ to Costambar and he is only going to save you about a half hour maybe 45 minutes and it will cost you some serious coin, about 200-225 USD. You should have flown into POP airport. [/QUOTE]With the new highway to Samana, the entrance is between SDQ airport and Santo Domingo City (the entrance to the Samana highway is before you get to Santo Domingo city) , a driver can bypass driving through Santo Domingo, as well as bypass driving through Santiago and also bypass the twisty mountain road after Navarrete before entering Puerto Plata.

Mr Gogo, Koki and another ISG member have rented cars at the SDQ airport and have driven to Sosua taking the new Samana highway, they could say how long it took them to get from SDQ airport to Sosua. Sosua to Blackbeards maybe about an hour drive.

Rush hour traffic in Santo Domingo and Santiago can add an hour or more to a trip, if that traffic can be avoided, the trip time should be shorter.

Caribe Tours and Metro buses have to drive through Santo Domingo and Santiago and they take the twisty mountain road after Navarrete, to get to Puerto Plata.

[QUOTE=Jaosousa; 1158714]With the new highway to Samana, the entrance is between SDQ airport and Santo Domingo City (the entrance to the Samana highway is before you get to Santo Domingo city) , a driver can bypass driving through Santo Domingo, as well as bypass driving through Santiago and also bypass the twisty mountain road after Navarrete before entering Puerto Plata.

Mr Gogo, Koki and another ISG member have rented cars at the SDQ airport and have driven to Sosua taking the new Samana highway, they could say how long it took them to get from SDQ airport to Sosua. Sosua to Blackbeards maybe about an hour drive.

Rush hour traffic in Santo Domingo and Santiago can add an hour or more to a trip, if that traffic can be avoided, the trip time should be shorter.

Caribe Tours and Metro buses have to drive through Santo Domingo and Santiago and they take the twisty mountain road after Navarrete, to get to Puerto Plata. [/QUOTE]My last trip I drove from Boca Chica to PP going through Santo Domingo and etc. Took almost five hours two of which was trafic in SD and Santiago. On the return trip I took the Samana highway which took about four hours. I drove from Sosua to BC in 3. 5 hours one time driving early in the morning doing most of the drive along the beach before noon. For better scenery and relaxing drive I suggest the Samana highhway.

Coming form the airport there is only one exit to the Samana highway and like most exits in the DR the sign is right at the exit and could be missed if you are not watching for it. The exit is just past the toll booths maybe less than a mile. You then drive on the frontage road for about a mile before the highway exit.

I missed the exit and that is why I made the trip via SD and Santiago. I must admit the GPS helped me get through SD without any problems.

Guys, thanks for all the feedback and information. The plane is scheduled to arrive at 1pm so I am thinking a 1 way rental is the way to go. I speak little Spanish so If anything it will be an adventurous way to the start of my trip.

Thanks

[QUOTE=Sloored; 1159236]Guys, thanks for all the feedback and information. The plane is scheduled to arrive at 1pm so I am thinking a 1 way rental is the way to go. I speak little Spanish so If anything it will be an adventurous way to the start of my trip.

Thanks[/QUOTE]Try not to miss the exit for the Samana Highway, as Bogiemaker said it is soon after the toll plaza. There is no toll to pay when heading into santo domingo, there are round metal semi circular things in the road right before that toll plaza when heading toward santo domingo, you will need to slow down somewhat. As soon as you drive through the toll plaza, get into your right lane and probably get off of the next exit to put you onto the service road going west, the entrance for the samana highway is off the service road, there are not a lot of exits on Las Americas highway when heading into Santo Domingo.

On the Samana highway there are various tolls so you will need Dominican pesos.

When you get the rental car, make sure the rental guy marks down any preexisting damage to the car. Lots of credit card fraud in DR, you will probably use a credit card to rent the car, check your credit card statement as soon as possible after using your credit card in DR, for any fraud charges.

The new Highway to Samana is mostly flat and straight and mostly goes through farmland and some palm tree groves, one section goes through a cut out in a mountain, during the daytime with sun, it is a very easy road to drive on, it doesn't really go through any towns, so you don't have to worry about motorcycles or pedestrians. Driving at night in DR, be careful of motorcycles with no lights and occasionally farm animals stand in the roads, like horses.

Once you get off the the samana highway and drive along the north shore, you will drive through towns that have more pedestrians and more local traffic.

Driving in Puerto Plata, be careful of the many motorcycles and scooters, that drive around there.

As soon as you leave the rental car parking lot at SDQ airport you will see a texaco gas station, you can stop there for soda, water or beer for your ride to Costambar, there is also a small fast food fried chicken place in that Texaco gas station. If you have large denomination Dominican paper money, try to use one in the texaco, so you will have smaller denomination bills for the tolls.

Burn some compact discs of music you like, all rental cars in DR that I used have had CD players.

It is always a learning experience using a car you have never driven before, one rental car I used had an alarm, the alarm went off one time and I didn't know how to shut it off. For the Nissan Tilda to open the trunk there is a small flat button above the license plate. Chevy Aveo I would recommend not renting.

If some how you miss the exit for the Samana Highway and you find yourself in santo domingo city, you will need to find Avenida Kennedy. Avenida Kennedy runs east-west and runs parallel with another major street Avenida 27 de Febrero. Avenida Kennedy is north of Avenida 27 de Febrero. Avenida Kennedy eventually becomes Autopista Duarte and it will eventually become the highway that goes toward Santiago and Puerto Plata, easy highway to drive on.

If you have a Garmin GPS you can buy maps for the Dom Rep. For some Nokia cell phones you can download free maps of the Dom Rep from Nokia.

One thing I often would like to have in the rental car are windex wipes, to clean the windshield and wiper blades. Air can be dusty in parts of the DR and the glass in the car will get dirty, easier to drive a car with clean glass, especially at night.

Any loose change you may receive, leave in the car, usually some kids at a red traffic light will come and clean your windshield, whether you want them to or not. You can give them a 5 peso coin.

[QUOTE=Sloored; 1159236]Guys, thanks for all the feedback and information. The plane is scheduled to arrive at 1pm so I am thinking a 1 way rental is the way to go. I speak little Spanish so If anything it will be an adventurous way to the start of my trip.

Thanks[/QUOTE]Usually best to rent with the big name rental companies. I have rented with Alamo over 20 times in DR and not had any major problems with them.

I make the car reservations online at least 24 hours before pickup time at the Alamo webpage. Alamo is open 24/7 at the santo domingo airport and has a rental counter at the puerto plata airport. I believe Alamo has at least one other office for Puerto Plata, maybe in Ocean World, which is closer to costambar than the puerto plata airport.

I use a coupon code from Bjs wharehouse store travel site to save about $50US on the rental; [url]http://travel.bjs.com/promotion/bjs/carrental/default.asp[/url]

On the webpage for Alamo I choose the third party liability insurance (in case someone gets injured by the car) and which might keep you from being detained in a Dominican jail after an accident involving personal injuries. Third Party Liability insurance at the alamo site is about $8US per day. I usually also choose the glass / tire insurance for about $3US per day. My Mastercard credit card provides coverage for collision / loss so I do not take that insurance from alamo which costs about $20US per day. To get that coverage I have to pay for the rental with my credit card.

Chevrolet Spark (made in China or Korea) is the smallest and least expensive car at alamo, manual transmission is a little cheaper than the automatic transmission car. Spark is very small, but not a bad little car. Chevrolet Aveo is the next car in their lineup, the Aveo I have had numerous problems with, when I rented it. After the Aveo is the Nissan Tilda, which is similar the nissan versa in the states, the tilda has a trunk and is not a hatchback. Nissan Tilda is a good car. After the tilda is the nissan sentra. Alamo also rents the Nissan Murano, but it is not cheap and some credit companies will not cover the loss of a vehicle valued at over 50 thousand dollars.

I always print out the reservation with the price from the Alamo webpage and bring it with me to show the workers at the rental counter so they know exactly what I am supposed to pay.

Some cars in DR use propane and there are propane stations that look like gas stations in the DR. The propane pumps look much different than the gasoline pumps.

[QUOTE=Jaosousa; 1158714]With the new highway to Samana, the entrance is between SDQ airport and Santo Domingo City (the entrance to the Samana highway is before you get to Santo Domingo city) , a driver can bypass driving through Santo Domingo, as well as bypass driving through Santiago and also bypass the twisty mountain road after Navarrete before entering Puerto Plata.

Mr Gogo, Koki and another ISG member have rented cars at the SDQ airport and have driven to Sosua taking the new Samana highway, they could say how long it took them to get from SDQ airport to Sosua. Sosua to Blackbeards maybe about an hour drive.

Rush hour traffic in Santo Domingo and Santiago can add an hour or more to a trip, if that traffic can be avoided, the trip time should be shorter.

Caribe Tours and Metro buses have to drive through Santo Domingo and Santiago and they take the twisty mountain road after Navarrete, to get to Puerto Plata. [/QUOTE][QUOTE=Jaosousa;1159319]Some cars in DR use propane and there are propane stations that look like gas stations in the DR. The propane pumps look much different than the gasoline pumps.[/QUOTE]First time I stopped at the gas station and it was propane. The girl I was with thought it was funny. Never happened again I now realize signs for gas are not what you need.

I normally rent from Budget and take four pictures of the car while checking for damage just in case. The lady at Budget said she also has the Budget rental in POP.

I normally fly Delta and arrive at around 1:00 so I stay one night at Boca Chica and make a leisurely the next day. Some nice women in BC so not really a waste of time.

[QUOTE=Bogiemaker; 1159708]First time I stopped at the gas station and it was propane. The girl I was with thought it was funny. Never happened again I now realize signs for gas are not what you need.

I normally rent from Budget and take four pictures of the car while checking for damage just in case. The lady at Budget said she also has the Budget rental in POP.

I normally fly Delta and arrive at around 1:00 so I stay one night at Boca Chica and make a leisurely the next day. Some nice women in BC so not really a waste of time.[/QUOTE]I did the same thing one time in la romana, I pulled into the propane station, got out of the car and looked at the the pumps and they are much different than gasoline pumps. Then I saw guys with tanks in the trunks of their cars filling up with propane.

One ISG member picked up some chica on the side of the road and she got a free ride to samana, the ISG member rode that chica in some cabana or hotel. Chicas wait on the side of some roads waiting for gua guas, a few have tried to waive me down, while I drove by them.

[QUOTE=Vielendank; 1160562]From those in the know, what would be your Top 3 hotels to stay at considering the following criteria:

1. Close to Jaragua.

Thanks guys[/QUOTE]I'll respond in the Santo Domingo thread.

[QUOTE=Jaosousa; 1158714]With the new highway to Samana, the entrance is between SDQ airport and Santo Domingo City (the entrance to the Samana highway is before you get to Santo Domingo city) , a driver can bypass driving through Santo Domingo, as well as bypass driving through Santiago and also bypass the twisty mountain road after Navarrete before entering Puerto Plata.

Mr Gogo, Koki and another ISG member have rented cars at the SDQ airport and have driven to Sosua taking the new Samana highway, they could say how long it took them to get from SDQ airport to Sosua. Sosua to Blackbeards maybe about an hour drive.

Rush hour traffic in Santo Domingo and Santiago can add an hour or more to a trip, if that traffic can be avoided, the trip time should be shorter.

Caribe Tours and Metro buses have to drive through Santo Domingo and Santiago and they take the twisty mountain road after Navarrete, to get to Puerto Plata. [/QUOTE]I travel on the new highway from the SD airport to Nagua a town on the north coast to see a ladyfriend in 2 hours. So Sosua can't be too much longer.

[QUOTE=Enricos;1160644]I travel on the new highway from the SD airport to Nagua a town on the north coast to see a ladyfriend in 2 hours. So Sosua can't be too much longer.[/QUOTE]Not less than ninety minutes from Nagua to Sosua plus another fifty to Blackbeards from Sosua.