Chad,
I know where you are coming from but I have to tell you that I have taken a stroll on the beach where the vendors are with some friends just to take a walk and hadn't been bothered at all with of course the exception of a girl or two giving a kiss to one of the guys I was walking with. I was bothered that they weren't giving me the kisses.
You have to understand that hussling the tourists is a big industry in the DR. It is a very poor country and this is how a lot of people make a living. From vendors to Pick Pockets to Prostitutes. I think it is a matter of how you carry yourself that will decide how bothered you get. I don't get bothered at all.
I agree with Ilovedr about the cost there and in relation to other places DR is a bargain. Last Christmas I ended up in Playa del Carmen Mexico because air to the dr was over 1000- dollars and I caught a Frequent flyer tic to Cancun on Delta through AeroMexico. I booked Christmas in the DR on FF'points 3 months ago so I didn't get blocked out again.
AI's food is a joke. When I was at them we use to kid about what we were eating because we had a real hard time figuring out what the hell it even was. I stay at small places with maybe breakfast included and go out to the restaurants every day when I am in Sosua. My opinion that is the best way to do it. You probably just needed to find a decent Expat bar/restaurant and your time would have improved 10x. I always recommend Rockys in Sosua and Eddys in Sosua for people that visit for the first time. There are other good places but these are the two I was made to feel the most like home in.
Chad, next time if there is a next time ask for places to go and people to meet. Marco at Rockys always takes care of people I send and Eddy from Eddys sports bar is a great guy also. Nothing like getting introduced to others much like yourself in another country.
Regards
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