Driving to Sousa from Santo Domingo

[sabwjz]

My wife and I are flying into Santo Domingo and we are staying at the Casa Marina Beach in Sousa. We were thinking of renting a car and driving up to our hotel in Sousa and I've got a few questions:

1. How long would the drive take?
2. Is it better to get a rental car or seek another type of transportation?
3. If we were to take the bus how long would it take?
4. Our flight arrives at 3:45pm is it adviseable to drive to Sousa at this hour (daylight considering)?

We've rented cars in Mexico and St. Maarten and have been accustomed to the local driving quirks there, is driving in DR comparable?

Thanks for the help

[Ken]

No, driving in the DR not like St. Maarten; I don't know how it compares with Mexico.

Caribe Tours has buses going every hour from Santo Domingo to Sosua. Cost is RD$240/person each way. That's about US$8 apiece. Trip takes about 4.25 hours.

Since you are new to the DR and not familiar with the roads and driving practices, do yourselves a favor and take the bus. If you really want a car while in Sosua, there are a number of places you can rent them.

If you insist on driving, you should plan to stay overnight in Santo Domingo. by the time you clear customs, get a car, get directions from people speaking in Spanish, etc., it will be too late to leave. Even locals don't like to drive at night because of the condition of the roads, the animals and people on the road, thie drunk drivers, etc. If you take the bus, you can go the same day as the last Caribe Tours bus leaves at 7 pm.

[bigbird]

Try the search feature. I used the advanced search and put in sosua+santo domingo+driving and a several posts were returned. The first one I read mentioned it was a 5 hour drive. Use the search and read all the posts that are returned. This should keep you busy untill someone replies directly to your post.

[rellosk]

The drive by car is about 3 1/2 hours. The bus takes about 4 1/2 hours and makes about 3 stops. The bus is realitively comfortable.

My advice is to take the bus, and if you want to explore the North Coast, rent a car when you get to Sosua. Driving in the DR can be quite an adventure. Do a search to read some of the stories.

[nlove88]

We took the Caribe Tours bus from Santo Domingo to Santiago and if I'm not mistaken that bus continues on to PP and Sosua, but I might be wrong. They are comfortable, air conditioned buses with a bathroom and spanish music playing when you are near city radio stations. I have alot of experiance driving in NYC, Boston and up here in Maine with heavy snow. Nothing compares to what I saw on the roads in the DR. I agree that unless you have visited a few times and know the route very well, including all the possible places a motorbike could shoot out in front of you on the highway, exc...Caribe Tours is the way to go.

[Rocky]

Taking a cab to the Caribe Tour bus terminal in Santo Domingo, then coming up by bus is definitely your best bet.
If you're in a rush and budget permits, take a taxi all the way.
Just trying to get through Santo Domingo & Santiago without getting lost, is enough reason to not rent the car.
PS: The busses leave Santo Domingo for Sosua at 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 AM & 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 PM.

[sabwjz]

Well I think you have me convinced to take the bus. Got a few questions though. I went to the caribe tours website but it is all in spanish and my translation isn't so good.

1. How much is a taxi from the airport (Santo Domingo) to the bus terminal?
2. How far is the bus terminal from the airport?
3. Where in Sousa does the bus drop you off and are there taxis nearby?
4. What would the taxi fare be from the drop off point to Casa Marina Beach?
5. Just wanted to verify the expected bus trip duration is 4.5 hours, how much would it cost?
6. Does the bus drop off at the airport in Santo Domingo on the route back from Sousa or do we need to take a taxi?

[Tamborista]

1. US$25 - $35 (depending on your language skills)
2. About 1/2 hour drive
3. Charamicos, and yes.
4. US$5 - $15 (depending on your language skills)
5. RD$240 and 4.25 Hours (Per Ken!)
6. NO, need a taxi.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by sabwjz

1. How much is a taxi from the airport (Santo Domingo) to the bus terminal?

I am guessing $25 to $30 US.

Originally Posted by sabwjz

2. How far is the bus terminal from the airport?

25 minute drive.

Originally Posted by sabwjz

3. Where in Sousa does the bus drop you off and are there taxis nearby?

The bus stops right in Charamicos, 2 miles from Casa Marina

Originally Posted by sabwjz

4. What would the taxi fare be from the drop off point to Casa Marina Beach?

I would guess 150 pesos (less than 5 bucks)

Originally Posted by sabwjz

5. Just wanted to verify the expected bus trip duration is 4.5 hours, how much would it cost?

The time sounds right and the fare would be less that 10 bucks.

Originally Posted by sabwjz

6. Does the bus drop off at the airport in Santo Domingo on the route back from Sousa or do we need to take a taxi?

You need to take a taxi both ways, as Santo Domingo is the end of the line.

PS: Sorry for the repeat. The post above says it all, but it slipped in before mine.

[sabwjz]

Thank you for the extremely quick response! Some things you just can find out in travel books! Just also wanted to make sure that the caribe tours bus doesn't take reservations?