Monte Cristi question

Harry · #1 05-12-2002, 12:56 PM

Hallo

We are going by (metro or caribe) bus from puerto plata to Monte cristi , we want to visit the lagoon and the cayos siete hermanos , is it easy to find once we get in Monte Cristi ?
Are there boats to take us to the lagoon and te islands and if so do you have any idee of the price to visit this places ?

mvg
Harry

Bugsey34 · #2 05-12-2002, 12:59 PM

I have no idea, but I'm sure someone on the board will be able to help you but my two cents is that if you have time, go to El Morro beach in Monte Cristi.
It is within the National Park there, ask any of the locals about it and they will help you with directions. It is BEAUTIFUL and usually deserted!!

Ken · #3 05-12-2002, 01:00 PM

Harry, one thing you can be certain of in the Dominican Republic is that wheever there is an attraction with potential interest to tourists there will be people eager to take you there. Count on it.

Pib · #4 05-12-2002, 01:26 PM

But, why don't you contact a French expat who lives in MC, who also owns
Le Bistrot, a small pub and restaurant with good Dominican and international
food. Herve will arrange for anything you might want or do while in town.
You can contact him at Tel (809) 579-2091, Fax (413) 235-0194 or
hotel.jardines@codetel.net.do

Harry · #5 05-16-2002, 07:13 AM

Hallo

I have mailed your friend Herve , he mailed me back and said it going to cost 40 us a person to go by smal boat true te lagoon and te islands , i believe this is to mutch to spend for a couple of houres in a boat , are there no local fishermen to take tourist by te same "excursion" for normal price , for this money we can go by luxe boat from Belgium to England and back .
I believe you can now this because a read you have lived in Monte Cristi .
I believe some people over there think we do not af to work for te money , al year every day to te factory to pay for a vacation and then get ripped of by some locals 8000 kilometers from Belgium then we better stay in te hotel .
We are willing to pay for everthing but howmuch proffit te want for a simple excursion 15 % cost and 85 % proffit ?
Ofcourse i understeand it is not your fault but on te long run people are going to stay away and it will be a shame for a beatiful country like yours !

Best regards
Harry

Robert · #6 05-16-2002, 02:18 PM

I personally think it's not that expensive when compared to the price of other tours here in the DR. Have you ever been to Florida or other Caribbean islands, this is not expensive.

Have you ever considered you are also paying for expert advice and tour from a guy that has lived in MC for years?

Just turn up and see how far you get trying to find a guy to take you around, you may be dissapointed.

Try emailing some of the other boat owners and see if you get a response

Harry · #7 05-16-2002, 02:54 PM

I think it is said to do everithing just for te money .
Supose you visit my town Antwerp in Belgium i will give you te big tour without even thinking to get something in return , anyway for a poor country te excursions cost to much , more than we payed ever on a excursion on holidays in Spain , germany or any pleace .

Ken · #8 05-16-2002, 03:02 PM

Harry,

I'm sure that when you get there you can find someone with a boat to take you to an island for less than a tour operator charges. Most likely he won't speak English; quite likely his boat won't carry life preservers; he may or may not take you to the most interesting locations, etc.

Sure tours cost more. The company providing them must buy the boat(s); pay personnel and office costs, advertising expenses, boat maintenance and fuel costs, etc.; pay the increasingly heavy taxes that the government is collecting from tour operators; make a profit; etc. The local (in this case a fisherman) has few of these costs so of course he can get you there and back for less. But it won't be the same excursion.

Ken

PS: This is not to say that I believe there are no overpriced tours in the Dominican Republic.

Harry · #9 05-16-2002, 03:35 PM

Ken

You do not have a email of a local fisherman :-) ?
We dont like to go on massa excursions were everone is drunk and te next day not remeber were te went .( not that we dont like te rum)
My wife and i both 45 like to be travel with te local people en tray to speak spanish , if we want to go on te massatourisme where is te point to come to DR , we better go te Spain then , only 2 hours by plane and much cheaper (2 weeks hotel , half board and fligt for 250 us a person )
I also think a local fisherman can be proud of is country and maybe show us more places were tourist never come !

Regards
Harry

Squat · #10 05-16-2002, 04:24 PM

Look, your comments are so silly, you really should consider staying home... Having visitors like you who are arguing over cheap prices is a real pain in the neck !
-Do you work for free in Belgium ?
-Would you accept to double your amount of work for much less money ?
And stop that crap about hospitality, you are such a damn hypocrit, it's disgusting... Go vacationing in Spain and we'll see if these guys work for peanuts out there !!!