La Romana worth overnight visit?

JC171 · #1 12-25-2005, 12:41 PM

Is La romana a nice town to visit for someone looking to see how a dominican lives but doesnt want to deal with the dangers of a big city?
what would a budget to average hotel room cost?

Hillbilly · #2 12-25-2005, 03:26 PM

While there are very reasonably priced hotels there ( Not Casa de Campo), allow me to say that La Romana is NOT a typical Dominican town.

It is a "company" town and the La Romana Corportation owns the town... It is a town with nearly 100% employment, mostly in the tourism industry or with La Romana Corporation or with the Free Zone or one of the service business there.

It is a fairly ugly city.

If you want a "real" Dominican town, go to La Vega or Moca or Salcedo, and yes. they have places to stay.

If you have to go to the eastern part of the country, El Seibo might be called typical or Hato Mayor. Certainly nothing along the coastline...

In the center of the country is San Juan de la Maguana, Elías Piña, San José de Ocoa for typical...

Even Baní and Azua ("Vla" aside, of course...

)

Not La Romana.

HB

yaidani · #3 12-25-2005, 03:38 PM

If you are talking about a non-touristic experience, La Romana IS a big city and very urban. They do have a cruise ship port and an area of town that has shops and restaurants fit for tourists. They also have rivers and waterfalls close to town as well as Altos de Chavon, and a few excellent golf courses.

But in la Romana town, is very much a city. To stay at one of the local hotels is between $25-45/night for Riverview, Dejavue, Frano or Olimpo hotels. Out of those I could recomend Riverview and Dejavue for acceptable accomodations and good service. Frano would do in a pinch, though it is a step down from the other two in facility quality. But if you are looking for something firstclass, then you will probably want to stay at one of the resorts.

There is a crime factor here. This town has a big population, and all the problems associated with high-density areas. I have never personally excountered any problems with crime, but we are always very cautious, especially when going out at night.

buseouno · #4 12-25-2005, 04:11 PM

Keep up the good work HB, those of us that live here are very happy with our city.
Would be a real shame to have tourists roaming our streets and driving the prices up for cervesas and chicas.
I do however, have to concede to you that LaRomana is not a typical Dominican town.

NALs · #5 12-25-2005, 04:58 PM

Not a typical Dominican town?

Hmm... every town is different, how can there be a "typical" town of anything?

Can we consider Santo Domingo and Santiago as typical?

Most cities are not as affluent as those two, but those two cities combined are home to half the population of the country! Those that makes them typical?

Outside of SD and STG, the population concentrates in Vega Real triangle (ie. Santiago-San Francisco-La Vega about 60% of the national population lives).The towns in this triangle are wealthier than most towns, but then again, most people don't live in most towns, most people live in those towns of the Vega Real! Does that makes them typical or the fact that the number of towns in the Vega Real pales to the number nationally makes them untypical?

Sometimes I wonder what people mean by typical!

To me, typical Dominican towns are those found in Vega Real triangle and Santo Domingo (together they contain around 90% of the country's population). Outside of those places, other "typical Dominican towns, though many are touristic but Dominican none the less" are Puerto Plata-Sosua, La Romana (yes, I said it!), Boca Chica-San Pedro, and Higuey!

Why?

Because in those towns is where MOST of the people of this country live in!

-NAL

Hillbilly · #6 12-25-2005, 09:28 PM

Folks, I happen to Love La Romana. I have (had??) a ton of good friends and golfing buddies there. But the guy said not a big city (strike SDQ and STI) and not a tourist city, but a typical Dominican city.

If you remove the tourist component, or, for example the sugar component like for San Pedro, then you are pretty much left with the cities I mentioned...

No tourism, no dominent industry, just people farming, working and getting along in life....like most of the DR.......right?

HB

And HEY, I left out Mao, SAJOMA, Monción and Sabaneta!!

Rick Snyder · #7 12-25-2005, 10:14 PM

Of the towns Hillbilly mentioned I can speak about El Seybo being a typical, non touristic, non indurtry laid back town. We have nothing here to draw visitors and the town is very poor. We have, I think, 3 hotels and 2 cabanas. I have no idea as to prices for these accomodations. This is a nice town to visit if you enjoy such things as watching the grass grow.

If you wish to visit El Seybo or passing through give me a call and I'll attempt to show you around. Especially if you wish to visit the Dominican people in el campo and experience how they live. I also know which blades of grass grow the fastest and can point that out also.

Hillbilly for your information, if you didn't know, El Seibo officially changed its name to El Seybo in 2002.

Rick

chuckuindy · #8 12-26-2005, 09:45 AM

HB is correct, La Romana is a fairly ugly city compared to many other cities in the DR. The air is foul with the constant smell of two cycle oil and the stench of burning cane form the Central Romano Sugar Factory. For a city of its size the infrastructure is one of the worst in the nation. Potholes are everywhere, stoplights do not work, and the slightest rain creates flooded streets with raw sewage and flowing trash. Crime is on the rise however, it is very seldom directed at tourists. There are no real cultural or historical attractions in the city.

On the other hand the people of La Romana make up for the deficiencies listed above. They are extremely friendly, well educated, hard working folks, who are a pleasure to be around. La Romana deserves a visit on anyone’s trip to the DR.

Chuckuindy

Hillbilly · #9 12-26-2005, 09:48 AM

Thanks for the update!.....Didn't realize that but will put it on my "haid-drive"..

BTW, flying over that area a while ago I spotted what was supposed to be a shrimp farming operation. Is that close to you or am I way far away??

HB

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Dolores · #10 12-26-2005, 11:25 AM

My opinion...

La Romana definitely deserves a visit. Here is a city where tourism came little by little and thus the city was allowed to grow relatively slowly. The fact that Casa de Campo early on had a real estate development, with lots of Dominicans visiting frequently; the fact that it is midway to Punta Cana, and as a result lots of Dominicans making mid way stops to eat; and the fact that tourism in the area was of a higher paying bracket of the market, has resulted in this town actually being a good place to visit and do some shopping. There are streets lined with stores with handicrafts that are really worth a visit, there are quite a few good restaurants, and there is the mix of movie-perfect tourism creations -- La Marina de Casa de Campo and Altos de Chavon that are open to the public.