Resort areas near Santo Domingo?

[barbmk]

In April we hope to visit a family member who has recently moved to Santo Domingo to live and work. Any tips on nice resorts within an hour's drive of SD? Tips on American airlines or other DR vacation packagers who might offer good deals from the midwestern US would also be appreciated. Thanks!

[jrzyguy]

There really arent any great "resorts" that close to SD. you have boca chica, juan dolio in the general area...both arent bad....juan dolio if you dont want to be hassled by working girls and beach vendors.....and there are other beaches near by that you can check out if you dont mind jumping on a guagua.

the resorts are farther to the east...or up in the north.

Boca Chica isnt as bad as some people here make it out to be. Sure...the beach isnt as nice as punta cana or casa de campo....but it IS sorta near the capital...and is very affordable. (just dont look west to the mega port).

If you are from the midwest...and looking for something quieter tho..AND close to the capital....i would recommend Juan Dolio....but i cant really recommend any specific hotels there. The beach is just so so...but there are other beaches near by to check out

[barbmk]

Thanks! How are the beaches in Juan Dolio different from the ones that are nicer? What are the names of those nearby beaches? I'd read about JD too, and it sounds like it might work for us since it's not too far from SD. Also -- I'm new to this site -- is a guagua a public bus? Thanks.

[laurapasinifan]

I went to Juan Dolio. In the media gallery here on page 8 in the middle I have posted two pictures of the beach at the Coral Hilton in Juan Dolio. Although one just shows an iguana in the water...you get an idea how dirty the sand is( or isnt) some beaches the water turns turbid when the waves crash and it takes a while before the sediment settles...in good beaches there is no turbidity at all....like Sosua is the best that i have seen...the juan dolio beach wasnt bad....its not a deep beach,.....ie there isnt a lot of beach from the hotels concrete structure to the water......playa dorado has deeper beaches as does Sosua...dont know about punta cana, or la romana.

good luck

ps I didnt like the Coral Hilton. had a few issues and problems.....you may get luckier

bob

[barbmk]

All of this info is very helpful. Thanks! I'll re-frame the question: Where would be a good beach destination in the DR if we want both a nice vacation area and reasonable access to Santo Domingo? For example, I gather that Punta Cana is at least a three-hour drive each way. All suggestions are welcome! Thanks again.

[laurapasinifan]

I seriously think 3 hours is way to long an estimate for the drive from SD to punta cana

I did the drive from Santo domingo to higuey in about 2.5 hours and that includes at least 45 minutes getting lost in Santo Domingo...... the roads just split constantly... and they just dont care if anyone knows which road goes where!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha...and the 2 cops didnt even know how to get out of the city...neither did the gas station attendant!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha ha....

Higuey is pretty close to Punta Cana

bob

[barbmk]

Cool. So what would others' estimates be about driving time from Santo Domingo to the general Punta Cana area? Thanks.