My first trip ( A few questions)

[adamdavies]

Me and a friend are flying out to the DR on Sept 9th to visit his god-parents farm near Santiago. The flights are £600 and accomodation is largely free.

I was just wondering what the area near Santiago is like and what sort of activities are there to do?

Is the coastline which is on the Atlantic less desirable than the one facing the Caribbean?

Thanks for your help.
Adam.

[Escott]

Originally posted by adamdavies
Me and a friend are flying out to the DR on Sept 9th to visit his god-parents farm near Santiago. The flights are £600 and accomodation is largely free.

I was just wondering what the area near Santiago is like and what sort of activities are there to do?

Is the coastline which is on the Atlantic less desirable than the one facing the Caribbean?

Thanks for your help.
Adam.

It is difficult to get along in Santiago without good Spanish. It is not a tourist area and to do is limited. I prefer the north coast to the south coast.

[BushBaby]

Just to ring the changes a bit - I concur with Escott. The 'beaches' may not be as idylic as the south coast (although there are many BEAUTIFUL beaches up here too) but the overall activity for the younger element is far greater!!!

Ex-Pat Brit living on the north coast (Puerto Plata) for 11 years & loving every moment of it. Make contact when you're here (or before if you prefer) & you can come see the fun of the north coast!! Where in the UK are you from?

Regards - Grahame.

[Mike Incognito]

Well all that is ok...but santiago have a lot of good places too. Baha's C;ub, Francifol Cafe and many others; and if you want to go to the beach Sosua is less than 1 hour driving.....that must be not too much for you because is less distance than London to any caribbean beach :P


Have a lot of fun!

[Hillbilly]

As Mike said there is a lot of activity for younger folks (30 somethings). And those are just two of the places!

Do you know just where you will be? The beaches are only a few kilometers away and there are private clubs that have pools and the rivers up in the mountains are fantastic.

it all depends on what and who you want to meet. Most people your age (???Not a clue) speak English....

HB

[Escott]

Originally posted by Mike Incognito
Well all that is ok...but santiago have a lot of good places too. Baha's C;ub, Francifol Cafe and many others; and if you want to go to the beach Sosua is less than 1 hour driving.....that must be not too much for you because is less distance than London to any caribbean beach :P

Have a lot of fun!

\i would love to know how you can make Sosua in less than an hour. \takes me 1.25 driving like a maniac over the mountain killing 2 chickens and 2 conchos! Francifol was interesting but not a place to make me go there instead of the beach for sure. The 3 or 4 places in Santiago don't make up for 10 places in a row in either Sosua or Cabarete.

[Hillbilly]

And the people are "real" . Whole different enchilada...

But I can agree that 1:25 is good time, but then you know how Dominicans tell time and how kids drive....

HB