A great time in RD

[Annick]

I am just coming back from RD and I was very happy to be there.
One week in an AI to get started. We had nice cocktails and food.

As suggested in one of the threads of the "general" travel section we went outside on our own.

Public transportation is very easy and cheap. Although sometimes it is not so easy to find the right info : i.e. to know that the guaguas are not necesarily close to the main bus station (caribe).

We met very nice people though we saw also a guy who tried to get money from two tourists in a free shuttle going to shichoem station of La romana. The most difficult thing is to get an idea of what is the correct price for something. Then, it is very easy to negociate. People there are not so though as the north africans.

Another week in a small hotel was the best way to see the people. We went in barrios without any pb and discover like children the use of motoconchos.
We saw beautiful beaches almost without any people.


One wish : may the country stay like it is and does not become spoiled by tourism like elsewhere.
You cannot imagine how great it is to see an endless beach covered with palm trees without any concrete building in the nearby area !!! The maldives -like places for everyone !!! More than what you can see in books.
You cannot imagine what it is to be like anyone in the streets without beeing bugged by people who want to sell you stuff or services. Well, I am not niaive and I mat some people who wanted to cheat us but that was fairly rare.

Thanks to this site I discovered only some days before I left and which was very helpful.
One suggestion would be to give more "practical" infos to help those you travel alone. Buses, guaguas rates and conchos (why not).

SPECIAL INFO FOR EURO LAND RESIDENTS

You can take euros only it is changed like dollars. The rate is better and more stable than $.


Annick

[Hillbilly]

It seems that you came with an open mind and had fun, and, really, that is what a vacation is all about...
I think I can speak for many here when I say that we are happy that you got out of the AI and got a round a bit. What a wonderful attitude you must have.

Do come back again and look at other parts of the country....

Hb

[swake]

Originally posted by Annick
SPECIAL INFO FOR EURO LAND RESIDENTS

You can take euros only it is changed like dollars. The rate is better and more stable than $.
Annick

The euro-peso rate is not better actually. You get more pesos for a euro then you'd get for a buck but that's only the reflection of the dollar-euro exchange rate.
It's rather the opposite, the relative exchange rate US$-RD$ is higher than the €-RD$. Not hard to understand since the demand for dollars exceeds by far the demand for euros here.

Tnx for the nice report. It's pleasant to read that not all East Coast tourists confine themselves to the perimeter of their resort.