Trip Report 5/18-5/21
This was a last-minute desperately needed albeit brief vacation. I spent the first two nights in Sosua, the third night in Puerto Plata.
About me:
31 year old gay guy from NY. Last trip was two weeks in Mexico in the winter. Have also been to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Morocco, two months in Western Europe, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Costa Rica. Been to D.R. once before, to Club Med in Punta Cana in 1989.
Flight:
American Airlines from JFK to Santiago. It cost about $390 and then I used my 30,000 miles to upgrade to Business Class, which I had entirely to myself on the way down. Cab from Santiago to Sosua (90 minutes, $65), cab from Sosua to Puerto Plata (maybe 30 minutes, $30), cab from Puerto Plata back to Santiago (about 2 hours, $65).
Hotels:
Casa Cayena in Sosua, $59. It's a quiet friendly place with a great pool and garden and breakfast included. I would recommend it if not for the mediocre A/C and lukewarm hot water.
In Puerto Plata, Hotel Lomar, $38 with a balcony overlooking the ocean. Better A/C and hot water and a colony of tiny ants that came to visit. A decent choice, but its a long walk to everything.
Guidebook:
Rough Guide. I used their Thailand guide last year and it was pretty good. For the D.R., their hotel prices are way off, as are some other prices. They also describe Puerto Plata's Malecon as the center of the city's social life, lined with bars and food stands. In fact, I walked the entire length of it a few times, and found only a few tourist bars that were mostly empty and not a single food stand at any time of the day. The book was published in January '06, so its surprising that it was so off. The LP guide seems much more on target.
Highlights:
* The ride from Santiago to Sosua, along a beautiful, long winding mountain road with colorful villages, streams and plenty of palm trees.
* The beach at Sosua, crystal clear and calm.
* Motorcycle taxis - not particularly safe, but fun if you've never been on a motorcycle. Just hold on tight.
* One great Dominican meal - some kind of beef, rice and beans and a banana at a cafeteria where I was the only non-Dominican in sight, though they did call me "El Gringo".
Less pleasant:
* The souvenir vendors, taxi drivers and scam artists. I left Sosua hoping to get away from them and found even more in Puerto Plata. More hassles than I've seen anywhere outside the Middle East. One overzealous cab driver followed me into the bathroom, came in to check if I was still there, and was waiting for me when I got out.
* It is difficult to find cheap authentic Dominican food. There are cafeterias and food stands all over the place, and yet few of them ever seemed to be open, either at lunch or dinner, even in Los Charamicos, the residential area of Sosua or in Puerto Plata. It is mostly tourist places selling pizza and pasta, which isn't really what I'm going there for.
Recommendation:
I posted on here asking if I should rent a car. Most people said NO and they were absolutely right. The drivers are crazy and the roads are poorly marked. On a map it looks easy, but on the ground it ain't.
Overall:
D.R. is probably more suited to the all-inclusive crowd. If I go back, it would be to Santo Domingo, the interior and the more isolated beaches.
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