Staying @ Casa Linda - Help Needed (Rental Car or Hire Driver)?

Three friends and I will be staying at Casa Linda for Memorial Day Weekend. We have all had multiple trips, but have never stayed away from the strip (usually NG or TL). We imagine that having a rental car would make it easy for us to come and go as we please, grab chicks, drop them off, maybe check it Cabarrette, etc. However the responsibility of having a car compounded with the stories and warnings that I have read on this site give me pause.

I would be the primary driver, I speak a little English (enough to get by, but definitely not enough to converse well with the locals), I am level headed and don't drink, but that does not guarantee we won't get into any trouble. We have considered calling taxi's as needed, but that idea does not sound appealing and leaves us at the mercy of the cab drivers.

if we don't get a rental, the next best option to me would be to get a driver with a mini-van that would stay with us each day. My searches have not yielded any recent recommendations; if anyone has a driver that they would recommend for this type of arrangement I would greatly appreciate it. Since our Spanish is limited, it would be great if they spoke a little english.

Additionally, please provide me with any recommendations that you may have about renting, taxis, or a driver.
How much should a driver cost per day?

If you only plan on staying and driving around Sosua, I would say rent a car. Driving in Sosua is nothing. It is driving back and forth from Puerto Plata or Cabarete that can be challenging some times. When it is raining or it is night time can be trying!

If you're just staying in Sosua, skip the driver or the taxi's. The group will spend way much more money on both!

More convenient to get a rental imo. You can get a SUV that can squeeze 6 of you for a decent rate. 6 in case all three of you have a chica at the same time and need to make a move. I got a new SUV for $45 a day from National last week... but I frequent so they hook me up. Send a pm to El-Rey, he has some connects that can get you a rental at a decent rate or you can reserve online and pick it up at the airport. If you are picking up at the airport I suggest you reserve online or else they will rape you on the price. I use priceline. I've personally stayed at Casa Linda countless times and have rented a car every single time I've been in DR. It's literally no more than a 5 minute drive to the strip so unless you are venturing out to Cabarete, Puerto Plata or else where further you won't hurt yourself on gas either. Good luck and have fun.

As someone that doesn't drive anymore after a one time driving time that ended with an incident, I would say if you have any doubts about driving there, just don't do it.

Every tourist or ex-pat that I've rode with in a car I can honestly say knows how to drive well in DR. This is because those that aren't sure probably are smart enough not to do so. For some the responsibility is bigger than the convenience.

How was my driving Hermano? :wink:

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Originally Posted by el toro

As someone that doesn't drive anymore after a one time driving time that ended with an incident, I would say if you have any doubts about driving there, just don't do it.

Every tourist or ex-pat that I've rode with in a car I can honestly say knows how to drive well in DR. This is because those that aren't sure probably are smart enough not to do so. For some the responsibility is bigger than the convenience.

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Originally Posted by blazaveli

How was my driving Hermano? :wink:

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You're on point. Remember I said that last sentence above while you were driving.

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Originally Posted by TNT72

If you only plan on staying and driving around Sosua, I would say rent a car. Driving in Sosua is nothing. It is driving back and forth from Puerto Plata or Cabarete that can be challenging some times. When it is raining or it is night time can be trying!

If you're just staying in Sosua, skip the driver or the taxi's. The group will spend way much more money on both!

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cosigned. just one round-trip into town and back to casa linda will cost you 4-600 pesos in a taxi - two round trips will cost you as much as it would to rent a car.

Thanks, based on your responses I am leaning towards renting the car. As I said I don't drink and I am level headed. I am also a former tractor trail driver and have driven in Jamaica on many occasions.

@TNT, yes our plan is really just to make getting back and forth to the strip, supermarket, etc convenient, not to go touring the Island.

@Blazaveli, while looking online I noticed that the rental companies offered insurance to cover their vehicle, bt I did not see any to cover the other vehicle God forbid you have an accident. What type of insurance do you normally get or do you just use a credit card with insurance on it?

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Originally Posted by kris boog

I am also a former tractor trail driver and have driven in Jamaica on many occasions.

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that either makes you a certified maniac.......or a very veteran driver.......lol

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Originally Posted by blazaveli

More convenient to get a rental imo. You can get a SUV that can squeeze 6 of you for a decent rate. 6 in case all three of you have a chica at the same time and need to make a move. I got a new SUV for $45 a day from National last week... but I frequent so they hook me up. Send a pm to El-Rey, he has some connects that can get you a rental at a decent rate or you can reserve online and pick it up at the airport. If you are picking up at the airport I suggest you reserve online or else they will rape you on the price. I use priceline. I've personally stayed at Casa Linda countless times and have rented a car every single time I've been in DR. It's literally no more than a 5 minute drive to the strip so unless you are venturing out to Cabarete, Puerto Plata or else where further you won't hurt yourself on gas either. Good luck and have fun.

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Originally Posted by TNT72

If you only plan on staying and driving around Sosua, I would say rent a car. Driving in Sosua is nothing. It is driving back and forth from Puerto Plata or Cabarete that can be challenging some times. When it is raining or it is night time can be trying!

If you're just staying in Sosua, skip the driver or the taxi's. The group will spend way much more money on both!

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Originally Posted by deezl

cosigned. just one round-trip into town and back to casa linda will cost you 4-600 pesos in a taxi - two round trips will cost you as much as it would to rent a car.

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Driving in RD is some that i know about LOL now I am pro taxi

Is the Roundtrip from the strip to casa linda 600rd? that sounds expense for one person. I can get cross town in santo domingo for 200rd. 600rd split in 6 is 100rd/each That's cheap.

Blaz is the ~$50 quote for a jeepa with or without insurance? if thats without insurance you can add another $50/day. I never spent more than $20 a day in last trip.

with taxi's:
I didnt have to worry about accidents, the cops, drinking & driving, parking, insurance scams from the rental place, driving the whores back or picking them up

you can get a taxi guys number and call, i am sure they will get to you quickly

Having your own car has its perks but so does using taxi's

use a combo, suv in the day time and taxi's for the whore at night

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Originally Posted by kris boog

Three friends and I will be staying at Casa Linda for Memorial Day Weekend. We have all had multiple trips, but have never stayed away from the strip (usually NG or TL). We imagine that having a rental car would make it easy for us to come and go as we please, grab chicks, drop them off, maybe check it Cabarrette, etc. However the responsibility of having a car compounded with the stories and warnings that I have read on this site give me pause.

I would be the primary driver, I speak a little English (enough to get by, but definitely not enough to converse well with the locals), I am level headed and don't drink, but that does not guarantee we won't get into any trouble. We have considered calling taxi's as needed, but that idea does not sound appealing and leaves us at the mercy of the cab drivers.

if we don't get a rental, the next best option to me would be to get a driver with a mini-van that would stay with us each day. My searches have not yielded any recent recommendations; if anyone has a driver that they would recommend for this type of arrangement I would greatly appreciate it. Since our Spanish is limited, it would be great if they spoke a little english.

Additionally, please provide me with any recommendations that you may have about renting, taxis, or a driver.
How much should a driver cost per day?

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You meant you speak a little spanish?

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Originally Posted by TNT72

If you only plan on staying and driving around Sosua, I would say rent a car. Driving in Sosua is nothing. It is driving back and forth from Puerto Plata or Cabarete that can be challenging some times. When it is raining or it is night time can be trying!

If you're just staying in Sosua, skip the driver or the taxi's. The group will spend way much more money on both!

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Drive slow. I agree, Sosua is not a big deal for driving. Drive slow, keep your eyes on the road 110% of the time. Drive slow. Speed will get you in trouble. Drive slow.

Did I mention drive slow? Don't be in a hurry to get anywhere. And drive slow. Take your time.

Kris,

Driving in the Dominican Republic is just not worth it. As BLB stated, you have to deal with corrupt cops, motos, crazy driver, and don't let something happen. With that said, I never listen to my own advice. (About driving in the DR and other things.) So here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. If an accident happens, GET YOUR GRINGO ASS OUT OF THERE. It does not matter if you have insurance or it was not your fault. You are the gringo. You will sit in jail until everybody is paid off. (AND you do not want to be in a DR jail.)

2. If you get stopped by the Policia National or AMET, keep calm, be respectful and be ready to pay them off. When driving, I never keep more than 1000 pesos in my wallet. You pull this out and hand them 500 pesos. If he wants more keep shrugging and act like you don't understand. All you have is another 500 pesos. Last resort, give that to him too. If he does not speak any English, keep acting like you don't understand.

3. Insurance from the airport is a ripoff. All the airport rental companies now require a police report for the smallest scratch. Try to get AMET to write a police report for a small scratch on a rental car. (Well, if you pay the officer, he will do it.) Now if you use your insurance on your credit card, they are not going to pay for a little scratch that may have been there before you rented a car. This becomes an extra cost for renting from the airport.

So.....If you still want to rent a car, I would deal with a local guy. I normally deal with Francis. He works out of the small rental shop across from Bailys. He does not try to hold my passport and does not charge for small scratches. Send me a PM and I will look up his number. If you use WhatsApp, his number on there is 1-829-863-7973. Not sure if that is still a good number to call him on from the DR.

I thought the taxi rate was 200 pesos within El Batey. Split this between four guys and it is cheaper than a moto.

Has this rate gone up?

When I have gone to pick up chicas at Caribe tours, it has always been 200 pesos as well.

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Originally Posted by mho

I thought the taxi rate was 200 pesos within El Batey. Split this between four guys and it is cheaper than a moto.

Has this rate gone up?

When I have gone to pick up chicas at Caribe tours, it has always been 200 pesos as well.

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last month i asked three different taxi guys and they all said 300 pesos to go to the palms from the strip. i told them that's what i pay to go to cabarete and then just hoofed it. i had a car by the next day (1200 pesos/day for a nice honda crv).

what anyone has to know about driving in the DR is that it's like freeform avante-garde jazz. anyone could do just about anything at any time. they don't always like to use lights at night. sometimes they decide they'd rather be in your lane - while you're right next to them. they like to go fast. they like to carry all manner of things (both small and ridiculously large) on their vehicles, sometimes strapped on by twine, sometimes just by hand. motos can come out of anywhere. there are no rules of the road, just suggestions. green means go, red means whatever they decide it means when they get to it.

you have to drive defensively and aggressively at the same time. as long as you're paying attention (and i mean constant, unflagging attention) you should be fine. and stay the fuck out of puerto plata. that place is just madness.

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Originally Posted by deezl

last month i asked three different taxi guys and they all said 300 pesos to go to the palms from the strip. i told them that's what i pay to go to cabarete and then just hoofed it. i had a car by the next day (1200 pesos/day for a nice honda crv).

what anyone has to know about driving in the DR is that it's like freeform avante-garde jazz. anyone could do just about anything at any time. they don't always like to use lights at night. sometimes they decide they'd rather be in your lane - while you're right next to them. they like to go fast. they like to carry all manner of things (both small and ridiculously large) on their vehicles, sometimes strapped on by twine, sometimes just by hand. motos can come out of anywhere. there are no rules of the road, just suggestions. green means go, red means whatever they decide it means when they get to it.

you have to drive defensively and aggressively at the same time. as long as you're paying attention (and i mean constant, unflagging attention) you should be fine. and stay the fuck out of puerto plata. that place is just madness.

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And all of this is NOTHING, compared to driving in Santo Domingo.

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Originally Posted by dquick

And all of this is NOTHING, compared to driving in Santo Domingo.

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absolutely, anything can happen in the capital.

one second you're driving down the road, the next you're married to a ho.


:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Originally Posted by deezl

last month i asked three different taxi guys and they all said 300 pesos to go to the palms from the strip. i told them that's what i pay to go to cabarete and then just hoofed it. i had a car by the next day (1200 pesos/day for a nice honda crv).

what anyone has to know about driving in the DR is that it's like freeform avante-garde jazz. anyone could do just about anything at any time. they don't always like to use lights at night. sometimes they decide they'd rather be in your lane - while you're right next to them. they like to go fast. they like to carry all manner of things (both small and ridiculously large) on their vehicles, sometimes strapped on by twine, sometimes just by hand. motos can come out of anywhere. there are no rules of the road, just suggestions. green means go, red means whatever they decide it means when they get to it.

you have to drive defensively and aggressively at the same time. as long as you're paying attention (and i mean constant, unflagging attention) you should be fine. and stay the fuck out of puerto plata. that place is just madness.

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Been driving all over that country without serious incident since 2004. And I gotta say that the above highlighted is the best advice about driving in the DR that I've read thus far. The only thing I'd add is to never drive drunk down there. Hell, don't even drive tipsy cause you need to be alert and focused at all times. Fortunately, I have a wingman who doesn't drink. He's the designated driver of our group.

Oh, and buy ALL of the insurance offered by the rental company. It wont cover you in all instances. But it will cover the inevitable dings and scratches that you will incur while driving in the bigger cities. The one time I didn't buy the insurance, my rental got sideswiped while parked in front of Cristals. Cost me an extra $300.

Honestly, I'm at the point where I rent a car every time I'm in the DR. I have to be able to get out and see shit. And that added mobility is well worth the extra cost IMO. Seriously, the only near death experiences I've had in the DR have been in taxis. I don't even fuck with motoconchos.:icontd:

When it's all said and done, I feel like I'm a better driver than any of the locals. Therefore, when it comes to trusting my life with a driver in the DR, I don't hesitate to get behind the wheel.

I've only rented from airports so far, and from my experience

I've been fortunate enough that I only had to pay for tires. ALWAYS ALWAYS check to make sure the wrench they give you matches every single lug nut on the car, Trust me.

I've always used the insurance on my credit card via American express.

I've always tried to take pictures and or video of all the damage on the car in case.

Another thing you need to remember if renting from the airport, is the hold that they will put on your credit card which can be up to $1000 or $1500 can't remember how much, which of course they will refund if there is no damage.

When I had my disaster of blowing out 2 tires one time missing my flight some shitty policy of Avis at the time. I rented from the SDQ airport and drove to Sosua. The phone number they gave you for road side service, is dispatched out of Santo Domingo. so if you have a problem lets say in Puerto Plata, they will dispatch the service guy from Santo Domingo, thus adding 4 hours to your service time.

Thanks for all the advice. It seems like the consensus is to rent a car and be very careful, with a few folks thinking we might be better off with Taxis. I guess everyone agrees that hiring a driver would not be cost effective and should or be a real option.

I reserved a SUV with Alamo today. Deezl, I plan on calling your contact this week. Does anyone else have an opinion on renting locally versus from POP?

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Originally Posted by kris boog

Thanks for all the advice. It seems like the consensus is to rent a car and be very careful, with a few folks thinking we might be better off with Taxis. I guess everyone agrees that hiring a driver would not be cost effective and should or be a real option.

I reserved a SUV with Alamo today. Deezl, I plan on calling your contact this week. Does anyone else have an opinion on renting locally versus from POP?

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The good thing about renting at POP is you wouldn't have to worry about a ride from and to the airport.

But, the SUV that deezl rents is new and nice!

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Originally Posted by kris boog

Thanks for all the advice. It seems like the consensus is to rent a car and be very careful, with a few folks thinking we might be better off with Taxis. I guess everyone agrees that hiring a driver would not be cost effective and should or be a real option.

I reserved a SUV with Alamo today. Deezl, I plan on calling your contact this week. Does anyone else have an opinion on renting locally versus from POP?

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If you drive NYC you should have no problems.

Unlike most here I would say you need some liqour in your system down there. This way your on the same level as everybody else driving...

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Originally Posted by kris boog

Thanks for all the advice. It seems like the consensus is to rent a car and be very careful, with a few folks thinking we might be better off with Taxis. I guess everyone agrees that hiring a driver would not be cost effective and should or be a real option.

I reserved a SUV with Alamo today. Deezl, I plan on calling your contact this week. Does anyone else have an opinion on renting locally versus from POP?

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If you plan on using the insurance via through a credit card like American Express like I did, they do not cover SUV's, and another thing is gas, which costs a lot more in the DR, you should consider if you really need an suv

I got my Honda CRV without insurance for $45 a day and the jefe at National was willing to give it to me with insurance for $50 a day. Call me reckless but I only took the insurance option once when I tried a different company and they tried to tell me it was a requirement. Still doesn't add that much to the daily rate though. My experience is reserving online and even adding the insurance when you get to POP usually does not work out to be too expensive at all. And if you split it with your wings even better. I never realized the Credit Card insurance didn't cover SUV's though. I usually don't even get anything that big since I'm usually travelling by myself or with only 1 wing-man so I usually go with the Insurance on the credit card.

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Originally Posted by BigLongBeach

Driving in RD is some that i know about LOL now I am pro taxi

Is the Roundtrip from the strip to casa linda 600rd? that sounds expense for one person. I can get cross town in santo domingo for 200rd. 600rd split in 6 is 100rd/each That's cheap.

Blaz is the ~$50 quote for a jeepa with or without insurance? if thats without insurance you can add another $50/day. I never spent more than $20 a day in last trip.

with taxi's:
I didnt have to worry about accidents, the cops, drinking & driving, parking, insurance scams from the rental place, driving the whores back or picking them up

you can get a taxi guys number and call, i am sure they will get to you quickly

Having your own car has its perks but so does using taxi's

use a combo, suv in the day time and taxi's for the whore at night

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Originally Posted by blazaveli

I got my Honda CRV without insurance for $45 a day and the jefe at National was willing to give it to me with insurance for $50 a day. Call me reckless but I only took the insurance option once when I tried a different company and they tried to tell me it was a requirement. Still doesn't add that much to the daily rate though. My experience is reserving online and even adding the insurance when you get to POP usually does not work out to be too expensive at all. And if you split it with your wings even better. I never realized the Credit Card insurance didn't cover SUV's though. I usually don't even get anything that big since I'm usually travelling by myself or with only 1 wing-man so I usually go with the Insurance on the credit card.

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On my second trip, I had reserved a SUV through Avis online. When I got to the DR, they told me I HAD to take the insurance. I was pissed. But they showed me that, as a franchisee, they had the right to require insurance on vehicles they chose. And that franchisee required it on all SUV's! I was pissed!