David Smash
06-07-2005, 01:00 AM
Fresh off the early JetBlue flight I want to share my experience of public and private taxis. First off I stayed at the Field of Dreams Inn. Great place. Nice and quiet. Billy and his son Chris were great hosts. The pool and jacuzzi are up and running and since they are guest-frienly well let's just say if the jacuzzi could talk me and alot of the guests there would have to pay it hush money!!! But if you are want to get around and like me don't have the balls to rent a car and drive the horrid roads of the North Coast go with taxis.
First I will start with public taxis. They are cheap (20 pesos). But if you are in those small 1980's Japanese junkoids the driver will squeeze six (6) people into the cab NOT including himself. And if you are over 150 lbs you are in for a uncomfortable ride. However depending on your Spanish you can get the driver to give you the entire front seat for 40 pesos (PM me if you need the Spainsh on this). If you want to travel from Puerto Plata and go pass Sosua into Caberate and you are in the aforementioned crapmobiles some drivers may not want to take you Caberate. If you can look for the vans with "Puerto Plata/Rio San Juan" on the windshields It will take you in to Caberate and end at Rio San Juan.
Now here is the thing with public taxis. Sometimes if they empty out and don't have a fare they will ask you for more money. I, being ignorant, paid 200 pesos to a cab to take me from The Field of Dreams Inn to the first entrance of the beach in Sosua. Now I don't thinkd200 pesos is a lot but remember you don't get what you deserve you get what you negioate. In the DR you are either el tigre or el pollo. Trust me you don't want to be el pollo. So here is some advice. When you get in to a public cab (that have a red light on top or previous mentioned vans) DO NOT DISCUSS PRICE!!!. Unless you got the entire front seat just get in and if you don't know what the location looks like tell them. when you get there just get out and get them the 20 (or 40) pesos. Don't let the "hey the fare is more" get you. Most times they won't confront you about the price.
Now for the private cabs. You can call them or catch them in the later hours (I mostly got them in Sosua at night) Now if you call them the prices are pretty steep. They can go for 500-700 pesos for Sosua to Puerto Plata. If it is late at night you can flag them down. Now depending on your negoiating skills and where you are you can probably get a taxi from say Sosua to Puerto Plata for 100-200 pesos. When agree with to a price just and and pay NO MORE THAN WHAT YOU ARGEED ON. I told a cabbie 150 pesos for Sosua to Puerto Plata late night. When I pulled to the Fields of Dreams, He told me 300 pesos!! I laughed at him and told him good night. Then he had the nerve to stand in front me blocking my way to the hotel. Now this is for my New York cats who may be new the DR. DON'T HIT A DOMINICAN UNLESS YOU HAVE TOO. Trust me you don't want to fuck around in another country. Ask MisterNYC about the NYC cats that wanted to play Billy Badass in D'Classico. So what did I do? I told him suck my dick and if he thought I owed him more then call the police. Now I am not saying bully the cabbies out there they have to make a living to but don't let anyone intimidate you especially when you are being fair.
So overall if you don't want to rent a car I think taxis private or public is the way to go.
First I will start with public taxis. They are cheap (20 pesos). But if you are in those small 1980's Japanese junkoids the driver will squeeze six (6) people into the cab NOT including himself. And if you are over 150 lbs you are in for a uncomfortable ride. However depending on your Spanish you can get the driver to give you the entire front seat for 40 pesos (PM me if you need the Spainsh on this). If you want to travel from Puerto Plata and go pass Sosua into Caberate and you are in the aforementioned crapmobiles some drivers may not want to take you Caberate. If you can look for the vans with "Puerto Plata/Rio San Juan" on the windshields It will take you in to Caberate and end at Rio San Juan.
Now here is the thing with public taxis. Sometimes if they empty out and don't have a fare they will ask you for more money. I, being ignorant, paid 200 pesos to a cab to take me from The Field of Dreams Inn to the first entrance of the beach in Sosua. Now I don't thinkd200 pesos is a lot but remember you don't get what you deserve you get what you negioate. In the DR you are either el tigre or el pollo. Trust me you don't want to be el pollo. So here is some advice. When you get in to a public cab (that have a red light on top or previous mentioned vans) DO NOT DISCUSS PRICE!!!. Unless you got the entire front seat just get in and if you don't know what the location looks like tell them. when you get there just get out and get them the 20 (or 40) pesos. Don't let the "hey the fare is more" get you. Most times they won't confront you about the price.
Now for the private cabs. You can call them or catch them in the later hours (I mostly got them in Sosua at night) Now if you call them the prices are pretty steep. They can go for 500-700 pesos for Sosua to Puerto Plata. If it is late at night you can flag them down. Now depending on your negoiating skills and where you are you can probably get a taxi from say Sosua to Puerto Plata for 100-200 pesos. When agree with to a price just and and pay NO MORE THAN WHAT YOU ARGEED ON. I told a cabbie 150 pesos for Sosua to Puerto Plata late night. When I pulled to the Fields of Dreams, He told me 300 pesos!! I laughed at him and told him good night. Then he had the nerve to stand in front me blocking my way to the hotel. Now this is for my New York cats who may be new the DR. DON'T HIT A DOMINICAN UNLESS YOU HAVE TOO. Trust me you don't want to fuck around in another country. Ask MisterNYC about the NYC cats that wanted to play Billy Badass in D'Classico. So what did I do? I told him suck my dick and if he thought I owed him more then call the police. Now I am not saying bully the cabbies out there they have to make a living to but don't let anyone intimidate you especially when you are being fair.
So overall if you don't want to rent a car I think taxis private or public is the way to go.