01/2015 - Santo Domingo, Samana and Las Terranas

[Drjetman]

A few weeks ago I went to Santo Domingo. Usually, I stay at the Jaragua but it is closed during renovations so I stayed at the Napolitano Hotel. The cost was $90.00 a night including breakfast. There's a nice pool, a restaurant 2 bars and a little Casino. The Napolitano is chica friendly with no additional charge for guests. During my stay I brought a few buddies to the pool and they didn't have to pay.
They have live entertainment at least 3 times a week which is heavily attended by locals. It's a good hotel. A little outdated but as far as I know it's the only big hotel on the Malecon that is completely guest friendly and has the aforementioned amenities.
These pictures are of the view from the room I had, the horse and buggy out front and the pool and Hotel sign.

[Hunter]

I took a chica there and had drinks and some food. I was saying to myself that place might not be bad to stay.....thanks for the chica friendly tip....:iconTU:

Was it noisy from the cars on malecon? did u have water view?

[Drjetman]

There's a Gym up the hill toward Duarte that is pretty good by DR standards. It's called Nueve Creacion. There's lots of free weights and 1970's-80's vintage machines. It's on 3 or 4 floors. There are cardio machines and showers. They charge 100 pesos a day. We went there everyday in the morning.

[Drjetman]

After a few days I went to Samana and stayed a week at a friend's Condo. The Caribe tour bus cost 310 pesos. It took 2 1/2 hours to get there. The bus was modern with AC and comfortable seats. It's a great way to see the country.
The Condo was on a hill overlooking the harbor. Nice pool and a banana tree outside my front door.
Samana is a touristy type of town. When I was there a year ago there was a car wash in the middle of town with available chicas. That's gone now. I had a chica with me for 1/2 the time so I wasn't out prowling but I was told the girls hang in a small park that has a type of Bandstand and on the main street after dark.
These are pictures of the condo, the pool, the view from the condo and the bananas outside the room.

[Drjetman]

I rented a car. The first day I had the vehicle I drove to Las Terranas. It's a nice 1- 1 1/2 hour drive through the mountains sharing the road with horses and motorcycles. I drove slow and stopped at a Colmado a couple of times. I was in no hurry.
I arrived at the great beaches. They were mostly deserted until I got to the hotel area and even then there were not that many people around.

[JDR]

I rented a car. The first day I had the vehicle I drove to Las Terranas. It's a nice 1- 1 1/2 hour drive through the mountains sharing the road with horses and motorcycles. I drove slow and stopped at a Colmado a couple of times. I was in no hurry.
I arrived at the great beaches. They were mostly deserted until I got to the hotel area and even then there were not that many people around.

Very nice beach.

[Drjetman]

There are a couple of whore houses in Las Terranas. When I was at those places a year ago the price was 1500 pesos ST on site and 2500 pesos take out plus 500 pesos salida. I don't know what the prices are now.
One is called Rincon de Rosa. It's a little bar with swinging doors. There's a small dance area. The girls live in the back. The ST takes place in their little rooms.
I was taken there by a local and I couldn't begin to give directions. Locals should know where it is.

[Drjetman]

I don't even know if the second whore house has a name. It's an outdoor place with a big round concrete floor, a tin roof, a bar and the girl's rooms. Some of the chicas live there and others report for work starting at 11 am.
I got there about noon. About a half hour later someone rang a bell and all the chicas went behind the bar and came back with a plate of food which they devoured. Sort of like the military.
We all thought this chica looked like Robin Givens.

[JDR]

I don't even know if the second whore house has a name. It's an outdoor place with a big round concrete floor, a tin roof, a bar and the girl's rooms. Some of the chicas live there and others report for work starting at 11 am.
I got there about noon. About a half hour later someone rang a bell and all the chicas went behind the bar and came back with a plate of food which they devoured. Sort of like the military.
We all thought this chica looked like Robin Givens.

Flaca.......................

[Drjetman]

The next day I headed in the opposite direction toward Playa Las Galeras. The drive was about an hour. On the way a couple of chicas flagged me down. I didn't stop but that could pose an interesting scenario another time.
Great beach and a couple of half decent hotels. There's a free public parking lot and vendors selling fishing trips and boat rides. They don't bother you after you tell them your not interested.
These are pictures of the beach.

[Drjetman]

Then I went to Playa Rincon which is nearby. I have heard the Conde Nast named Playa Rincon as one of the 10 best beaches in the world. That's what people say but I never saw the article.
Playa Rincon is difficult to get to. You have to drive a couple of miles off the main road on paved streets until you get to a rocky road that leads to the beach. I'd say I drove about 1 1/2 miles on the rocky road until I got to the beach.
The beach was beautiful. It would justify a Conde Nast distinction. White sand, clear Blue/Green water, good surf and surrounded by mountains. And the water was great for swimming. You can't get much better than that.
There were less than 10 people on the beach. There was an out door restaurant that cooked and served fish. A couple of guys sold drinks out of a cooler and at the far end there was a little restaurant that didn't have much on the menu.
Here are some pictures of the beach and the road to get there.

[Drjetman]

The hotel rooms are set back a bit from the Malecon so the noise from traffic was not a problem. There was noise from the nightclub when they had singers there. That didn't bother me much. My room was facing the water.
I took a chica there and had drinks and some food. I was saying to myself that place might not be bad to stay.....thanks for the chica friendly tip....:iconTU:

Was it noisy from the cars on malecon? did u have water view?

[Jkryst]

Thanks for informative report. I am thinking of a similar trip, so appreciate the intell.

[JD426]

Nice to see someone else also made it out to Las Galeras.. Possibly one of my favorite places in all of the DR (so far) , eventhough its kind of quiet out there unless its a Holiday weekend.
.. Playa Rincon can be absolutely spectacular when its not too windy or raining... I see they fixed that Road up Nice.. it was a disaster a couple years ago .

.. Did you make a Right turn or a LEFT once you got on to the beach ? The prices for seafood are a lot cheaper on the LEFT side .. Plajita is nice too but gets very busy with Families sometimes..
The sand beach at the AI ( grand paradise) is possibly the Finest powder sand anywhere. But you got to walk in between those Rocks that can rip your toes up :rofl:..

Very nice Pics..thanks...

[el toro]

Great start. Thanks for the intel.

[gulfmariner]

Great pics of the beaches and places you visited. I can't wait to get back and do some exploring of new places in the country myself. Thanks for the intel and report... :corky:

[Drjetman]

I took a right turn once I got to the beach. That's where everything seemed to be as I looked around. I guess you could say they fixed the road but the sharp rocks could flatten tires. I was wary of this as my tires were not the best. There's no AAA to call. Next time I'll take a left. Thanks for the info.
Nice to see someone else also made it out to Las Galeras.. Possibly one of my favorite places in all of the DR (so far) , eventhough its kind of quiet out there unless its a Holiday weekend.
.. Playa Rincon can be absolutely spectacular when its not too windy or raining... I see they fixed that Road up Nice.. it was a disaster a couple years ago .

.. Did you make a Right turn or a LEFT once you got on to the beach ? The prices for seafood are a lot cheaper on the LEFT side .. Plajita is nice too but gets very busy with Families sometimes..
The sand beach at the AI ( grand paradise) is possibly the Finest powder sand anywhere. But you got to walk in between those Rocks that can rip your toes up :rofl:..

Very nice Pics..thanks...

[Dvdmdz]

I took a right turn once I got to the beach. That's where everything seemed to be as I looked around. I guess you could say they fixed the road but the sharp rocks could flatten tires. I was wary of this as my tires were not the best. There's no AAA to call. Next time I'll take a left. Thanks for the info.
great Pics. Great Info. Thanks for sharing.........

[eman]

Nice report.
I took a one day trip to Nagua. Its about 1 1/2 hours from the SDQ.
I stopped at place called Gonzalo on the beach. Not many people there at first, but the beers
was ice cold. Just a few Italians and locals there. The beach is very nice and you just sit at one of the tables.
The food and the service was great. The fresh seafood was wonderful.
I talked to the waiter he said the place has only been open for one year. Every Monday night they have
a big beach party there with a live band. It's a nice place to get away from the city to see other areas.

[Drjetman]

I usually go to Santo Domingo and the environs nearby. As I ventured out of those areas I found that the streets are cleaner and that the people seemed friendlier. They were not as fast and opportunistic as in the city. Even the NP cop who stopped me looking for a propina did so with a smile on his face. At about noon I was entering Samana from Playa Rincon and the NP were in the middle of the street pulling people over. They had a gringo stopped on the other side. The cop said, " Es mi cumple y no tengo nada". (It's my birthday and I don't have anything.). I shook his hand and said Feliz Cumpleanos and he laughed and told me to go.
I'm going to look into a Nagua drive. That sounds good.
Nice report.
I took a one day trip to Nagua. Its about 1 1/2 hours from the SDQ.
I stopped at place called Gonzalo on the beach. Not many people there at first, but the beers
was ice cold. Just a few Italians and locals there. The beach is very nice and you just sit at one of the tables.
The food and the service was great. The fresh seafood was wonderful.
I talked to the waiter he said the place has only been open for one year. Every Monday night they have
a big beach party there with a live band. It's a nice place to get away from the city to see other areas.

[Drjetman]

Did you stay at a Hotel in Las Galeras? I saw one that looked good. Lucy Hotel or something like that.
Nice to see someone else also made it out to Las Galeras.. Possibly one of my favorite places in all of the DR (so far) , eventhough its kind of quiet out there unless its a Holiday weekend.
.. Playa Rincon can be absolutely spectacular when its not too windy or raining... I see they fixed that Road up Nice.. it was a disaster a couple years ago .

.. Did you make a Right turn or a LEFT once you got on to the beach ? The prices for seafood are a lot cheaper on the LEFT side .. Plajita is nice too but gets very busy with Families sometimes..
The sand beach at the AI ( grand paradise) is possibly the Finest powder sand anywhere. But you got to walk in between those Rocks that can rip your toes up :rofl:..

Very nice Pics..thanks...

[JD426]

Did you stay at a Hotel in Las Galeras? I saw one that looked good. Lucy Hotel or something like that.

The big place there is the AI , Grand Paradise,. which makes a really good home base, cuz they have a nice safe parking lot..always rooms available, with safe and the usual AI services . and the food is really good, imo, If you not a big eater it may not be worth it for you... You may get a lot of looks from the other Euro and Canadian guests if you with your favorita,, but who cares. the staff will treat you nice.. ( Las Galeras is not a monger spot, u got to bring you own pretty much )
There are some smaller hotels also, like the nice Italian place on the same road left side, going to the AI.. I will look up the name. I think they probably have like a dozen rooms ?
Todo Blanco is REALLY nice, primo location on the beach.. but you gonna pay like $100 a night..but if you gonna eat out, it may be well worth it. thats probably the nicest spot of all.
Did some driving around in that immediate area , and if you want a House I saw seevral small for Rent signs in English , and German, but they are so secluded that I stumbled on them purely by accident driving around on dirt roads , you definitely want to something like that with a GROUP of people.. and those non main roads are Horrible , alsmost Scary, with steep hills I cant even imagine them in the Rain.. definitely 4wd rental time...
I can look up specific places if you need... the board Member BAILAR I think posted some Hotel Names in one of his Reports.. with phone #s.

[Drjetman]

Thanks for the info. I am planning to go with a chica so that is perfect. We do get strange looks from Euro, Canadian and USA women when we bring chicas. I remember the just filthy looks I got when I'd bring one to the Jaragua pool. The husbands were fine. I'm sure they were a bit jealous. But the women were infuriated.
The big place there is the AI , Grand Paradise,. which makes a really good home base, cuz they have a nice safe parking lot..always rooms available, with safe and the usual AI services . and the food is really good, imo, If you not a big eater it may not be worth it for you... You may get a lot of looks from the other Euro and Canadian guests if you with your favorita,, but who cares. the staff will treat you nice.. ( Las Galeras is not a monger spot, u got to bring you own pretty much )
There are some smaller hotels also, like the nice Italian place on the same road left side, going to the AI.. I will look up the name. I think they probably have like a dozen rooms ?
Todo Blanco is REALLY nice, primo location on the beach.. but you gonna pay like $100 a night..but if you gonna eat out, it may be well worth it. thats probably the nicest spot of all.
Did some driving around in that immediate area , and if you want a House I saw seevral small for Rent signs in English , and German, but they are so secluded that I stumbled on them purely by accident driving around on dirt roads , you definitely want to something like that with a GROUP of people.. and those non main roads are Horrible , alsmost Scary, with steep hills I cant even imagine them in the Rain.. definitely 4wd rental time...
I can look up specific places if you need... the board Member BAILAR I think posted some Hotel Names in one of his Reports.. with phone #s.

[eman]

I also found that the people are nicer away from the city.

[eman]

Anyone been to Higuey?