Any opinions on the Dominican Republic?

[BojiGirl1]

We've been to Jamaica numerous times and first time to St John last summer. We are looking at taking the kids on vacation in the fall and the DR has some awesome deals. Any opinions/things I should know? Thanks, Kim

[Coden]

I can only speak for Santo Domingo, D.R. - we stopped there on a cruise this past January. It was filthy and I wouldn't eat or drink anything there - nor would I ever go anywhere on my own! The water where the ship dockeD was black and filled with garbage.

We've had friends go to Punta Cana (I think this is the name) D.R....and never left the compound.

I personally would never spend a penny to get there - or go back. Others may have a better view. This is JMHO.

[PA Girl]

We were there a couple of years ago and stayed at an all-inclusive in Punta Cana. The beach was decent and the resort was located next to an natural area so we could walk for miles without seeing any development.

We didn't leave the resort as aside from the hotel excursions, there was literally nothing to see, just dirt roads and sadly, shacks. Where we were at, we felt safe. We did hear from other travelers that some resorts have armed guards.

AIs aren't our type of vacation but I will say it was an excellent value and I can certainly see it being a great options when travelling with kids.

My mom and friends are going to Punta Cana in May, I can pick her brain after she returns.

[Greenskeeper]

Went once, no desire to go back again. It's a place where we felt like we could not really safely leave the resort. The people who worked there were fabulous and we enjoyed them very much. We've just decided that the AI crowd is just not for us given the times we are able to travel. Maybe when we are not bound to school vacations we may try again but it won't be DR. We prefer the Mayan Riviera area in Mexico.

[P-600]

We do love Punta Cana for a great all inclusive getaway with our kids. It really depends on the resort you choose. We stayed at the Iberostar Bavaro it it was just okay. On our last trip we stayed at Paradissus Punta Cana and stayed in the Reserve section (you definitely want to upgrade to this part) The rooms were amazing and the pool in the Reserve is gorgeous. There is also a restaurant for Reserve only guests. My next trip I plan on staying at the other Paradisus Resort the Palma Real or the Magestic Elegance or Colonial. They all have great reviews.

Driving in to the resort is sad. There are alot of shanty houses and you do see police with machine guns on the sides of the road. We've never seen anyone with guns on the beach. You CANT drink the water. They will give you Gallon jugs of water so you can brush your teeth etc.

The beaches are beautiful and you can walk forever. The water is a bit rough for the little kids. Also, alot of European women go topless there which my teenage boys felt a bit "awkward" especially when 50 year old women would ask them to take their picture!!

The Dominican people that we met at the Resorts were so nice and really work hard for their money. Read Tripadvisor for the most recent reviews of the resort you choose.

[Greenskeeper]

W My next trip I plan on staying at the other Paradisus Resort the Palma Real or the Magestic Elegance or Colonial. They all have great reviews.



The Dominican people that we met at the Resorts were so nice and really work hard for their money. Read Tripadvisor for the most recent reviews of the resort you choose.

We stayed at the Majestic Colonial. It was during school vacation and there was this obnoxious drunken New York/ Boston rivalry thing going on for the whole week. The adults in the group let the kids run wild throughout the resort and some of the behaviors we saw were astounding. It wasn't a cheap trip by any means and it was evident that some people wanted to get their $ worth by drinking every penny and treating staff as if they were their personal slaves and allowing their children to do the same. The staff got very weary of it as well and on more than one occasion a situation had to be handled by a manager because the staff refused to take the abuse.

[BojiGirl1]

Thanks for all the advice....something to consider! I knew I would get good answers here...seems to be a well-traveled bunch! Kim

[djmom]

All I know is that the Red Cross won't accept blood for a year from those (even who stay in resorts) who have traveled to Punta Cana. Malaria risk.

[spindrift]

I lived in the D.R. back in the 80’s when working for a government agency, and have returned for numerous visits. I loved it, and still have friends in the capital. So much has changed, however, and I probably won’t return there. While crime has increased, I do understand the draw of the all-inclusives; numerous and some lovely ones.
As mentioned above, my reasons not to travel there include a higher malaria risk and unfortunately the drug-resistant tuberculosis problem. The following is quoted from the U.S. National Institute of Health: “The proportion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains resistant to one or more anti-TB drugs in the Dominican Republic is among the highest observed world-wide.”

[Earlyriser]

It sounds like you have quite of bit of info! I also went to Santo Domingo to an all-inclusive resort. On the way to the resort there was a dead horse on the road. It was still there on the way back (1 week later) Didn't look quite the same..not nice! The trash was knee deep in almost all the yards. The method of trash removal at that time was to simple light a match. This was witnessed. Once on the resort it was ok. Most beaches in the Caribbean are beautiful. But sometimes that's just not enough. Each end of the resort had a guard with a gun. Almost looked like a sawed off shotgun. I got in to a conversation with the guard and he smiled and said if you give me your beer I will give you my gun. Kidding? No...he handed me his gun. I rented an on/off road dirtbike and ventured into areas that I should never have. Some locals chased me on their motocycles and almost dragged me off the bike. I was so afraid. I also noticed many people living in structures no bigger than a large doghouse..sad and scary at the same time..

[JJShaw]

Wow....guess I will cross this one off the list. I have often thought about booking it because of the great offers they have...but on second thought...maybe not...

[Berlingirl]

I've heard all the above comments and stories and a few more. The DR has the largest population in the Caribbean after Cuba. There are well over 9 million people living there and sadly extreme poverty is the rule. You can't hide that and with it comes crime, therefore the police guards are everywhere.

In my over 20 years in travel, I've probably only sent a handful of people and it wasn't on my recommendation. As a matter of fact, I've turned down a few bookings as I felt there would be problems when the clients came back. I know I've lost a few, but I turned a number of those wanting to try the DR onto other all inclusive destinations and some are regular clients now. The DR really hasn't been a "cheap" destination since the chain all inclusives (Barcelo, Iberostar, etc) that now proliferate the Caribbean, Central America and many other warm parts of the world moved in a few years ago. That said, the best thing to happen to the country is the tourism industry. It's pumped alot of needed money into the economy. I've seen a number of high end properties (Westin, AMRESORTS) come in lately and would like to think maybe they will improve experiences. like Earlyriser said, once your on the resort it's ok. I personally feel much better values continue to be found in Mexico or Jamaica.

My husband went down there decades ago when it was still relatively undiscovered and one of his friends caught a bug and was sick for almost a year afterwards so its One place he says he dosen't care to return to.

Many Europeans Americans and Canadians continue to flock so there is no shortage of tourists. Lots of people who haven't traveled much do seem to like it. If you have nothing to compare it to, the DR can be a good experience if you can overlook a number of things. Probably many will return and the resorts will become their own versions of STJ, STT or STX. However for many seasoned travelers on this board, it's not their cup of tea.