Having a car in the Dominican Republic is very convenient however driving in the Dominican Republic can be a challenge.

First get used to the horn; drivers in the DR have one hand permanently on the horn. Don’t get irritated when they use it. The horn is considered a notification devise, not just a sign that the person irritated at you. They will use it when they pass you, at intersections, when passing people or just when they feel they haven’t heard the horn enough that day.

People drive extremely close here regardless of the speed you are going. Cars drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid pot holes and for almost any other reason you can imagine. It’s common to see 3-4 cars side by side on a 2 lane road, when preparing to cross intersections etc. They pretty much consider the lines in the road to be optional, and which side of the road you are expected to drive on to only be a suggestion not a law. Motorcycles use either side of the road about the same, with only a slight preference of being on the right side of the road. (more…)

Since they are closer to the equator some countries have stronger ultraviolent (UV) radiation than others, like here in the Dominican Republic, which significantly increases the chance of sunburn and serious skin damage if you are repeatedly exposed to the sunlight here. To keep this from happening there are a few things that can be done, and kept in mind, regarding skincare.

Skincare Using Sunscreen

In order to get adequate protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays you should use enough SPF 15, or higher, rated sunscreen to form a film on the area of skin that will be exposed to the sun. It is important to make sure to apply it 30 minutes before you go out into the sun so that there is time for your skin to absorb it. Also, sunscreen should be reapplied every 2-4 hours or after any activity that wears it off (like swimming, drying off with a towel, exercising, or perspiration) to avoid getting burnt and sun damaged skin. Daily sunscreen use effectively protects areas of the skin exposed to sunlight from getting burnt.
A cloudy Dominican day only filters out 20 percent of ultraviolet rays; leaving a remaining 80 percent that can cause a serious burn if no precautions are taken. So, if you are concerned with skincare, make sure to put sunscreen on even if you’re not going to be in direct sunlight.

Sun Tanning Tips (more…)

The Botanical Gardens located in Santo Domingo are likely one of the “Must Sees” if you are in the area during your visit. The price to get into the park varies depending if you are a local or a foreigner. Dominicans get in for $50 pesos (about $1.45 USD) anyone else pays ($5.00 USD). If you come in a large group you can haggle for a lower price. My family was with a large group of Dominicans and we all got in for $25 pesos.

The park is huge, so to get much out of it you should plan on spending most of the day and walking a lot. How much you walk will be determined by how many other people are there. In our case the park was mostly empty so only one of the three trains was running. They took us around the park, only stopping at one of the individual gardens, the Japanese Garden. The Japanese garden was pretty big and they only gave us 10 minutes to look around before the train took off again.

When there are not many people you take the chance of there not being another train for a long while so if you don’t get on the same one you may be stuck there for an hour or so, or have to walk back. It turns out that walking back would have only been about a quarter mile or so which would have been worthwhile. We really needed more time in this section.
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On the beaches in the DR you often see couples getting married. We’ve had friends choose destination weddings like the ones you see here. While this can be a romantic, low stress way to get married, there is also the possibility of a few problems when setting up a wedding from a distance. These tips might help you make sure your Dominican Republic destination wedding goes perfectly.

In order to avoid the stressful experience of infamous wedding scheduling, issues with dresses, cakes, decorations, bands and music, bridesmaid’s gifts, and the human element of everyone involved in each of those, many engaged couples decide to consider the option of a tranquil destination wedding as an alternative. After looking at the information available and realizing that a beach wedding costs thousands less than a traditional church wedding, many decide that this is the way to go, and start to look at specific places to have it.

Where to Go

The Dominican Republic has recently been luring couples with its romantic beaches, relaxing atmosphere, and affordable prices. Like other destination wedding locations, DR allows the wedding, reception, and honeymoon to be booked all together in one inexpensive and stress free package. This saves money, and leaves everyone free to sit back and enjoy the experience.

There are quite a few towns that lend themselves to weddings, with two of the most convenient being Puerto Plata and Punta Cana, since they are both nice areas and close to international airports. (more…)

Punta Cana is on the east coast of the island of Hispaniola in the Dominican Republic. It is part of the district of La Altagracia along with the nearby towns of Bavaro, Veron, and Macao. The main beaches from North to south are Uvero Alto, Macao, Arena Gorda, Bavaro, Elcortecito, Cabeza de Toro, Cabo Engano, Punta Cana and Juanillo.

Punta Cana has its own International airport, and it is often cheaper to fly in and out of here then is it to use the International airports in Santiago and Santo Domingo. You will also find shopping malls, restaurants, banks and almost anything else you will need.
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When most people think of the Dominican Republic, they think of a tropical island with a 1,000 miles of white sand beaches. Many of which are picture perfect with picturesque palm trees hanging over the beach, beautiful crystal clear water. You know the type of thing you see in the post cards.

While this is what makes up much of the Dominican Republic many people don’t think of what Dominicans have done within the USA. There are approximately 1.2 million Dominican residents in the US.

They are primarily on the East Coast. You will find a large population in New York, New Jersey, Florida and other eastern states. While you don’t find to many Dominicans among the general population on the west coast, it is interesting to see how many people with Dominican heritage make up Hollywood.

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Art and culture lovers who are visiting or live around Santiago will find the León Jimenes Cultural Center worth visiting. An art lover myself, this is one of my favorite places to go and spend a relaxing few hours, when I have them to spare. Here’s some history and general information you may find interesting to know before you go.

Don Eduardo León Asensio Jimenes, a famous santiagueño and philanthropist, had a special penchant for encouraging growth in the visual arts, and sought in particular to contribute in the development of young artists’ talent. In harmony with this thinking, the León Jimenes Art Contest was started in 1964, in an effort to promote and exhibit the work of Dominican artists of varying ages. He also established a foundation to continue this work, and that foundation went on to construct the León Jimenes Cultural Center in 1999. (more…)

The Consorcio Colonia hotel in Santiago is one of the lower priced hotels in the city. This is probably not a hotel you’re going to go to on your honeymoon (at least if you are wanting to keep her happy). It is however a pretty good budget motel. If you are staying in one of the luxury beach hotels or all-inclusive hotels around the Dominican Republic and are looking for a low cost place to stay for an overnight excursion to Santiago this is probably a good choice.

We found the rooms in the Colonia to be clean and the beds to be relatively comfortable. The staff was not overly friendly but they were also not difficult to work with and tolerated our inability to speak Spanish fluently pretty well. The best part was that the rooms were cheap. They go from $500 pesos (about $15 USD) to about $1200 pesos ($33 USD) per night. The difference was if you wanted air conditioning, a fan, a mini refrigerator or a TV in the room. (more…)

Once you are here in the DR you will likely want to at times, call home. You have several ways to accomplish this.

1. Your Cell Phone. If you keep your plan from the US or another country and try to call back home, just connecting into the DR cell phone network is going to cost you (a lot!). Unless you have money to burn this is not really a good option. You can however, switch out the chip in your phone to a Claro or Orange chip and buy minutes here. This also lets you call the US and the rates are pretty good. You then switch chips again when you head home.

   The one possible problem with this is that many phones are locked out from being used in other countries. That means you have to find a place to “Unlock” your phone. Not difficult but a little more of a hassle. They will not do that in the phone company offices. You also have to be sure that your phone can take the same chip. An alternative is to just buy a cheap phone here in the DR ($15 – $20) and put some minutes on it.

2. The second option involves your computer. (more…)

While in the Dominican Republic you might be interested in a few holes of golf. The Dominican Republic has some world class golf courses such as the Punta Espada golf course where the Cap Cana Championship tournament is held. The temperate weather and beautiful surroundings make the DR a great place to have a golf vacation. This list of available golf courses, golf clubs, and golf resorts can help you get started.
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