hsingh

Hi - my flight leaves from Santo Domingo airport at 12:25AM. Would it be advisable to drive to the airport in the morning on the same day as my flight, or should I get to Santo Domingo the night before? i.e. if I leave at say 7AM from Lost Terranas, does it give me enough time and a reasonable cushion to make it to my (international) flight in time, say by 10:00AM?

lifes2short

Hola, hsingh ! Your post is a bit confusing, as you say your flight is at 12:35am. This would be 35 minutes after midnight, not the afternoon. Do you mean 12:35 pm ?

If that's the case, the short answer to your question is no---not enough time, and no cushion at all. If I were in your shoes, I would definitely not wait till the morning of the flight to make the drive down to SDQ. Parts of that drive can be a bit hairy, especially if it rains...I feel you could be taking a huge risk by making that drive on a deadline.

Again, in your shoes, I would make the drive the day before (in daylight) and check in at the Quality Inn near SDQ for the night. I would also arrive at SDQ no later than 9:30 to allow for all possible contingencies with check-in, passport control, etc.

Though it certainly can be done under ideal conditions, please don't assume the drive from LT to SDQ will be less than 3 hours. And, again, there's that confusion over your actual departure time to be sorted out. Hope this helps, and sorry if I've misinterpreted the info your provided. Have a blast in the DR !

hsingh

Thanks so much for the response. You are right, I mis typed. The flight departs at 12:30PM. And I think I'll take your recommendation and drive down a day before the flight.

Are there any recommendations you have for restaurants or lodging in Las Terenas, Cabrete or Santo Domingo?

Thanks again for responding and I am looking fwd to the trip w/ excitement.

doug_stallings

There's also an Embassy Suites not far from the airport. You could look into that as well. I would probably not stay in Santo Domingo unless you really want to spend more time in the city (from your post, it appears as if you'll be there earlier in your trip). It just adds to the time it takes you to get to the airport in the morning.

In Las Terrenas, Peninsula House is one of the nicest small hotels in the Caribbean, but it's expensive. If you can afford, it, look into the possibility of staying there. But it's not on the beach. If you want something cheaper and on the beach, there are options.