Santo Domingo or Santiago info and advice
 

My husband and I have a credit on Jet Blue that we need to use in January and based on airfares we've narrowed it down to the DR. We just want to relax, not really sightsee but would prefer somewhere with activities/watersports, etc. (my husband gets antsy lying on the beach all day every day on vacation) We will be leaving our 16 month old twins at home so we are really just looking for some R&R. An all inclusive would be fine as well
That being said, it looks like Santo Domingo and Santiago have the most decent airfares in teh DR the weekend we are looking to go (MLK bday weekend). I don't know much about them and would love to hear your input. Are they safe? are the beaches nice? Assuming they are good options, would love to get hotel/resort reccs. thanks!

Santiago is inland, and Santiago is a giant city. Neither is on a beach.

If you want to go to the North Shore (Puerto Plata, Cabarete, Sosua), then choose Santiago. It's a little over an hour's drive there. The beaches are nice, but windsurfing and golf are the big draws in that area. Snorkeling not so much. You can also get up into the mountains on day-trips. I would not stay in Santiago except perhaps for the night of your arrival because JetBlue flights (at least some of them) get in a odd hours.

If you go to Santo Domingo, you're within easy reach of beaches east of the city, but you really have to drive all the way to Juan Dolio (perhaps an hour east of the airport). Boca Chica is popular and cheap but substandard, and there's relatively little to do there. The problem with Juan Dolio is that it doesn't offer much more than the beach, but there are some lovely condo accommodations there, and it's within easy striking distance of Casa de Campo and excellent snorkeling at Catalina Island. Casa de Campo is an excellent luxury resort with horseback riding, golf, and myriad activities, but it's expensive.

If you just want to stay in Santo Domingo, there's history, nightlife, and excellent food, but it's a big and rather poor city, so there is some crime and a lot of slums, but the old part of the city has been developed nicely in recent years and has some excellent small boutique hotels that aren't expensive. There are many giant high-rise hotels on the seafront, many of which have busy casinos and extensive grounds.