offtohawaii

My friend has given me her timeshare for February but the only resorts available are in the Dominican Republic. I have to say that it's not on my list of places to go....I think of it as a spring-break, young kids ----drinking and partying --where we were looking for quiet, great beaches and snorkeling and romantic for more mature travelers.

Anyways - trying to figure out if we should take the free week of lodging and have fun or save the money on plane tickets and go somewhere we really want to go. We originally were looking at the Turks and Caicos.

Can anyone give me some pros to the Dominican Republic and is there good beaches and snorkeling?

beachdreams3

Just a few thoughts since no one else has responded yet. I'm not really very knowledgeable about the DR. It was never on my list either (as opposed to Turks & Caicos, where I have been twice and am going back to again next spring), but about six or seven years ago, I visited a mid-range resort in LaRomana in the DR when a friend found a last minute package for Christmas week. So, given that it was a relatively cheap trip somewhere warm and I had "use it or lose it vacation time", it was a pretty easy decision and a decent trip given my reasonable expectations.

FWIW, my impressions of the DR are that it is much more a "developing country" than someplace like T&C (Providenciales). Although Provo is not over-developed with chain restuarants and hotels and is quieter than many islands, it has a modern infrastructure, safe drinking water, etc. The DR is a place where most people stay at all-inclusive resorts, because they are the most prevalent type of accommodations, and because there are not necessarily a lot of options for dining out and exploring on your own (getting around can be difficult there). Overall, the DR tends to be one of the least expensive destinations in the Caribbean, so it does attract more budget minded travelers, which could include spring breakers, but it really depends on the particular resort and time of year. There are some very upscale resorts in the DR that are not going to be full of spring breakers.

You didn't mention which timeshare properties you are considering or even which areas of the DR. Providing this information and/or checking out the specific geographic areas and properties on TripAdvisor probably will help others advise you and give you a better idea if the DR and the accommodation options will be a good choice for you.

I can only speak to the LaRomana area. The beach was pretty nice, but not even close to Grace Bay in T&C. I don't think the DR is known for snorkeling. We did an excursion that included a visit to Catalina island for beach time and snorkeling, but there was very little to see. The place we stayed had a mix of travelers - some families with kids, some couples, some friends -- and seemed to have a mix of ages (my friend and I were mid 30s and two other women she knew from work who traveled with us were in their 40s).

Good luck!