travelingtish

My adult daughter and I are taking our first trip to the Caribbean and will be staying at Catalonia Bavaro Beach Golf & Casino Resort, Dominican Republic, in early November. Does anyone have any tips about money (when we can use U.S. currency, when D.R. currency is needed, use of credit cards, etc.). I'm sure ATMs will be no problem and will be readily available at the airport and resort. Also, anything at all we should steer clear of (food, taxi usage, etc.). She read we should take a room deodorizer for mustiness, but I'm thinking that's just certain places, not everywhere. But having never been there, what do I know? I would think everything would be pretty normal in the resort itself. Of course, we'll drink bottled water.
Any tips or suggestions would be welcome.

EuroQueen

Oh gosh I am so sorry but the only thing I can say is could you change your travel plans? I really didn't find the DR very nice. I suggest Aruba as a much nicer place.

travelingtish

Can't and wouldn't anyway. I've read lots of enthusiastic reviews of Dominican Republic vacations on this site. I also have a friend who knows someone who goes twice a year to Punta Cana, because they like it so much. So the trip is on.
I also need some info. about a phone. I'm assuming my daughter won't be able to use her cell phone from there (I realize I could be mistaken about that, having never been to the Caribbean). If not, is there someplace reasonable that she can get a phone with prepaid minutes that she can use just while we're there, to call home?

suze

I've been to the Dominican Republic twice and loved it, but too long ago and not at Punta Canta (it hadn't been "invented" yet) to be any help.

travelingtish

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capersnest

Hi,
Everyone accepts US currency. It's
about 33 peso's to 1 US$. Credit cards are okay in most places but be sure to keep your eye on it at all times. Banks there can change your US$ to Peso's if you like. Most hotels provide the same service. As for taxis, negotiate a price before taking a ride. Food...
well, I always try to stay clear of any milk products and any foods cooked with cream. Dominican food can be undercooked at times so be aware of that. I use a Blackberry world edition and have no problems but a regular cell phone may not work. BE AWARE of roaming fees. Your cell provider will nail you on that. Very Expensive if you are not careful. There is always a musky smell in all rooms because you are in a very humid area, on the ocean.You get used to it very quickly. I've been to the Domincan many times. It's a very beautiful country. I'm back there this Xmas and I am already getting excited. Contact me if you have any further questions. Enjoy your vacation....

TPAYT

My only suggestion is "Don't go outside of your resort"!

The beaches are gorgeous, the resorts stunning, but ouside of our resort we felt not safe.

As far as money, we were all-inclusive and just took singles for tips.

Every day on the beach we would hear someone complaining that their room wasn't made up yet. We left $3 a day for the maid, and our room was made up very early.

Also a dollar here and there to waiters and maybe $5 for a fancier restaurant was greatly appreciated.

Have a great time!

suze

I had friends (a couple) who went there a couple years ago. They rented a jeep and drove around the island. They had a great experience and did not mention anything about safety. But then they were all over the island, not just in the tourist places.

travelingtish

Thanks for the input. I've been lots of other places, but never the Caribbean. It's always helpful to have the benefit of someone else's experience.

ParrotMom

If there is one place i love it's the DR!!! My strongest advice is DO NOT rent a car or jeep..It is not safe if the car breaks down...We have been many times from Santo Domingo, Puerta Platta, Punta Cana and our favorite La Romana Check out Debbies Dominicanfor honest reviews and comments about your resort

suze

I'm curious, I keep seeing references about safety, and that it is not safe, and don't leave your resort property in the DR.

What exactly is happening to tourists who dare to leave their resort?

Seriously, I don't understand. People are being robbed or what?

mrcamp

Any GSM phone with the 850/1900 and or 900/1800 bands should work there. If you have AT&T or Tmobile in the US, then you are all set. It's just a matter if you will roam or you will be buying a local prepaid DR sim card. If it's the former, make sure the acct. has roaming enabled. If it's the latter, make sure the phone is unlocked. Both tmobile and AT&T will unlock the phone freely for any accts. in good standing for more than 90 days.

jillytravel

I live in Illinois, and I am getting conflicting advice on whether I need a Heptatis A shot for traveling down to the Domininca Republic.I am staying at the Iberostar Bavaro.Did anyone get the vaccine or is it safe enough and not needed.

lakeside77

We lived in Santo Domingo for 3 months and visited the area of Santiago while there. Driving is something that I wouldn't recommend. In Santo Domingo (not sure about the rest of DR) if you are involved in an accident - whether you are at fault or not - you both go to this place considered "jail." Carjacking is a risk for Americans in the areas of Santo Domingo we were in. The people we came in contact with were wonderful, but we were always careful - not wandering out at night, always keeping car doors locked, etc. Currency there is pretty easy - plenty of places to exchange, etc. If you use credit card, they will also charge you an exchange percentage plus the highest exchange rate possible - something that you won't know til you get your credit card bill.

lakeside77

meant to say that SD and Santiago were the only areas we were in and don't know much about the touristy beach resorts

schmerl

My doctor recommends the Hep A shot if you leave the country to go anywhere. Actually even for travel in the southwest of the US. HEP A is from food and can be contracted anywhere.
Just get the shots.

Christine9791

I've been to the DR 5 times...it's great!! Some places you need an outlet converter...or your hair dryer ect will blow up. Bring American money..everyone takes it. The front desk will exchange it if you need it, nut i suggest doing it before you get to the resort as fees are high. tip in American dollars...they love it! As far as phone...use the one in your room it's not that expensive...I called home a bunch of times and it cost me $20.00

travelingtish

Just returned from our trip. We stayed at Catalonia Bavaro Golf Resort. Wanted to pass on a couple of things. The outlets in the room accepted our plugs, but we should have taken an adapter just to overcome the depth of the outlet. It was recessed, not flat like in the U.S. and our camera battery rechargers were too large to fit into it and wouldn't stay in, so we pushed the coffee pot up against it and it held. If the prongs were longer, it would have been fine.
Food is iffy. Some was good, some was strange. Their steaks were in no way what we're used to. Some things were undercooked.
We didn't book our excursions before we went and the tour operator (Turinter) who took care of us in the D.R. was very unreliable. We spent much time trying to catch our representative. He was supposed to be at the resort every day from 11:30-1:00. Not always so and didn't always give us correct information or follow through on what he promised. And we dealt with 2 different guys (one was replaced 2 days into our time there) and had similar experience with both of them.
We left $2 and a candy bar and a small gift the first day and our maid left us a lot of water as requested. Then left her $1, candy, and gift each day and had no problems with our room being made up. In fact, one day I accidentally left the key in the safe and the safe door open and nothing was gone when we came back (I almost had a heart attack when I realized what I'd done!). My daughter bought small makeup and grooming items in the dollar store before we went and those are the things we gave her each day.
The a la carte restaurants were hard to get reservations for and when we got there, there were multiple empty tables. They have room for 20 or more parties but only reserve for about 6-10. Weird. It's like all those tables are just for show.
Most staff friendly. Some extremely so. Most speak VERY little English. Some speak it well. When we needed something taken care of, such as lights that were burnt out in the stairwell, they sent someone out right away.

Lisamichelle

Anyone advised to take antimalarial drugs for their stay in the DR? Apparently, there is a Malaria threat there. Are the mosquitos bad there? Going to a wedding with my chidlren for a long weekend not in a resort and doctors have recommended anitmalarial meds...curious if anyone else was advised this.

tinkernut

My boyfriend and I were in Dominican Republic last November and we stayed in Punta cana which is located on bavarro beach. BEAUTIFUL. The weather was absolutly spectacular. The hotel we stayed at was the majestic colonial and it was fabulous. We were there for 7 days. Do not go outside your resort area unless you are doing an excursion. Stay w/in your boundaries our tour planner told us. I highy recomend the Bavarro runners day excursion. www.bavarrorunners.com. It is an all day trip and was awesome to see life in the D.R. Perfectly safe. Not once did we feel that we were not. They take you to a sugar cane plantation and also a local school where we all got to go in and visit w/ the children. Very poor. We brought along some items from wal-mart that we gave to the teacher for her class. Pencils, pens, paper, crayons, and candy to throw out to the children on the streets. We also went to a coffee bean plantation. VERY COOL. Then to a private secluded beach were we got to swim and boogie board. It was such an amazing lifestyle to see. The Dominican way of life is startling to what we have in the states. I would do this trip again in a heartbeat. Some things to be careful about- DO NOT drink the water, bottled water for everything. Brushing your teeth, rinsing your toothbrush etc.... also, keep mouth closed when showering.... may sound stupid but its the same water. My boyfriend sampled just about everything in our all-inclusive, while I shyed away from the salads, and some of the fruits.. I have a citrus allergy so there isn't alot that I can eat or drink for that matter. But overall, the trip was great. No sickness. Take along the normal stuff like pepto, tums, advil etc... We have US cellular and when we turned our phones on it was all in spanish. Never got a signal so we had to do the naughty and call home from the hotel phone. HUGE MISTAKE! 5 calls home to the states w/ in 7 days, dealing w/ the international operator, cost a whomping $200.00 extra. Don't forget your camera! Beautiful sunsets and the moon is gorgeous over that ocean. Relax and have a great time.