No tourist should miss the night activities
of the various localities, hotels and
resorts, or a visit to the capital and
its colonial zone where there are so many
beautiful, elegant and enjoyable bars
and restaurants.
For business travelers, there are strategically
situated hotels in the capital, for all
tastes and prices. Those hotels include
Internet communication facilities, independent
restaurants, casinos, transportation,
spas, gyms, and everything required by
most modern and exigent executives. A
list of hotels and activities may be easily
found on the Internet, on pages intended
for tourists and travelers. One of the
most frequently visited by us is dr1.com/travel,
or Dominicana.com.do, through the Ministry
of Tourism.
Surprisingly, tourists get better prices
than the native islanders to visit the
resorts. We recommend that people to access
information and make reservations for
hotels, excursions and trips through the
Internet, since this is perhaps the most
economic way to travel to this country.
Travel agencies and hotels also provide
more detailed information about levels
of occupancy and seasonal prices. They
have been doing so mainly in the last
two years, since the devaluation of our
currency in relation to the euro or the
dollar has resulted in overselling.
Those who do not have much time, like
tourists who arrive at a Dominican port
on cruise ships, may form small groups
and rent minibuses to travel to Santo
Domingo. Possibly, the longest distances
are from Bavaro and Puerto Plata, which
take some three-and-a-half hours to arrive
in Santo Domingo.
Golfers have access to a large variety
of golf courses, most of which are semi-private
and quite reasonably priced. The most
famous are Diente de Perro (Dog's tooth)
in Casa de Campo, in the city of La Romana—quite
costly; Guavaberry, designed by the immortal
Gary Player; Playa Grande, maybe the most
beautiful; The Marlins, in Juan Dolio;
White Sands, in Punta Cana, and El Cocotal
in Bavaro; the latter two charge moderate
prices and offer golfers many facilities,
such as golf club rental and caddies.
In general, telephone communication in
our country is among the most advanced
in the world. Mobile phone services may
be obtained from international companies
such as Centennial and Orange. However,
telephones and other equipment like computers,
CD players, etc. require connectors different
from those used in most European cities.
For people who love good food and good
ambience, we recommend the restaurants
on the seashore. For its food and ambience,
Neptunos Restaurant in Boca Chica is definitely
a must. This restaurant has moderate prices,
a bar on of an "ancient ship"—
a replica of the Santa Maria, Columbus´s
15th Century vessel, and a natural aquarium.
It gets a lot of visitors, and sometimes
reservations are needed. Its telephone
number is 1-809-523-4703,
and its e-mail address is neptunos@codetel.net.do.
