North Coast Travel Guide

Dominican Republic is a lovely country. The people are very welcoming and friendly. The Dominican's who work within the Tourism Industry work very hard for their Peso- so a tip or two is very much appreciated. I would also recommend that if you are fussy or travelling with young children, to stay in at least a 4* Hotel. Food and Hygiene seem to be one of Dominican Republic's weaknesses as some people do complain of food poisoning and in some cases extreme. So maybe research your property and read a few reviews. Most Hotel offer Watersports and in Sosua there is a Waterpark. Horse riding, trekking, scuba diving, jeep tours and day trips are also on offer. If your not afraid of heights -take a helicopter flight! During the weekends and national holidays, you may find yourself waiting for ages to be seated for your meals and the queue to be a tad long. These  times are when you will find alot of Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican holidaymakers at resort/hotels.

Avoid the tourist malls in Puerta Plata, the prices are pretty high. If you can get a guide to take you into the city, you can barter prices easier. Be careful of this too though, the guides will take you to shops owned by family members and they will try to overcharge, so be strong and don't be afraid to say, "to much!" At the beaches avoid eye contact with the venders it is the best way to keep them from following you around trying to get you to buy their trinkets. Unless of course you want to buy them. When you leave your resort, just about everyone around will try to get you to take their cab or go on a tour of some sort, just say no and keep walking if you start talking to them they will take up a lot of your time. Be friendly but stern.

Riding on a motocycle is a cheap option to paying for a taxi ride throughout the city. After sundown, all prices of taxi and motorcycle taxi rides go up in price. Most people speed, swerve and regularly drink alcohol and drive (some drink alcohol WHILE they drive) please use caution when riding on any motorcycle at anytime of the day; most insurance companies will warn against motorcycle (motoconcho) rides and if anything were to happen they may be very reluctant to pay out. Helmets are recommended as well as only one passenger per motorcycle -- these motorcycles are very risky to ride on, please be aware of the dangers! If you want to be a little more cautious, use a taxi at all times when going into the city.