Dominican Republic DIY
1 Euro = 42.5 Dominican Republic Pesos (DOP)
Where instead I write USD or $, I mean United States dollars.
Flight Air Europa, approximately 800 Eu including tax
Most likely I spent more than a last minute package tour, but I stayed there 17 days, and I visited a lot of places. Not to mention that I can’t stand package tours.
Sea and beaches of course are stunning, just what one would expect from a tropical setting, but unfortunately there is little availability of decent guesthouses, I think because the country is especially orientated to welcome organized trips. Small hotels and cabanas are often dilapidated, dirty and expensive, with a very bad quality / price ratio. I’ve changed quite a few of them.
Easy enough to go around, using public transport, bus and gua-gua (ie the local shared taxis, typically minivans), but they do not reach all the destinations that may be of interesting to a foreigner. There are many motorcycle taxis, usually owned by ordinary citizens, without any license, which can give you an occasional ride in exchange of some money.
Another sore, and not insignificant point: a lot of sex tourism, women as well involved. I underestimated this aspect, and instead it really affected my journey. I was traveling alone, and I had no idea, before leaving, of what I would had found. What really annoyed me is that nobody seems to understand the meaning of the word “no”. It seems impossible that a European woman decides for this destination simply because she wants to relax on the beach, escaping for a while to cold winter days in her country of origin. Even if I kept a bashful behavior, almost antisocial, not only local boys, but also tourists tried to pick me up!! I was even approached by girls who offered to introduce to me their brothers, cousins, friends, acquaintances, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and so on and so forth