Dominican Republic Travel Deals and Vacation Packages

Travel deals and vacation packages to Dominican Republic shall leave travelers entranced with the rustic caribbean experience.  This paradise boasts of a treasure trove of great historical sites, beaches, other attractions and events.  Indeed this place has a lot to offer for those who want to visit a great place like Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second largest island in the Great Antilles, Hispaniola.  It shares the island roughly with Haiti.  It is the second largest country in the Antilles, next to Cuba.  The country’s capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on the southern coast.

The climate in the Dominican Republic is defined as tropical maritime with little seasonal variation.  The island is in the middle of the hurricane belt and is visited by storms during the months of June to October.

The country operates seven international airports.  These include Samana, also known as “El Catey”, located between the towns of Nagua and Samana on the north coast and Santo Domingo, also known as “Las Americas” on the south coast close to the capital city Santo Domingo.

In Europe, flights to Dominican Republic are through Madrid or Paris.  From the US, you can fly from New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Philadelphia, San Juan, Atlanta or Charlotte.  Most European and Canadian cities have charter flight connections, which operate seasonally.

Upon arrival, you will be charged $10 for a tourist card.  This is paid in dollars or Euro.  The local currency is not accepted.  Passengers of some scheduled flights and most chartered flights also charged $20 departure tax.

You can transfer from the airport to your hotel in Santo Domingo (Ciudad Colonial) by taking a taxi.  There are no hotel “courtesy shuttles” at the airport.  It is highly recommended that you try out renting a car through Hertz, Prestige Car Rental or other agencies in Santo Domingo and other major cities.  This could make your touring of the great attractions and sites a convenient and pleasant experience.  Another practical option is the use of the ferry.  There is a ferry that travels between Mayagüez in Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic.  Travel deals and vacation packages for Dominican Republic should include the schedule of the ferry services available.  says the journey takes 12 hours, leaves Puerto Rico on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8PM, and arrives in Dominican Republic at 8am the next morning.  Visitors should also try out this unique experience of riding the local bus service called ‘gua-guas’.  These are small battered vans or trucks that serve as collective taxi running fixed routes. 

For those on the look out for some good buys, the place to check out  is El Conde Street with its renowned blocks of outdoor mall.  It offers everything from street vendors to knock-off brand clothings at extremely low prices.  There are also several touristy shops where you can buy cheap presents for the family back home including authentic paintings and beautiful jewelry. There is also a very nice cigar shop at the end of the mall across from the cathedral. Clothes, however, are generally very economical and often of good quality. Most prices can be negotiated. US dollars are accepted in most areas