| |
Guide to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
|
Click to go to Flight Prices for Santo Domingo
|
Santo DomingoSanto Domingo
The Dominican Republic is an exceptionally delightful piece of autonomous land found roughly in the center of Caribbean Sea. Beautiful beaches adorn the coastline, and most of the inner-island is what is known as 'off-limits' to development. This might offer the illusion that one is on a morsel of earth full of untamed creatures and unknown, hidden secrets, but everything in the DR is somewhat docile, if a bit too much so. The capital of this tropical paradise goes by the title of Santo Domingo. Flying into Santo Domingo, you don't know what to expect. Is everyone treated like royalty and served fruit and cocktails at arrival, or are you left to your own devices and have to condition yourself for crowding, delays, or any number of other issues that may, can, and/or will arise? Well, it's actually somewhere in between the two.For the most part, people are happy to aid one another, which speeds things along quite nicely, and though caterers won't go so far as to feed you grapes as you wait in line to check in (VIP's may enjoy such a luxury), you may be optioned the chance to share a taxi, cutting your transit costs clean in half. A well-balanced experience you will...experience, but first you must avail yourself to the city. Whether you're here for a particular event or would simply like to get acquainted with the sands by the water's edge, prepare yourself for the unexpected, because for most who've traveled to Santo Domingo, the unexpected becomes the most enticing of all.
When to go:
Ah, the tropics. What a wonderful environment to experience. Sunshine blankets the land as if the morning's orange juice grew to epic proportions and rained joy upon all. These are the moments when Santo Domingo scoots into line to become the world's choicest destination. That is until a storm sets in. Yes, the tropics always have two sides to their coin, and Santo Domingo, situated on the coast in the southeast of the country gets...well...let's just say the monsoons and hurricane winds tend not to leave the capital unscathed. Unfortunately, it's ridiculously difficult to predict when these moments may come if they happen to be en route. All we can tell you is to stay away from the city in summer, and make attempts at obtaining a ticket for winter or the closest to it.
Getting there and around:
Some European and North American adventurers take to the oceans and seas when traveling to the Dominican Republic, but if your confidence becomes shaken in such depths, you can instead go the way of the skies. Many visitors opt for all-inclusive tourist packages, ensuring some level of safety and togetherness. Direct flights to Santo Domingo are available from Europe on a daily basis (Note: Fares change with the seasons). Since few in the capital and the rest of the DR see any need for personal vehicles, most travel by bus. Taxis are more frequently available and travel via no set courses, but the premium paid leaves them as utilities taken only if absolutely necessary. Most buses are kept in service into the late hours of the evening.
Attractions:
Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial is a major site of the Spanish conquests, where many sailors made port and laid base for further journeys. Because the city is categorically the first established in the New World, there are numerous monuments, museums, and other structures commemorating its importance and contributions to explorations in the past few centuries. Tour guides, whether offered through paperback form or otherwise, are best for those who consider missing a single site a no-no.
|
|
|
