If you go to Jarabacoa, take one of the local trucks towards Manabao and ask them to drop you in La Majaguita (also sometimes called Los Calabazos). The people there have a community-owned ecotourism project. There’s a small restaurant and some cabins for rent. There are a couple of nice spots for swimming… just ask one to the kids to show you. Don’t expect a menu at the restaurant… they’ll probably open it just for you. Esperanza, if she’s still there, is the best cook.

The whole country is worthwhile, apart from the resorts.

Certainly do not miss the capital, nice city. Several smaller places are worth visiting as well. Just travel around on the guagua and ask the locals where to go next.

well first if you want to get a feel of the real DR don’t stay at a resort.

When i go to DR i stay in Santa Domingo in the city at a hostel or with friends.

I loved Sosua. We stayed in a (very) small hotel owned by a woman from Kansas City. If you stay in a resort, be sure to give them the bird if they tell you “avoid this part of town” or “stay with the group” or “buy toothpaste in the gift shop.”

hey christoforos,

while i was in dr we actually signed out bikes (from the resort) and took them of the resort into town. there were a lot of shops and things like that. we went to a local cigar shop and watched the guy make the ones we bought. it’s a little overwhelming at first when you go off the resort, people will practically take you off your bike to come into their shop. they try to sell you things and pressure you, so be aware of that. they’re friendly…but they want you to spend your money with them. you can barter with them too! be careful with that as well, we spent a lot on a bracelet and necklace and saw the exact same ones in to gift shop on the resort…and they were cheaper there!! so biking is definitely an option. i had a lot of fun getting off the resort for awhile. you may want to ask the resort staff or the locals if they know of any good places to go near your particular resort. the people on the resort are usually very helpful (at least ours were). also, if you’re willing to spend the money, there are TONS of tours and trips. we did the snorkeling trip and a few others. if you’ve never been snorkeling before it’s definitely worth it. they have party boats and tours of the old buildings. there were trips to different towns and cities as well like santo domingo. if i remember correctly they were between $30-$60 per person depending on the trip. all of that information should be available around the front desk of the resort. that’s about all the information i can give you on that subject. i hope i helped…at least a little bit! enjoy your trip, it’s absolutely beautiful there!

Thank you all for your replies!!

Unfortunately we had to book a flight + resort as this was the cheapest way to come to DR (!!!) ... (Catalonia Gran Dominicus somewhere in La Romana, Bayahibe)

I don’t mind stretching on the beach for a few days … simply relaxing but we definitely want to see the place, eat the food taste the drinks etc…

Maybe we will try some of these tours probably to go snorkeling (love it) as I imagine it is the only way to do this (nice little colored fishies usually are nowhere to be found near the coast line …) Any good ones you recommend?

We are also planning to rent a car tour the island and go stay out wherever we feel like … even though some selection of itinerary will be necessary as we have only 8 days!

San Domingo sounds like a definite stop … as malikalex suggests

Any other places you enjoyed staying at or really worth visiting on our tour??

Do you know of any good car rental companies ?

Thank you all!!

One thing that was a real eye opener was taking a guided dune buggy ride through the farms and towns of the countryside. Saw many people living their normal lives and raw exposure to real life. One further suggestion is to bring some handout items for the kids that expect these visits in some of the larger towns..