Bayahibe-Dominican Republic
Bayahibe-Dominican Republic
Hi guys
OH and I will be spending two weeks at the Coral Hilton in Bayahibe in February. We've never been to the Dom Rep and we're wondering whether any of you had been and what advice you might have.
Thanks
Sky x
Answers:
Hi Skysie!
I went to the Dominican Republic in March 2004. It was SO amazing! We stayed in Playa Dorada though (not sure where Bayhibe is) which faced out to the Atlantic Ocean, rather than the Caribbean. Still, the weather was baking hot (but it was also going into rainy season then so 4 days out of 14 it bucketed down). Top tips:
*Take a pen with you to fill in your immigration form on the floor in the airport - none were provided and some disorganised people had to wait ages for borrow one (why they dont give the forms out on the plane is beyond me!)
* You will need vaccinations and malaria tablets to take with you
* Book excursions etc at the local shopping precinct, rather than via the tour companies. It is so much cheaper and they are literally the same trip at the same time on the same bus/boat/monster truck, etc!
*Keep a very close eye on your belongings. I had a bag stolen as it was being loaded onto the bus from the airport. The people are very poor and it sounds really mean but just be careful!
* ATM's give you your money first, THEN spit out your card, so make sure you wait for it before walking off! (A mistake made by my OH - the opportunist who found it withdrew as much as they could, changed his PIN and went back the next day before we realised what happened!)
* Dont drink the water or ice
* Dont expect high safety measures to be taken! We went horseriding (I was a novice), by the end of the day I was galloping along cliffs! No helmets were offered, there are no seatbelts in the cars or buses (and they drive like lunatics!), etc.
We went 3-star all inclusive and I thought the food was great. We were there for 14 days and I didnt get sick or bored of it at all. Lots of chicken (the local Dominican meat of choice), fresh fruit and very sweet cakes.
We packed in so much adventure into our trip - we went whitewater rafting down the river they filmed in Jurassic Park, quadbiking, horseriding, go-karting, on local tours, went around the rum factory (Domincan rum is lethal!), etc.
Amazing holiday destination. SO much to do. Its very tropical, and the locals although living in virtual poverty (shanty towns) are so smiley, happy and live by what they call 'Dominican time' - always late, lol.
I hope you have a fantastic time. :beach:
Answers:
I was there last December. My main tip is to remember that it is a very very poor country, bordering Haiti which is even poorer.
We took kids rucksacks filled with pens paper etc... and then whenever we went somewhere on excursions we were able to give gifts to the children. It may sound patronising, but they really have nothing. I saw some families that lived in the sugarcane fields. Children that don't have a pencil don't go to school. They really need these things. Even the tourguide who was 'rich' in comparison as he had a job asked if he could have something for his child.
You can arrange for your holiday rep or someone at the front desk to take your stationary and rucksacks to a school for you, or to take you to a school to drop them off. We just took things with us when we went on the Bavarro Runners tour that took us to a sugarcane field, to a coffee farm etc... There were many kids along the way who came out to wave at the vehicle and were very happy to get pencils and notebooks from us.
There is a charity that does this as well if you don't just want to take things yourself (and they will write you a letter for the airline to waive and excess baggage fees just in case).
www.dominicandream.org
:)
Answers:
Thank you both
Thanks guys
Beatnink, what a great idea! I am going to stock up on pencil and wax crayons and little pencil sharpeners, erasers and stuff for the kids. We are planning to stay in an all inclusive but also to do some travel around the island.
We got the Caribbean bug when we went to St Lucia last year and we just had to book another two weeks in the sun this time.
Have had all my vaccinations and will see the nurse a couple of weeks before I go for the anti-malaria tablets.
Thank you again
Sky x
Answers:
Double-check on the anti malaria tablets.
I was told that I didn't need them (went in December).
However, I couldn't donate blood here for 6 months after I returned due to the threat of it.
:meh:
Hi guys
OH and I will be spending two weeks at the Coral Hilton in Bayahibe in February. We've never been to the Dom Rep and we're wondering whether any of you had been and what advice you might have.
Thanks
Sky x
Answers:
Hi Skysie!
I went to the Dominican Republic in March 2004. It was SO amazing! We stayed in Playa Dorada though (not sure where Bayhibe is) which faced out to the Atlantic Ocean, rather than the Caribbean. Still, the weather was baking hot (but it was also going into rainy season then so 4 days out of 14 it bucketed down). Top tips:
*Take a pen with you to fill in your immigration form on the floor in the airport - none were provided and some disorganised people had to wait ages for borrow one (why they dont give the forms out on the plane is beyond me!)
* You will need vaccinations and malaria tablets to take with you
* Book excursions etc at the local shopping precinct, rather than via the tour companies. It is so much cheaper and they are literally the same trip at the same time on the same bus/boat/monster truck, etc!
*Keep a very close eye on your belongings. I had a bag stolen as it was being loaded onto the bus from the airport. The people are very poor and it sounds really mean but just be careful!
* ATM's give you your money first, THEN spit out your card, so make sure you wait for it before walking off! (A mistake made by my OH - the opportunist who found it withdrew as much as they could, changed his PIN and went back the next day before we realised what happened!)
* Dont drink the water or ice
* Dont expect high safety measures to be taken! We went horseriding (I was a novice), by the end of the day I was galloping along cliffs! No helmets were offered, there are no seatbelts in the cars or buses (and they drive like lunatics!), etc.
We went 3-star all inclusive and I thought the food was great. We were there for 14 days and I didnt get sick or bored of it at all. Lots of chicken (the local Dominican meat of choice), fresh fruit and very sweet cakes.
We packed in so much adventure into our trip - we went whitewater rafting down the river they filmed in Jurassic Park, quadbiking, horseriding, go-karting, on local tours, went around the rum factory (Domincan rum is lethal!), etc.
Amazing holiday destination. SO much to do. Its very tropical, and the locals although living in virtual poverty (shanty towns) are so smiley, happy and live by what they call 'Dominican time' - always late, lol.
I hope you have a fantastic time. :beach:
Answers:
I was there last December. My main tip is to remember that it is a very very poor country, bordering Haiti which is even poorer.
We took kids rucksacks filled with pens paper etc... and then whenever we went somewhere on excursions we were able to give gifts to the children. It may sound patronising, but they really have nothing. I saw some families that lived in the sugarcane fields. Children that don't have a pencil don't go to school. They really need these things. Even the tourguide who was 'rich' in comparison as he had a job asked if he could have something for his child.
You can arrange for your holiday rep or someone at the front desk to take your stationary and rucksacks to a school for you, or to take you to a school to drop them off. We just took things with us when we went on the Bavarro Runners tour that took us to a sugarcane field, to a coffee farm etc... There were many kids along the way who came out to wave at the vehicle and were very happy to get pencils and notebooks from us.
There is a charity that does this as well if you don't just want to take things yourself (and they will write you a letter for the airline to waive and excess baggage fees just in case).
www.dominicandream.org
:)
Answers:
Thank you both
Thanks guys
Beatnink, what a great idea! I am going to stock up on pencil and wax crayons and little pencil sharpeners, erasers and stuff for the kids. We are planning to stay in an all inclusive but also to do some travel around the island.
We got the Caribbean bug when we went to St Lucia last year and we just had to book another two weeks in the sun this time.
Have had all my vaccinations and will see the nurse a couple of weeks before I go for the anti-malaria tablets.
Thank you again
Sky x
Answers:
Double-check on the anti malaria tablets.
I was told that I didn't need them (went in December).
However, I couldn't donate blood here for 6 months after I returned due to the threat of it.
:meh: