Here is a summary of different aspects relating to safety and security:

- The Ladies - The ladies are not sponsored by any bar or club. They are not registered with the government nor do they have "health cards" or are they inspected weekly by a doctor. They are simply street prostitutes which wonder from one bar to another hitting on the gentlemen. You should wear condoms with these ladies and scrap any notion in your mind about "barebacking".

At one point or another, you will get ripped off by the ladies. They might take something from your room so make sure everything is put away in the closet. You might want to avoid taking anything expensive like a laptop (there are internet cafes BTW). The ladies might scam you in some way like trying to upgrade the price once in the room or leaving early. Everyone I have talked to has been scammed by the ladies along the way.

One commonly stolen item is a cellphone charger. There are street vendors who sell stolen cellphone chargers. When I say put everything away, put everything away. Leave nothing out.

Another common scam is the "2 for 1 happy hour" where two women float around asking to take both of them for the price of 1. They will give you sex for about 30 minutes until they tell you its time to go. Then they will both demand full price of 2000 pesos and scream "No!" at the top of their lungs until they are paid. So if it sounds like its too good to be true, then its probably too good to be true.

The bottomline is to never trust the ladies no matter how nice they may seem. Keep your eye on them. Do not display your possessions out in the open. Get a firm agreement before going back to the room. If something sounds just too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true.

Check the woman's identification card. The New Garden Hotel does check the id card of every woman who comes on the property. Ask questions to see if the woman is of the legal age. Remember, the bars and clubs are not checking the ids.

At a place like BlackBeard's, the ladies are not as scammy as they will be kicked out of the resort and not invited back should they anger the guests.

- Pickpockets - Very common in the area. Take only what you need. Do you really need every credit card and your passport? Do you really need to take your entire cash wad with you? Use a money belt.

- Men approaching you on the street - There will be strange men approaching you on the street most likely wanting to sell you something. You are best just to kindly waive them on and keep going.

- The Drug Trade - The DR does have a drug trade. Someone is going to offer to sell you drugs. Best to stay away from this.

- Guns and Muscle and Strength in #s - A lot of males walking around seem to be these muscular black men. If they wanted to overpower you they could. Sometimes you will see a pistol tucked into someone's belt so they can shoot you if they desired too.

Its best to go out on the town in numbers. Talk with the other mongers at the hotel and see if they want to come along with you during the night time.

Do not piss anyone off and avoid disagreements. If there is a disagreement and a fight results chances are you will be overpowered or shot.

- Other Mongers - There is a lot of trouble to get into in the DR like drugs. If you see another monger doing something that seems illegal or unethical, then its best to go on your way right there. There are many pitfalls that are easily fallen into. Dont fall into the same pitfall with another monger who is doing something stupid.

- When in doubt, ask the staff at the New Garden Hotel. These guys have seen it all and can answer your questions.

(Message edited by Portege on September 27, 2010)

It is pretty clear that Portege does not make his living as a travel agent, unless his game is to upsell to a higher price package in a safer destination.

i have been to exact same hotel and spots just last june and jan , i felt safer then costa rica , panama or guatamala in DR.......

I am going to buy one of these Pacsafe security nets.

http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=11

There were a lot of stories circulating about stolen stuff and other incidents. One story involved where the monger falls asleep and then the lady makes off with his stuff. There were 3 or 4 different versions of the same story told by different people.

The ladies are not affiliated or registered with any place. It would not difficult for them to make out with something in your room and get away with it.