INTRODUCTION

I'm probably not the most qualified to write a guide on Santiago, but seeing that I've never seen one written, I thought putting a small one together would be helpful. I've been to the Dominican Republic five times since 2003, with stops in Santiago on three of those trips.

ABOUT SANTIAGO

If you're considering visiting Santiago just for the ladies, my advice is to save your efforts and visit elsewhere. The two most popular destinations are Sosua to the north and Santo Domingo to the south. Santo Domingo is a large city and has a much larger selection of venues and available ladies, but is also more expensive. Sosua is a small town with a nice beach and everything in walking distance, and is also the preferred destination for dedicated DR hobbyist. Santiago is a large city, but with relatively few P4P venues, at least ones that are posted about by US hobbyists. In addition, the P4P venues are located relatively far from tourist hotels, thus requiring regular cab fares or a car rental.

QUICK FACTS

PASSPORT/VISA: Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after date of departure. Tourist cards are issued for the US, Canada, Australia and most EU countries for 30 days for $10 USD. The card may be extended to 90 days by paying $20 USD on departure. I found at least one website online claiming US citizens do not need to buy tourist cards, but I can confirm that I was directed to purchase one. If you do not have the card with you when you reach the front of the immigration line, they will send you back to purchase it.

AIRPORT: Santiago's airport code is STI. I haven't flown into STI in years, but my understanding is that like the rest of the country, you will either need to rent a car or take a taxi as hotel shuttles and other public transit options are not available at the airport. Rates into the city should be fairly standard, but you may be able to bargain down a little. Departure tax is included in the price of your ticket if you flew in on a US carrier, otherwise it's $20 US.

ELECTRICITY: 110 volts AC at 60 Hz with standard two-prong US-style outlets.

WEATHER: Rainy season runs from May to October, but may extend to December on the north coast. August and September constitute hurricane season. Temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year from 81°F to 87°F for most of the country.

CURRENCY: Dominican Peso. As of this writing the exchange rate is $1 USD to 38.85 DOP. I usually check at www.xe.com. ATM's are fairly easy to find and easy to use. A recommended bank ATM to use is Scotiabank which has a withdrawal limit of 10,000 DOP. Due to ATM fraud, many of the other ATM machines may have lower limits.

TAXIS: Taxi's are not metered in the Dominican Republic, you will ALWAYS want to negotiate and confirm your fare beforehand. If your driver is reluctant to establish a price in advance, especially if your destination is a P4P venue, my advice is to find a different taxi driver, do not bother with that one at all. I have not experienced nor heard of safety issues with taxi drivers, but you should always be cautious nevertheless and find someone else if you get a bad feeling from a driver. I have never personally been this cautious, but one of the DR guides I consulted recommended looking for only uniformed drivers wearing licenses around their neck or arranging all rides by calling the cab company directly so they can give you a confirmation number which the pickup driver will confirm for you.

CAR RENTAL: A number of car rental agencies are available in Santiago and other parts of the Dominican Republic. A car rental is also for the most part a requirement if you want to visit the car wash P4P venues in Santiago. I personally have never rented a car in Santiago and have no plans to. From what I've read and heard from other hobbyists, driving in the Dominican Republic has gotten increasingly problematic in recent years due to poor drivers on the road and police wanting bribes.

TIPPING: Generally a 10% tip is included on hotel and restaurant bills and may be identified as "propino incluido" or "servis". Tipping an additioanl 5-10% is optional for exceptional service.

LODGING

There are a lot more places to stay, these are some that supposedly have been confirmed as guest-friendly (though they may charge an additional fee). I say "supposedly" because I've rarely brough ladies back to my room, generally preferring my sessions on-site or at one of the many short-time hotels that are available. If you are considering bringing a lady to your room, you may wish to confirm the CURRENT policy at the specific hotel.

Aloha Sol: http://www.alohasol.com/ - Rooms as low as $83, good location near restaurants, banks, and shopping outlets.

Hodelpa Centro Plaza: http://www.hodelpa.com/centro_plaza.php - Rooms as low as $110, good location near restaurants, banks, and shopping outlets.

Hotel Platino: http://www.hotelplatinord.com/ - Rooms as low as $50, but very little within walking distance.

Hotel Los Jardines: http://www.hotellosjardinesrd.com/ - Rooms as low as $50, but very little within walking distance.

P4P ESTABLISHMENTS

Despite the size of the city, Santiago only has a few major P4P venues (that I've been able to find) in the form of three nightclubs. There use to be more, but from what I've read the others have been shut down. For those willing to rent a car, Santiago options open up more with small freelance bars located on or adjacent to the car wash premises, but I've only read about these and found even that information relatively sparse and disorganized.

The three clubs all have rooms on-site for short-time in the range of 3000-4000 DOP including the ladies fee. You should confirm the price of all drinks while ordering and pay on the spot to avoid any problems with the bill in my opinion.

All three locations should be well known by taxi drivers. Make sure you agree to a set price beforehand. The rate to any of the three clubs should be no more than 250 DOP from any of the hotels I listed. Casa Blanca and Ilusion are close to each other and should be no more than 50 DOP to get from one to the other, although you might have trouble getting a price less than 100 DOP from a cab driver that has been waiting at either location.

I was not charged a cover fee at any of these places in December 2011, but I know that Pasion and Ilusion charged a cover in the past. I have never heard of Casa Blanca charging a cover fee.

Pasion: My preferred of the three nightclubs. One of the worst things about the Santiago nightclubs is that they're all dark, really dark. It's difficult to get a good look at the ladies. At least at Pasion you have a restaurant outside that is well lit and well frequented by the ladies. On my two most recent visits, Pasion also had the largest and best selection. A caveat: My friend Rtgooch, with much more DR experience than me, has posted this is his least favorite of the three clubs.
Samples: Carolina Bebe

Ilusion: Tied for 2nd/3rd. Another large nightclub, but with fewer ladies than Pasion. Ilusion also has a well lit outdoor area, but the ladies don't seem to hang out there as much as they do at Pasion. Although I've had good times here in the past, I didn't think much of the selection on my most recent visit.
Samples: Ilusion Red

Casa Blanca: Tied for 2nd/3rd. The smallest of the three clubs with the smallest selection but better pricing. Casa Blanca has a large outdoor area, but it is not well lit and the ladies don't seem to hang out there as much as they do at Pasion. Casa Blanca ladies do seem less hardened than at the other two clubs and reportedly provide better service.
Samples: Paloma Sonya

CONCLUSION

When hobbyists talk about visiting the Dominican Republic, they are usually referring to Sosua (or Costambar if they are visiting Blackbeards). Some of them might mix it up with trips to Santo Domingo. Santiago is usually overlooked except by the most dedicated of hobbyists, those in Santiago on business, those that fly into Santiago, or those that stop in Santiago when traveling from one coast to another.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Vladimir
vladrasputin@hotmail.com