Note, in late Jul/04 the exchange rate was 42p/US$.
I will say that this is not a great hobby destination. Fortunately, I went with at least equal interest to scuba and hobby, and with a super cheap fare out of MIA (frequently about $250, my weekend email-promoted fare was $149 plus the normal $109 in taxes for such a fare), so I am not entirely disappointed. I found some good hobby action, and the diving at worst average, so I left happy.
As for the girls unless you have a preference for very dark girls, I can't recommend LRM (and I know nothing of other cities/parts yet). I was able to find two very pretty girls of mixed color (my favorite), and there certainly is a nice quantity of such. But, there are next to no white/European types - so if you only like blondes you will not be happy at all. I'll say the mix, in both pro places and say a disco, is 66% dark, 25-30% mixed/mulatta, and maybe about 5% white. Damn, over 90% have kids by age 18. I found a few 19-22 year-olds without kids at El Deseo (the best pro club I've read, and while there I was told the same).
I went to El Deseo once, and found two or three really cute young girls, and many 6-7s (doable). I arrived sometime between 10-11p. I had to pay entrance of 500p, which I actually paid on exit as the doorman had walked away after telling me I’d have to pay a cover charge. I don’t remember reading that there was a cover charge – so maybe I was hit with a gringo fee? I thought he said 50p earlier, but he was about to get harsh with me for questioning his insistence on 500p so I just paid. I sat with a few different girls before picking the one I wanted, Xermina or Jermina or something like that, and then asked if we could go to her room. I told her I would pay 1,000p to her and 500p to the house, 2 hours minimum (she said time would be no problem), I said it’s what I always pay there (a lie, it was my first visit). At the gate, the houseman said something to her in Spanish which I didn’t understand, but I could understand her reply of “no, he’s not a gringo, only 500p.” Well, it went down hill from there. First, she asked for money up front – I agreed half now, half after, and a small tip if she makes me happy. She was hot both clothed and not clothed, and she did start with both the message and the BBBJ which we had earlier agreed. But her BJ was rushed and she was clueless on how to perform. After round one, she indicated she needed to go, and I just replied you’re crazy! I told her we agreed more than two hours, and she said she has other clients. She said only 1 hour, and I insisted on 90 minutes. OK, next she tells me she has no more condoms! Of course it’s Friday night… and she has other clients… but she’s out of condoms. I told her to do her job and I’d settle for BBBJTC. Well, I had to continually push her head down to get enough throat action, but I finally popped number two. After it had been about 90 minutes, and she’s on the cell phone for maybe the third time, and telling me about her other clients, I finally gave up and told her she was a bad girl and I was disgusted. I got dressed and gave her the other 500p and told her she didn’t earn her money and there would be no propina. Still, two pops in and hour and a half, for about US$50 isn't so bad given it's my first night in town and I'm still learning the routine. Oh, drinks at the bar were very reasonable, no rip off pricing.
I had planned to hit other working girl clubs like Tubo and Studio2000, but never made it. I did stop by a place called Dominican House, but I was not impressed with the girls.
Well, the rest of the repot is mostly on non-pro spots and non-hobby items:
Taxis
ALL taxis will (try to) overcharge you. If you can't speak some Spanish, you're out of luck. Typically taxis will charge double or triple the normal rate, unless you can communicate and prove that you know the normal price. The list price from the airport is inflated – even if they show you a price list. I paid US$30 for LRM to Bayahide, although we split the fare 3-ways, as I was lucky enough to find make some new friends at the taxi curb.
My first night I was trying to get a taxi to return to Bayahibe from La Romana at about 1a. Having been told that the proper fare is about 300p, I was prepared to hear prices over 1,000p. I first received price quotes of 1,000p and 800p before I found one for 400p.
This turned out to be Hector, one of the few honest taxi drivers (if honest is the right term... maybe it’s not dishonest to quote gringo prices at first), and got his phone number as I used him three times. If you plan to arrive at LRM and will need a taxi to La Romana or to Bayahibe, call one of these taxi drivers, met which I met, in advance as they will be happy to meet you (note, they don’t speak English):
Hector, cell 253-4325, LRM to La Romana 300p, LRM to Bayahibe 500p (600p at night), Bayahibe to La Romana or reverse 400p – tell him you are friends with ‘that American from Miami’ as I told him to expect such a reference.
Martín, cell 454-4684, Bayahibe to LRM 500p, don’t know his rate for other routes.
ATMs/Exchange
There are not many ATMs in La Romana! There is a Pro-something bank ATM at the airport. Although I have a Plus system card, this bank’s ATMs wouldn’t work (they listed the Plus network). There are two ATMs at the Jumbo market, on of this Pro-something bank, and one Banco Popular (worked with my Plus card – 5,000p max). There is a Banco Popular 2.5 blocks on the right side as you walk away from Jumbo market towards the main square on the street making a 90 degree angle with the east-most side of the parking lot. Once hitting the square (one-half block from that second Banco Popular ATM) you can to the right and across from the square are three additional banks – one is Rio bank, one I can’t remember but I withdrew 7,000, maybe it is Bank Santander? (something with an “S”). I understand there is another Banco Popular at another large market (starts with an “I”?). And there is an ATM at the Dominicus resort 10 minutes from Bayahibe.
Interestingly enough, there is an exchange place (at an entrance to a small motel) in Bayahibe that pays better than the market rate, so bring US$ versus planning on only using ATMs.
In addition, the dive shops all price in US$, so paying in pesos will cost you extra as their conversion rates are poor.
La Romana Nightlife
P4P
You really have two options – clubs with pros, and non-pro places like bars and discos where it is very very easy to pick up a girl and pay her a small gift for an overnight.
Clubs
El Deseo I was told and read is the best. I arrived Thursday night before 11p and found over 30 girls and only 2 guys. After an hour of sitting and chatting with three or four girls, still no new men entered. The girls ranged from shy ones that I had to approach, to aggressive ones, to one that actually asked me for a drink before asking my name (she got a mini-lecture in how to be a club pro from me for that). I was charged 500p to enter, but I only paid 1,000p to the girl and 500p to the house for time in a room.
Other club options are Tubo and Studio2000, but I didn’t have opportunity to visit them.
Bars and Discos (mostly non-pro)
Lata Bar – This was supposed to be the best bar, but it was never busy.
Rícoma – This is the hottest Disco in town. Mostly non-pros, but the pros will stop in to try to make a score, too. 11p is the time to arrive, cover is 60p, beers were not expensive, and as it’s just a disco you pay nothing to the house if you hook up. I took home a girl (turns out she’s a semi-pro working LRM for a month to gain a year’s worth of income as she lives outside of Santiago – so I was told by her) and paid her 1,000p for the overnight, 200p propina, and 35p for morning guagua return transportation. The action in the street and across the street from Rícoma is good from 10p to 11p.
Sports Bar - I found a nice little sports bar between the doors of Rícoma and the Nestle ice cream place on the corner (big Nestle sign). It has four TVs and the guys there were very friendly. I was looking to watch the Brasil/Argentina Copa de Americas final, but it wasn’t available and we only watched baseball (they had nearly 1,000 DTV channels). It was just me and like 10 men, a couple in their 20s or 30s and most over 50. We talked sports, and then I left to hit Rícoma, but I discovered action in the street and across the street first, as the party was spilling into the street. Anyway, turns out these guys at the sports bar are the doorman, manager, and bartender at Rícoma! So I was recognized and treated like a friend for my night there – a great perk. So, my advice is that if you plan to hit Rícoma, go watch some sports and have a beer first, and just do some male bonding at this place, not letting on that you know in advance that everyone is just hanging around waiting for the night to gain steam. Presidentes were very very cheap here. Of course, no one spoke any English at all; at least I didn’t hear any.
La Romana Restaurants
I only learned of two places. I was told by three different people that had some knowledge (I never allow a single or even only one confirmation suffice) that La Casita is the best restaurant in LRM. I went Thursday night for dinner, but it only had a few people in it and I was alone and wanted a place with more people. Well, LRM is a poor town and people don’t eat at nice restaurants (La Casita isn’t expensive by any means, but locals eat street food). On Saturday I ate at the Mediterranean place across the street from Lata Bar, which was quite good and inexpensive (4,400p for lemon chicken with steamed veggies, a Presidente, and a large Pepsi, with 10% tip and 20% tax).
Bayahibe
Bayahibe is a very small beach town 15-20 minutes east of La Romana (10-15 minutes east of LRM airport). There is guagua service (vans that locals take) every 30 minutes on the hour and half-hour for 35p, with the last van at 7p. After that, it’s taxi (see taxi section of my post). The town is about 5 blks by 3 blks, with everything really on a 3-blk stretch of a main dirt road, and some places on the beach. The place is completely safe as it’s a small town.
Bayahibe Hotels
There are three or four all-inclusive resorts: Casa del Mar (or Casa Marina?), and in Dominicus the Coral Canoa (Hilton), Iberostar something, and Dominicus something (Palace?). I avoided these, as they don’t allow a girl to visit unless you pay her entry, which implicitly includes all meals, activities, etc. so it’s about US$100 extra for a guest or a double room! In addition, these places are removed from the main town (Casa del Mar by a 10-15 minute walk, the places in Dominicus by a 10 minute taxi/shuttle ride) and I prefer to be centrally located vs. secluded. Last, the resorts do have much nicer beaches – in fact, the main Bayahibe beach is a little to “local” and not so attractive – but I’m not really a beach person and I was on a boat each day. But, if you want that catered beach experience (like Rio or Cartegena(?)) – drink service at your chair, all amenities right there, maybe even a pool – you’ll need to go the resort route.
I found two great hotel options right in town. I used the Hotel Bayahibe, it was the first place I found and it was nice enough for me as I was alone (nice enough to bring a girl back to). The Villa Iguana is brand new and really nice (still a B&B type place), a better option if you are traveling as a couple, or like something nicer, and it is a block and a half removed from the main street.
Hotel Bayahibe
833-0159, cell 224-5804
hotelbayahibe@hotmail.com (no website)
1,000p with A/C, 750p w/o A/C – may change in seasons?
Rooms have nice tile floor, good furniture and small refrigerator; beds a touch better than a Rio apartment (but not great pillows); most rooms have a small balcony and good multiple setting A/C; two internet computers in lobby with I’d guess 50k connections. I was in room 207.
Villa Iguana
757-1059, 833-0203
www.villaiguana.de
mail@villaiguana.de
US$29 - price is fixed in dollars but may change in seasons
The couple that owns the Scuba Fun dive shop runs this hotel. It is new and very nice, the best non-resort option for accomodations. The website has photos and information.
Bayahibe Restaurants
The food is not the greatest in this little town. There are seafood options, but I didn’t think anyone did a great job of making dishes. I found many places that would make me a smoothie, as there are a lot of fresh fruits, although naturally I had to coach them on how to make it the way I liked it... but that’s the same in most all places. Also, the same and other places will do fresh juices.
Issa Mar
This place is on the main beach, next to Leidy restaurant, and just west of the internet/telephone place located at the point. I ate twice at Issa Mar and once at Leidy – they were pretty comparable but a number of people told me Issa Mar was better. I remember that I twice had Calamari entrée (Creole, pan-grilled, fried or garlic) with side (fries, plantains or rice) and fresh juice or soda for about 300p. Fish would have been 50-100p more, with two types of fish.
Jardin (or something like that)
I never ate here, but I heard it was the best food in town, and in a nice garden setting. It is slightly more expensive, but a better option for steak and chicken and not as good as Issa Mar for fish – I was told.
Bayahibe Bars
I only spent one night out in Bayahibe (you need to go to La Romana) as Friday night is the only real night with some action.
Big Sur Bar
There is a party here every Friday night, and it actually compares favorably with what you find in LRM. Of course, it’s not like El Deseo, but if you realize that you can pick up a girl in any bar/disco in LRM, the same is true for this Friday night party. I paid no cover, and the party doesn’t start until midnight.
Bayahibe Dive Shops/Operators
I had done some research before traveling, but I basically found the same two shops I have read of, and stumbled across one additional shop. You may also be able to dive without a shop, without a guide, but I didn’t pursue that. Note, all dive shops charged in US$, so if you are paying in pesos or with a CC (which is of course in pesos) you’ll be hit by the dive shops exchange rate which is awful (Daniel was using 47p/US$ when the market rate was 42p/US$ - so bring US$ to pay! All shops pretty much visit the same dive sites, and do the same tours/plans to the nearby islands (for divers, snorkellers, and tourists). Here are some photos of Saona Island:
Casa Daniel
833-0010, 833-0050
www.casa-daniel.de
casa-daniel@gmx.net
US$32 (more or less) per tank, about US$50 add-on for tour dive plans/tours (Catalinita or Catalina Islands).
This was my favorite shop. They had the friendliest staff, and the dive masters were very good, I especially like Elan. I dove with Daniel Friday (Catalinita tour – deeper dive at shark point site, followed by lunch on Saona Island, followed by shallow dive at Peñon site in the national park) and Sunday (St. Georges wreck dive). My only complaint was that on Sunday they packed the boat with too many divers, which made it uncomfortable – not a problem for me, as I’m an avid boater, but not what a vacationer would like to have.
Scuba Fun Dive Center
833-0003, 771-4822
www.scubafun.info
scubafun_de@yahoo.de
US$32 per tank, US$35 add-on for Catalina plan/tour, US$50 add-on for Catalinita plan/tour.
I dove with Scuba Fun on Saturday. It didn’t go great, but it was passable. We did the Catalina Island tour, first doing deeper dive at The Wall. After a stop on the island, we did a shallow dive at The Aquarium. Both sites are nice, but our guide had never been to the latter, and he got lost. Worse, he couldn’t speak good Spanish, and the boat captain only spoke Spanish! It was only me and another diver, the guide and the captain, and luckily the captain allowed us to burn our 1000lbs back at the main reef – but the dive shop should never have given us this dive master!
Scuba Caribe
This shop is located on the beach within the Casa del Mar (Casa Marina?) resort property on the east side of Bayahibe. I visited and spoke with them – but you will have difficulties access the resort property if you are not a guest. You may be able to phone them (I’ve seen web pages with their info and story posts) and gain access. But all the shops visit the same dive sites more or less.
Bayahibe Internet and Phones
The best place is the ADSL internet and phone place at the point. This is between the beach and the town, just ask and all will know it. Internet is 70p per half-hour (I also used the internet in the Hotel Bayahibe for US$1/30min and US$2/hr). Calling local numbers (LRM, cellular or Santo Domingo) is only 5p/min, and to the US is only 9p/min. You can call all countries from here. This place had better rates than other options I believe.
Drinking The Water
I had read that like Mexico, one shouldn’t drink the water. I didn’t drink any tap water, but I did brush my teeth from the tap, and I did have smoothies each day which used a small amount of tap water, and I suffered no problems.
Drinking
Rum is the main drink in the DR, and it is very inexpensive. The very best quality rums (with about equal opinion for each) are Brugal / Extra Viejo and Barceló / Imperial (brand/type). There is a third brand, also beginning with a “B”, but fewer agreed it was the best. The local beer is Presidente, and for a pilsner it is pretty good and certainly strong at 6%.