Some information for tourists and about tourism:


Money, banks, change: the local currency is the Dominican peso (RD$), but the US dollar and the Euro are accepted almost everywhere. The monetary unit is Dominican Peso divided into 100 cents, there are parts of 1 and 5 pesos, and notes of 2' 000, 1' 000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10 pesos. Pay as much as you can in local currency because the "green note" has an annoying tendency to increase the prices. In the same way, it is preferable to be provided with travellers' cheques in dollars, like the American Express travelers checks. The credit cards are accepted in the country mainly in the tourist establishments, but one seldom gains with the exchange. In the whole country and on the most tourist sites there are automatic teller machines (ATM), only in pesos.

Caution: if you want to exchange the money which remains you at the end of your stay, you will be able to do it only at the airport and it will be necessary to provide your exchange notes.

The major appreciation of the peso: after having known periods of major depreciation (up to more than 50 pesos for 1 dollar) the Dominican currency has not stopped in its appreciation (up to 28 pesos for 1 dollar). Nevertheless, the government seems to want (and have) to let the pesos set out again up to 35 for 1, which would make enable the country to improve its competitiveness.

Budget: the simplest and cheapest system is the "all included" one. For a modest budget you will spend 8 or 15 days in paradise without knowing the true Dominican Republic. On the other hand, if you do not want to find yourself in hotels from 300 to 1' 000 rooms, you will find in Las Terrenas a great choice of small hotels between 20 and 100 US$ the room, as well as a great choice of apartments and villas to be rented for prolonged stays (see Azul Inmo Caribe). This option, which is quasi an exclusiveness in Las Terrenas, will really enable you to discover the country and its inhabitants.

The plane: ten airports (international and local) allow, either by regular lines, or by taxi planes, to move, in less than an hour, to any corner of the country.

The bus: especially Caribe Tours towards the center and the north of the country.

The gua-guas: this general term indicates vans, that private individuals exploit, without any comfort and with a safety more than problematic, but it is local and really not expensive.

The taxis: except from the taxis of hotels whose tariffs are posted, you should always negotiate before starting out.

The moto-conchos: you can find them almost everywhere, even in the moved back campaigns. For some pesos, you will quickly be taken along where you want, but at rather short distances nevertheless.

The motor bikes rental: it is the fastest and most sympathetic means to discover the country, with the proviso of being perfectly qualified in this field. We disadvise you to ride on the large axes, to ride during the night and we remind you that legally the use of a helmet is obligatory.

The cars rental: opposite to what some say, it is not more dangerous to drive in Dominican Republic than elsewhere in the Tropics. However, please find out well about the insurances included in the contract as well as about what is at your charge in the event of accident.

Meal: average prices from 2 to 5 US$, smarter from 5 to 7 US$, much smarter more than 7 US$. For the very modest establishments, the taxes are generally included, but as soon as the place looks a little like a restaurant, a tax of 26 % (10% for the service and 16% of ITBIS (VAT)) is applied!

Tip and tax: concerning the tip, if the service is tariffed in the restaurants, you do not have to leave anything. But if the waiter or the waitress levelled you of a great smile and that all is perfect, then a propina (tip) seems justified if the service is not included.

Lodging: the hotels corresponding to one 1/2 stars oscillate between 20 and 40 US$ the room, the hotels 3/4 stars go from 60 to 200 US$ the room.

Souvenirs: if you wish to bring back souvenirs, do not miss Mercado Modelo in Santo Domingo. Paintings (often Haitian), small creole objects and of course all marks of rum and cigars. Before buying a cigar, check well if the ring or the box carries the inscription "hecho a mano", which wants to say "hand made". You should also bring back cassettes or CDs of merengue and bachata. If not, you can bring back pretty jewels out of amber or larimar the cost of which is relatively fair.

Bargaining: especially in the popular establishments and in the street. The problem, when one arrives, is to know the right price to avoid being cheated or upsetting an honest merchant.

Advices for respectful holidays: Do not distribute money, pens, and candies with the children even if you act with your best feelings. This practice accentuates the reflex of begging in the child. He then tends to play truant to go to and seek for tourists. Contact an association or a school to ask them what they may need (Azucar foundation: www.fundazucar.org)

Safety: avoid driving at night and on the large axes if you do not know the road well. The delinquency touches only very seldom the holiday makers, however at night watch out in some districts of the big cities. The purchase and the use of narcotics are more than disadvised if you do not wish to spend your holidays, even the remainder of the year, in prison. The authorities do not joke at all on this subject and nobody will be able to help you.

Electricity: the electrical current is 110/120 volts in 60 hertz. You should anticipate an adapter for American plugs with flat base. Here there is AC current, sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. Nevertheless Las Terrenas is the best served place of all the Dominican Republic with almost permanent electricity.

Formalities: for a stay not exceeding 90 days, the french, Belgian, Swiss and Canadian nationals can remain in Dominican Republic by purchasing of a tourism card of 10$. You can get it at the Dominican consulate, or quite simply when arriving at the airport (before crossing the customs), on presentation of his passport. Your passport will have to be valid at least 6 months after your date of return. On the other hand, if you remain more than 30 days, you will have to discharge a tax of exit from 10 to 30 US$, according to the extra length of time spent.

Usual customs tolerances:

• tobacco: 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars
• alcoholic drinks: 1 litre of alcohol
• firearms: prohibited
• ground crop products: prohibited

A very useful advice: before your departure, scanner your important documents (passport, plane ticket, n° travellers cheques...) and send them on your e-mail. You will be able to print them since any cybercafé in the world (www.cybercafe.com). You can also use a photocopier in order to have a copy of your important papers.

Advised clothing: take summer garments, shorts, short-sleeved shirts, T-shirts, bathing suits... A hat and sunglasses are highly recommended, as well as the cloth ankle boots for the excursions in the parks, or out of leather for mountain walking. A raincoat could be useful during the rain season. Do not forget a sweater if you are going to mountain areas.

Time shifting: Six hours less than france, Switzerland and Belgium in summer and five hours in winter.

Cuisine: the local products form the base of the Dominican kitchen. The basic dish is composed of rice (arroz), accompanied by kidney beans (habichuela) and meat (carne). You can taste fried chicken (pica pollo), lamb stew (chivo guisado), beef (res) and pig (cerdo). The sea products (fish, oysters, shrimps, crabs, crawfish and lobsters) are in general reserved to tourists. Soups are prepared in the poorest houses.

Great culinary specialities: for the Dominican people, the sancocho (meats and vegetables stew) on Sunday is not a festival, it is life. The chivo guisado, lamb meat marinated in a mixture of oregan, onions, sweet peppers, garlic and... rum is famous, on the roads you can also find chicharones, pig marinated in bitter orange juice and cooked in its own grease. The most consumed dish in the country is the pica pollo, kind of chicken fritters made at the local way, in general it is served with tostones (fried unrip bananas). A special mention for the mondongos, kind of beef or pig tripe you can taste with a piece of green lemon peel.

frituras: popular and simple, you find it in the street, the cook is carried out on old car wheels with some coal, and the cook goes away when everything is sold. The hygienic conditions are uncertain, but it is very cheap and has a delicious taste.

Pica pollos: everywhere in the country you can find small gravers and restaurant chains (fast-food kind) selling fried chicken accompanied by tostones (fried unrip bananas). It is economic and often very good.

Comedores: they are starting to evolve in the matter, you will be sat and you will eat in plates. The menu is generally restricted.

Fast-foods: the big Dominican cities are invaded by all kind of fast-food and in fact the middle and higher class are the ones who fill these places. The price of a menu is more than prohibitive for the basic Dominican.

Stopping places (Paradas): practical, fresh, copious and cheap, these Dominican "lorry restaurants" that one finds on all the large axes serve you in a few minutes a good local meal. Cordial, coloured and popular atmosphere.

Restaurants: Dominican, Chinese, Arab, Japanese, french, Italian, Spanish and others... A great choice of restaurants, especially in the large cities. Those have legal obligation to invoice you, apart from the posted price, 10% of service and 16% of ITBIS (VAT), except if the prices specify that service and ITBIS are included.



Drinks: the water of the taps is to be avoided, one easily finds bottled or in bag (funda) mineral water in all the places of the island. The ice-creams, fruit juices and crudenesses can be washed or manufactured with water which could make you get sick (amoebas), thus be sure of the place you are before consuming and inquire. The local beer Presidente is excellent, it undergoes the competition of other local and international marks (quisqeya, brahma, corona, heineken), and nevertheless it will be always drunk frozen. Regarding wines, you can find wines of Chilean, Argentinian, Spanish or even french importation at accessible prices. The floret of Dominican drink is rum, Brugal (most popular), Barcelo (the most appreciated) and Bermudez (the most distinguished). The cocktails do not form part of the local culture, except from the West-Indian ti punch or the pina colada.

The merengue: specifically Dominican music, the merengue is a rural music with binary rhythm and popular words which immediately shocked the white middle-class, more especially as the merengue is danced in a rather suggestive way. Of African origin, with supported rhythm, the merengue was played traditionally with an accordion, a guira (kind of cheese grater) and a drum with two membranes. Current merengue, especially containing coppers, guitar and accordion, is derived from the Cuban salsa, the West-Indian zouk and new African sounds like the soukous.

The bachata: appeared in the underprivileged districts of Santo Domingo during the 1960’s, the bachata conquered the Dominican population in the 1990’s so much so that one hears it everywhere, into the most moved back villages of the country. Simple song accompanied with the guitar, somehow the bachata has become the local variety, with, sometimes, small rock'n'roll and techno tendencies. It is distinguished from the merengue by slower rhythms and much more romantic and melancholic melodies, as well as words often "caliente", in the good old macho Latino tradition.

Painting: painting is a true art of living; it invades the streets, the stalls of the artisanal shops and all the exploitable places to expose works. Inherited from Haitian naive painting, it takes topics of the everyday life. Skilful craftsmen reproduce the same painting ad infinitum, which remains a typical and original testimony of the local arts and crafts.

Craft industry: amber and larimar jewels, basket making, pottery, ceramics, carved wood, naive paintings, carved mahogany tree, terra cotta dolls; the Dominican Republic is a mixture of Spanish and African art. The artisanal markets flower in all the tourist places. The jewels are particularly present as the country has two very specific stones: the larimar and amber. Amber is fossilized resin; it is a relic of the past, at the same time sacred and semi precious stone. Natural, this fossilized vegetable resin is the witness of transformations and changes the Earth has been seeing over tens million years. The resin is formed like a natural protection of the tree against the insects, sticking molasses that leave the trunk and the branches, it involves in its flow all the matters it meets, vegetable or animal, plants and insects. The resin hardens in contact with the air. Locked up under the mountains by the terrestrial movements, these molasses are transformed slowly into stone. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world where larimar is found. Of clear blue colour with white or brown shades, it is a real small jewel. One also finds black coral, it is a plant which grows very slowly in sea-beds at a rate of 2 cm every 100 years, the Dominican Republic is one of the last places in the world where its sale is free.

Architecture: many Dominican cities were built by the Spanish colonists, on the traditional principle of urbanization with checkerboard plan, with its intersections with right angle and its rectilinear streets. However the Dominican cities have not grown with many neither esthetic nor functional concerns. The Dominican city is level ground and very wide and apart from the urban zones, one finds the traditional creole villas, painted with sharp colors, which cheers up the Dominican countryside.


Language: the official language is Spanish. However, there are still survivals of french Creole in the Haitian frontier zone, and of english in the old areas of immigration of the emancipated American slaves at San Pedro de Macoris and Samana.

Mañana: many Spanish dictionaries translate mañana by tomorrow, locally the significance is "not today, later". In Santo Domingo when a native promises something for mañana to you, you are at least sure of a thing: it is not for today.

Good manners and habits: the Dominican people are very accessible. In the moved back campaigns, it is very easy to enter the intimacy of a family. They are extremely tolerant and do not have any political, religious or any other divergences any more when they meet to have drinking and to dance on Sundays (Dominican tradition, on the beach with the family, rum and music).

Cockfights: the cockfight is very popular in Santo-Domingo. The fight stops only when one of the adversaries has collapsed or refuses to fight and runs away. The boosted, noisy and coloured atmosphere around the arena explains the success of this "sport".

Religion: there is a total freedom of worship in Dominican Republic, innumerable churches are collated and cohabit in a great tolerance, and there are 92% of catholic ones as well as several Protestant and Anglicans worships. The African origins of the population and the Haitian influence maintained long-lived the rites of the voodoo, very present in the area of Samana.

Kind of hotel dominating: There is a kind of hotel that is mainly dominant in Dominican Republic: the balneal complex of great capacity (60 % of the hotels have more than 300 rooms), modern and over-equipped. The height of the buildings does not exceed the coconut trees (a law prohibits to build higher than this height), the gardens are vast, and the common spaces are built with local materials and are largely open on nature. It is "the sun factory": 6' 000 rooms in 1982 against 50' 000 in 2002. Tourism initially evolved on the northern coasts then on the southern ones. The first generation of the balneal hotels (Boca Chica, Juan Dolio and Playa Dorada) was built there about thirty years ago. Since 1985, the area of Punta Cana has developed itself very strongly, offering 4 and 5 stars hotels of very high standing, unfortunately almost exclusively in "all included". For a very top-of-the-range stay, the Casa de Campo (Romana) complex offers you 3 golf courses of 18 holes, as well as the choice between hotels of high standing and very luxurious villas with an included hotel service. The area of Bayahibe, developed since the beginning of the Nineties, also offers several hotels "all included" of very good level. The general level of service is excellent and represents without any doubt the best quality/price relation of the Caribbean. The service is effective, the reception of the staff is cordial and the level of comfort of the hotels is very good. The classification of the hotels is reliable. Pay attention, some hotels give accomodations, in a nearly exclusive way, only to one nationality.

Tourist statistics: according to the official statistics, the by air arriving number of foreign passengers was established with 2' 870' 000 in 2004, that is to say + 4, 3% compared to the previous year. The American northern customers have a stronger growth than the European customers.

Projects of tourist development of the province of Samaná: the Dominican authorities seem very decided to make of the province of Samaná (north-eastern) a high place of tourism in Dominican Republic, more specifically of luxury tourism. Vast infrastructure projects will be continued or finished of which the most important are the opening and the startup of the international airport of El Catey and the Santo Domingo-Samaná motorway.

A stable country: a pluralist democracy and practising the alternation, chaired since August 16, 2004 by Leonel Fernandez, agreements with the IMF and several reforms have allowed a stabilization of the debt and good foreign-exchange reserves thanks to the assistance of the foreign investment and the priority given to the tourist development.

It is a country that facilitates the foreign investment: a stable political situation, controlled by a healthy democracy, conscious of the need of opening the country towards international exchanges. The several governments protect and incite the foreign or Dominican investments. All the transactions of sale contracts happen in front of a notary. In addition, the taxation is at the same time particularly reasonable and favorable to investors. The banking structure allows transfers in dollars but also in euros. The credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.

The "Dominican Saint Tropez": is a village lost in the coconut trees profiting from kilometers of the most tempting wild beaches of the country. The Dominican people are deeply attaching and they invite you to enjoy the happiness living in the Tropics and to discover a rare and splendid environment. At Las Terrenas reigns a sympathetic atmosphere between the Dominican people and the many foreign residents attracted by the beauty of the area.