Dominican Republic: Dreams Dominicus La Ramona

We used Costco Travel to arrange the flights, lodging, and transport between the Punta Cana International Airport and the resort for our trip to the Dominican Republic. As part of this package, we stayed at Dreams Dominicus La Romana for all eight nights. We did not know much about this resort other than what we read in the Costco Travel materials and on their website, but we were very pleased with what we experienced there.

We arrived in the Dominican Republic late in the evening. It took a while to get our luggage and it's about a 45-minute drive from the Punta Cana International Airport to Dreams Dominicus La Romana, so we arrived at the resort just after midnight (technically the next day).

We were tired, but the employees at Dreams Dominicus were energetic and the first thing each of them said to us was, "Welcome home!" Indeed, in the days during our trip when we returned to the resort after a long day of excursions, it did feel a bit like returning home.

Dreams Dominicus La Romana is a beautiful resort with multiple swimming pools, interesting Italian-inspired design, beautiful beach access, and local vegetation.

Dreams Dominicus includes direct access to the beach and several water activities are offered including kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and instructor-led exercise work-outs in the water.

Dreams Dominicus La Romana's Dreams Entertainment offered shows most evenings. We didn't always get to see these due to late returning excursions, but the ones we saw were entertaining. One show that was particularly entertaining was the acrobatic circus show. We had an excellent vantage point from the balconies of one of the rooms we rented as seen in the next photograph.

We enjoyed the food at the buffet-style World Cafe, at the convenient Barefoot Grill and Coco Cafe, and at specialty restaurants Himitsu (Hibachi) and Seaside Grill.

The World Cafe offered numerous types of entrees, sides and desserts and this "international buffet" did not require reservations.

The Coco Cafe offered simple snacks and drinks, but even its simple snacks were welcome when we arrived so late (early morning) at the resort and it was still open.

The Barefoot Grill is next to the resort's beach and so is convenient if one wants easy access to burgers or pizza without needing to wear anything more formal than one's swim suit.

Himitsu and Seaside Grill provided nice alternatives for more traditional served dinners.

Despite the hysteria surrounding traveling to the Dominican Republic at the time we went, we never got sick from eating or drinking a wide variety of foods in a wide variety of establishments within Dreams Dominicus. We did drink only bottled water at the resort (including that served at the dining establishments). The resort's welcome guide states, "Hotel water is purified but we recommend do not drink from the faucet. You will find bottles of water in your room without extra charges."

We enjoyed so much about Dreams Dominicus, but in the end two of our favorite aspects of this resort were its location and its people. The staff we encountered from check-in to departure were helpful and friendly and made us feel very welcome. The wait staff made helped make the meals special, the housekeepers made the lodging attractive, and the concierge and gate/guard staff were very helpful in helping us find the excursion contacts each day.

In other posts about this Dominican Republic trip, I have mentioned the convenience, relative quiet, and beauty of the Bayahibe location, especially when compared to the much more crowded Punta Cana. The Bayahibe harbor is gorgeous and conveniently close to Dreams Dominicus. The Bayahibe harbor is crazy busy in the morning and afternoon when the tour groups (mostly from Punta Cana) leave and return from excursions to Saona Island and Catalina Island, but it's much quieter in between those departures and arrivals.

One of the World Cafe's dinners on one of the evenings was an outdoor event. This was the only night that we sat at large round tables with other guests of the resort (small groups had their own tables inside World Cafe on most nights). We met some couples from the midwest that were just finishing their stay and they had never left the resort the entire week they were there. Although we really enjoyed seeing some of the beauty and history offered in other areas of the Dominican Republic, the fact that these couple opted to stay at the resort all day everyday for their entire trip is evidence of the appeal of the Dreams Dominicus La Romana.

Dominican Republic: Travel Tips and General Observations

The following are tips and general observations related to travel to the Dominican Republic ("the DR") based on our recent (late June-early July 2019) travel to La República Dominicana.

Brush up on the Dominican Spanish

It was very helpful to have our son who had lived recently in the DR for two years with us on our trip to the Dominican Republic. His Spanish skills helped tremendously in communicating with staff at the resort and on most of the excursions. Although we could have gotten by with English and our own very limited Spanish, it was significantly easier having a Spanish speaker. Even Spanish speakers who have not been to the DR might want to review "Some Really Popular Everyday Dominican Slang Words and Sayings."

Consider Dominican Republic Pesos for Currency

The resort we stayed at had an ATM machine that made it easy to access Dominican pesos. While we were in the DR, the exchange rate was approximately 50.8 DOP per $1 US. Because almost everyone we encountered accepted both the Dominican peso and the U.S. dollar and because almost all of them used the obvious simplifying assumption of 50 Dominican Pesos for every $1 U.S. dollar, there was a minor savings incurred by making purchases in pesos rather than dollars. More importantly, we didn't want to carry around (even in the airports) large amounts of cash and the ATMs we accessed only gave out Dominican pesos (and limited each ATM transaction to 10,000 pesos [~200 USD]). It is important to not withdraw too many Dominican pesos because Dominican Republic laws disallow many institutions from converting Dominican currency back to other currencies. Banks can covert the DR pesos to other currencies, but at a poor exchange rate for the consumer. I like to use the Fidelity Cash Management Debit Card for ATM withdrawals when on foreign travel.

See the Trip Advisor Currency Issues page for more details." See also the post "Dominican Republic Currency" for other useful details regarding currency and financial transactions in the DR. The Frommer's article "Money in the Dominican Republic" also provides good advice.

Finally, although many places will accept the Euro, I recommend visitors use Dominican Pesos or even U.S. dollars instead of Euros because the exchange rate for the Euro is often simplified to 1 Euro = 1 U.S. Dollar, which currently is a conversion loss for the holder of the Euro.

Safety in the Dominican Republic

From my experience, it seems that the largest significant danger for travelers to the Dominican Republic is driving, especially in or near Santo Domingo. I highly recommend that travelers who are unfamiliar with DR driving norms allow a local who is familiar with those norms to do the driving, especially if going into cities such as Santo Domingo or even busier parts of Punta Cana.

During our visit to the DR and as I write this, there is a media-fueled hysteria regarding "suspicious deaths" in the Dominican Republic. The death of a couple in the same weekend are the two cases that seem most suspicious to me, but statistically it doesn't seem any less safe in the DR now than it has been in recent years and, statistically, might even be safer than a couple of years in recent years. Our biggest health-related issues on this trip were digestive issues that seemed highly correlated to overindulgence at the resort's excellent buffet. Two articles that provide a less-sensationalized view of the current reports out of the DR are "Tourist Trap: Dominican Republic Tourism Deaths Not Unusual" and "Media frenzy over Dominican Republic deaths causing more harm than good."

At the time of this writing (and for our trip to the DR), the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic's "U.S. Citizen Services" provides links to greater details regarding travel in the DR. Its "Alerts and Messages" page currently states (they provide the emphasis): "Exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime" and links to the U.S. State Department's "Dominican Republic Travel Advisory" dated 15 April 2019 that rates the security advisory level as "Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution." The last referenced page provides in greater details the types of crimes that are frequently committed and outlines actions to take when traveling in the DR. To provide context to this, other nations currently with "Level 2" advisories include Mexico (crime and kidnapping), the Bahamas (crime), France (terrorism and civil unreset), United Kingdom (terrorism), Spain (terrorism), Germany (terrorism), Belgium (terrorism), Netherlands (terrorism), Denmark (terrorism), Brazil (crime), and Jamaica (crime).

Consider All Major Airports

When scheduling flights to the Dominican Republic, keep in mind that there are multiple airports in the Dominican Republic. For our trip to the southeastern portion of the country, the three most likely airports are Santo Domingo International Airport (SDQ), Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), and La Romana International Airport (LRM). Our Costco package arranged flights into and out of the busier Punta Cana Airport.

The Punta Cana airport is a modern airport with several dining and shopping options and relatively comfortable seating for waiting. We flew out of the air conditioned Terminal B, but my understanding is that Terminal A is open air. This airport felt in some ways more like a United States airport than a Dominican Republic airport due to the prevalence of fast food operations most commonly associated with the United States and due to most prices being listed primarily in U.S. dollars. This is one of the places where Europeans are currently better off using U.S. dollars or Dominican pesos because many of the food establishments treat 1 Euro as 1 U.S. dollar, but the current exchange rate for these currencies is 1 Euro costs $1.13 US. For more details on traveling through the Punta Cana Airport, see TripAdvisor's "Punta Cana: Arriving and Departing" and "Helpful Tips For the Punta Cana International Airport Arrival / Departure​."

Taste Dominican Republic Food Favorites

One of the more interesting aspects of travel to different regions and different countries for many travelers is to taste local cuisine in the travel destinations. Before traveling to the Dominican Republic, I thought it's cuisine would be relatively bland. There are some bland food choices that are popular in the DR, but I was surprised at how many great flavors I enjoyed when eating Dominican favorites. About the only Dominican delicacy that I did not care for was Concón (burnt rice).

We did not see many berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.) while in the Dominican Republic, but the fruits we did try were excellent. In particular, the pineapple, papaya, and mango in the DR are particularly tasty. I thought I liked pineapple before this trip to the DR, but I now realize what pineapple can taste like and it's even better than what I thought I loved already. The sweet, succulent pineapple of the Dominican Republic is plentiful and refreshing.

Dominican Republic: Bayahibe Submarine

For our final excursion, we returned to the water and participated in a "half-day" excursion (all of the other excursions had been full-day). We purchased the Kenavo Tropical "Submarino" excursion in Bayahibe from our Blue Travel representative associated with Costco Travel. After long excursions to Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, it was nice to return to Bayabibe marina for the final excursion (and third excursion from Bayahibe marina). We were picked up a few minutes after the scheduled departure time, picked up three more people from a nearby Bayahibe-based resort, and made the short ride in a van to Bayahibe. I was reminded how much I love the beauty and quiet of the Bayhibe marina once the tour groups have set out for the day (the submarino excursion started later than most).

We were taken by a speedboat from the beach to the yellow/orange "submarine." The "submarine" does not fully submerge, but instead consists of a top portion that looks like a submersible submarine but is treated more like a boat. There are stairs down into the portion of the submarine that is below water.

Although the "submarine" never fully submerges, there are still great views of the ocean floor and sea life. The participants on either side of the submarine are a few feet below the surface of the water. This is particularly well suited for those who don't or cannot snorkel because it provides a very snorkel-like experience without the effort required for snorkeling and without even getting wet.

After spending time underneath the surface, participants return to the surface of the boat and can snorkel from there. This was welcome because the submarine portion made me think how fun it would be to snorkel that area and then we had the opportunity to do so! The water is relatively warm, was very clear on the day we were there, and it was easy to snorkel in that area. One of the young men working the tour was scraping off and cleaning the submarine and this attracted more fish.

The cost for this trip was reasonable and was a great way to see the underwater beauty of Bayahibe's port both via snorkeling and via the submarine ride. This shorter excursion was also appealing after four full-day excursions in the previous five days.

Dominican Republic: Bávaro Beach and Bávaro Splash Tour

For our third full day in the Dominican Republic, we used the excursion credit provided by Costco partner Blue Travel Partner Services that we received as part of our Costco Travel package deal (airfare, resort, and transfers between airport and resort) to cover a portion of the excursion called "Bávaro Splash". Not only did we enjoy the three activities associated with this excursion, but the excursion provided the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Punta Cana and to experience Bávaro Beach even though our resort was located in Bayahibe.

For our two previous full-day excursions to Saona Island and Catalina Island, we had short rides to the port in Bayahibe to go to these respective islands whereas the tourists coming from Punta Cana had to ride approximately one hour to get started. For the Bávaro Splash, we were the ones who had the nearly one hour commute to the excursion location. Fortunately, we were able to ride in a comfortable mini-bus and the ride was interesting and enjoyable. I was happy to not be driving in Punta Cana as it's a much busier place than Bayhibe and we saw more of the driving conditions the D.R. is famous for in Punta Cana.

Although we arranged for the Bávaro Splash through Blue Travel Partner Services while at the resort in the Dominican Republic, the receipt we received showed "TUI" and the bus that picked us up was branded "Ocean Adventures." Everything else we saw on this excursion also featured the "Ocean Adventure" brand.

Things seemed chaotic when we initially arrived at the location for the Bávaro Splash, but we soon realized that things were more organized than they first appeared. There were two main groups formed with one group (Bávaro Splash) supposed to congregate in Briefing Area #2 and the other group (Caribbean Pirates) congregating in Briefing Area #3. Both groups were large, but the Caribbean Pirates group seemed noticeably larger than our group and things seemed less chaotic once they boarded their pirate ship.

We received life vests before boarding the ship for the three aquatic activities associated with Bávaro Splash. The "Ocean Adventures" employees on the ship were good at their jobs and brought organization to the large group of passengers on the ship. They were able to rotate all passengers who wanted to do all the activities through snuba diving, snorkeling, and driving speed boats. Our particular party did the Snuba first, then snorkeled, and finished with the speed boats. It seemed like we had 20 to 30 minutes for the Snuba and speed boat driving and a bit longer for the snorkeling (the Snuba and speed boats had some more time for logistical setup).

The "Ocean Adventures" crew helped the Snuba divers to see interesting fish and to pose for underwater photographs with their traveling companions. These photographs were available for purchase on CD at the end of the trip and we decided to purchase the photographs for a variety of reasons, including that they used a really nice underwater camera. They also took video of us driving the speed boats and we should be able to download that video in the near future because we purchased it in conjunction with the Snuba photographs.

We returned to the dock we had departed from and received sandwiches to eat on the way back to Bayahibe. The sandwiches were relatively simple (bread, cheese, and ham with condiments available in individual packages), but were welcome nourishment after not eating since breakfast and being involved in swimming activities.

Overall, we really enjoyed the Bávaro Splash activity and are happy that we opted to do it. It would have been nice to have more time on the Snuba and speedboats, but we were used to that amount of time on Snuba from doing that activity near Molokini (Maui, Hawaii). We would have particularly liked more time on the speed boats, but the allotted time was exhilarating and quite different than anything else we did while in the Dominican Republic or even other ocean-oriented trips we've done.

The "Ocean Adventures" staff was helpful and friendly. There were times, especially at the beginning of the activity, where it felt like we were waiting a long time, but each time that thought crossed my mind, I looked out over Bávaro Beach and at the beautiful Caribbean and decided that waiting wasn't so bad in a spot like that. This activity had lots of variety and fun to offer. This excursion's negatives were mainly those consistent with large groups of tourists involved in the same activity. By splitting the larger group essentially into three smaller groups for the separate activities, things were much better during the activities themselves.

We really enjoyed the three activities associated with the Bávaro Splash, but found other benefits from selecting this excursion. We appreciated the opportunity to experience Bávaro Beach and Punta Cana. Although we realized how fortunate we had been to schedule a resort in quieter Bayahibe with its own gorgeous beaches and easier access to the stunning scenery of Saona Island and Catalina Island, we still enjoyed seeing and briefly experiencing Bávaro Beach and Punta Cana. The Colonial Tours site claims that "Punta Cana and Bavaro are considered among the best 10 beaches in the world!" and adds, "The Dominican Republic is the small corner of our planet that boasts two real earthly paradises: Bavaro beach and Punta Cana." Bávaro Beach felt busier than the other beaches we had experienced in the DR with all types of aquatic activities going on. We were also surprised at how much seaweed is present on the beaches in this part of the Dominican Republic coast (we had seen very little seaweed near Bayahibe or on Saona Island or on Catalina Island). We were also surprised at how much busier Punta Cana felt than Bayahibe felt.

The trip to Bávaro Beach and Punta Cana to participate in the Bavaro Splash Tour complemented nicely some of our other excursions in the Dominican Republic. We especially appreciated the variety of activities and the opportunity to experience Punta Cana and Bávaro Beach.

Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo, Tres Ojos, and Zona Colonial

After three full days of water-related excursions, we took an excursion to Santo Domingo for our fourth excursion while in the Dominican Republic. Santo Domingo is the capital city and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Besides seeing the most famous sites of Santo Domingo, it was interesting to see the harrowing driving that occurs there. We were definitely happy to have a driver driving us to, around, and from Santo Domingo. The parts of this large city that we most focused on in this Dominican Quest's Santo Domingo - Bayahibe tour were Los Tres Ojos National Park and Zona Colonial. The Dominican Quest page about this tour provides a nice overview of the tour and I add some personal perspective and details in this post.

Our three previous excursions had started on time (or even a little early), but we had a rougher start for our excursion to Santo Domingo. Dominican Quest was really good about keeping in contact with us and letting us know when the departure time from our resort changed (in advance) from 7:45 am to 8:50 am (a change our party welcomed!). They also kept in contact on the morning of the tour when they would not be able to arrive until 9:20 am due to a delay caused by other customers. Our party of six departing from Bayahibe joined a party of eight who had departed from Punta Cana. This seems to be the reason for the change in pickup time at our resort: they needed time to pick up the people first in Punta Cana and then pick us up on the way to Santo Domingo (Bayahibe is closer than Punta Cana to Santo Domingo, though neither is a short ride). I suspect that one or more individuals in the other party were not ready for the revised departure time and that held everyone up. It's been rather remarkable that different parties being picked up at different resorts has not caused this type of trouble on more of the excursions we've participated in here in the Dominican Republic.

The ride from Bayahibe to Santo Domingo was longer than the ride on the previous day from Bayahibe to Punta Cana and we needed to get gasoline for the van first. After getting gasoline, the driver drove the fourteen of us from Bayahibe to Santo Domingo. My favorite parts of the drive included crossing bridges over chasms and rivers, seeing the transition from beach/tourist towns to rural areas to metropolis, and seeing the vibrant red flowers of the "Flamboyant Trees" (Delonix Regia). The flamboyant trees were particularly striking when there were several of them close together among an even greater number of the many trees with deep green leaves common to the DR. The red and green contrast is striking!

The one place we knew we wanted to see when booking this first trip to the Dominican Republic was Los Tres Ojos National Park and this was our first stop on the day's tour and was a great way to start. Our tour was on a Saturday and our son who had been to this park multiple times before on weekdays said it was significantly busier on this Saturday than it was on the Mondays in which he had previously visited.

Even with more people, there was incredible and interesting natural beauty at Tres Ojos.

The three "eyes" ("three main underground lakes inside caverns") are different from each other and are named ("Lago de Azufre", "La Nevera", and "El Lago de las Damas").

The fourth body of water (called "Lago Los Zaramagullones" and not one of the "eyes" because it is not inside the caverns) is arguably the most stunning of the group.

Leaving Tres Ojos requires walking through a short walkway with sellers on both sides offering various trinkets and wares for purchase. These unsolicited sales attempts are common in the DR (and sometimes even within the resort), so we were relatively used to it by the time we went to Tres Ojos. We purchased some beverages at a snack stand just before exiting the park and the prices were similar to what one would pay for the same beverage in a convenience store in the United States. The ice cold drink was very refreshing after walking up and down the stairs in the warm humidity!

After Tres Ojos, our van took us to two stops where we were able to get out of the van to hear more about the sites we had stopped at and were able to take photographs. We stopped in front of Faro a Colón ("Lighthouse to Columbus"). It is claimed that Christopher Columbus's remains are interred there, but this is controversial. From this point, the guide also showed us a street from which some well-known Dominicans rose from rags to riches.

We also stopped in front of the Palacio Nacional (Dominican Republic National Palace). Our tour guide explained that the while the president of the Dominican Republic has an office in that building to conduct government business, the president does not actually live in the building. We took photographs next to the guard who stood guard in front of the gate and enjoyed some fresh pineapple the tour guide purchased from a street vendor near us. By the way, the pineapple in the Dominican Republic is unbelievably sweet and tasty! It was also refreshing on a warm and humid day in Santo Domingo!

One of our tour stops was near the Obelisk of the Malecón de Santo Domingo after passing by the "Obelisco Hembra".

The paintings on the obelisk are by Dustin Muñoz. This provided a brief taste of the Malecón of Santo Domingo and it was a welcome respite to feel the breeze and occasional splash of water coming off of the ocean.

We enjoyed a traditional Dominican buffet lunch at a restaurant in Santo Domingo that our tour guide took us to (the lunch was included in the tour). The food was excellent, the restaurant was modern and comfortable, and the service was top-notch. I tried to locate the name of the restaurant on its exterior, but was unable to see it displayed anywhere that I looked. I wish I could have located its name to recommend it here. We were able to try authentic La Bandera Dominicana, excellent pina juice, and even concon (the concon is the only thing I didn't care for, but this wasn't surprising).

We toured the oldest cathedral in the Americas, called Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor. We saw numerous gorgeous cathedrals in our trip to Europe last summer, including several of Gothic or Baroque architecture, but what made this particular cathedral interesting to me was its place as first in the Americas and its twelve unique side chapels. This tour was based on audio recordings for a particular chosen language and we listened to the clear English narration (with Spanish accent) regarding the cathedral and its side chapels.

We exited the cathedral into Parque Colón (Columbus Park) and briefly stopped there before proceeding to the National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic. There was a guide in the Pantheon Nacional who led just our English-speaking group of six through the main chamber and told us about the famous people memorialized there. I was surprised at how much he knew about United States history that he tied into his presentation for this group of six from the United States. This was a short but interesting tour that gave one a bit deeper understanding of Dominican culture, history, and politics.

The last major sight we saw on this tour was the oldest paved street in the "New World" ("Calle Las Damas").

We stopped once more at the ocean for some photographs and then headed back to Bayahibe. We did have a couple of visits to local stores and vendors along the way that I did not mention previously. We were not interested in buying anything, but the often air conditioned or at least shaded spaces were pleasant enough to spend a few minutes between sight-seeing attractions.

Overall, we were happy with our introduction to Santo Domingo and are happy that we chose to do it, but there were some minor disappointments. Because we were picked up last after a large group from Punta Cana had already boarded the van, our party of six was distributed throughout the van rather than being together with four of us in the very back row of the van. It was hotter back there and definitely less comfortable than other rows (which had at most three seats) in the van.

At Tres Ojos, it seemed like our party of six got to see less of the park than the party of eight because of the way we were split up in crossing (and returning) on the boat to (and from) the fourth body of water. The irony of this is that I suspect we were rushed because someone in the other party caused us to depart 30 minutes later than planned. I also suspect that if everyone in the group had been traveling to Santo Domingo from Bayahibe, things might have gone smoother for everyone. Even though the other party had more comfortable seats on the van than we did, I did not envy them needing to ride for nearly another hour from Bayahibe back to Punta Cana after we were dropped off! The bus driver got us there quickly once he was finally able to pick us up and he got us back quickly and safely, which is nothing to take for granted with Santo Domingo traffic!

Perhaps a bigger issue than the two starting locations was the fact that the two main groups of people were more comfortable with different languages. The other party (eight people from Colombia and Puerto Rico) spoke Spanish and our party spoke English. The tour guide made valiant attempts to communicate with both groups, but this meant spending double time in certain places (which was a benefit in some cases) and/or leaving out portions of the discussion given to one group when repeating it for the other group. There had been multiple languages used on our other excursions in the DR, but in those cases discussion was far less significant and was typically limited to instructions or brief descriptions before spending most of the excursion time in activities with little need for discussion. For the Santo Domingo tour, discussion was a much heavier aspect of the tour and so the need to cover every thing in two languages did have a greater effect.

The Santo Domingo - Bayahibe tour provided a nice introduction to some of the most famous sites in Santo Domingo with special focus on Tres Ojos National Park and Zona Colonial. With this introduction to the area, I'd be more comfortable exploring the city on my own in the future as long as someone else drove me to the area and back again when finished. I'd recommend this tour for anyone visiting Santo Domingo for the first time, especially if not staying in Santo Domingo.