Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
And lest you scoff, hotel nightclubs, especially those along the Malecón, are hugely
popular, especially among Santo Domingo's rich, young and restless. Merengue and
bachata
are omnipresent, but house, techno, reggaeton and American and Latin rock are
popular as well. A number of clubs in town cater to gays and lesbians, or at least offer a
welcoming mixed atmosphere; check out
www.monaga.net
for the latest. Newspapers are
a good place to find out about upcoming concerts and shows, and if your Spanish is good,
radio stations hype the capital's big events.
Only a 10-minute ride or so from the Zona Colonial on the eastern side of the Río
Ozama is Av Venezuela, where more than half-a-dozen bars and clubs are concentrated in
the span of only three or so blocks; a taxi is recommended there and back.
Some of the venues attract the wealthiest and hippest in Santo Domingo, but wherever
you go, expect people to be dressed to the nines, so definitely no T-shirts, sneakers or san-
dals. Admission is up to RD$250 when there's a DJ (most nights) and RD$350 when
there's a band.
Zona Colonial
El Conde Restaurant
(Hotel Conde de Peñalba, cnr Calle El Conde & Arzobispo Meriño; 8am-midnight)
Hands down, the
best place for an afternoon drink. As much a restaurant as a cafe, El Conde's appeal isn't
its varied menu of decent but overpriced food (pasta RD$350), but its commanding loca-
tion at the busiest corner in the Zona Colonial, crowded with tourists and locals alike. Try
cooling off with a
morir sonado
(RD$108).
CAFE
CAFE, BAR
Segazona Cafe
( 809-685-9569; Calle El Conde 54; 9am-1am Mon-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat)
Occupying separate
spaces on either side of a cobblestoned alleyway, Segazona operates as an Italian-style
cafe during the day and an Ibiza-like club on weekend nights, when DJs spin and dancers
get off their feet and onto one of the day beds in the hangar-like backyard. Crepes, paninis
and other morsels are also served inside and out.
BAR
Double's Bar
