Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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BOOK YOUR STAY ONLINE
For more accommodation reviews by Lonely Planet authors, check out
http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com
.
You'll find independent reviews, as well as recommendations on the best places to stay. Best of all, you
can book online.
Accommodations
Compared to other destinations in the Caribbean, lodging in the Dominican Republic is relatively affordable.
That said, there is a limited number of options for independent travelers wishing to make decisions on the fly
and for whom cost is a concern.
In some places, such as Santo Domingo, you can stay in restored colonial-era buildings with loads of char-
acter with comfortable accommodations (Santo Domingo's Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando is the choicest ex-
ample) for less money than you would spend for a night at a bland international-chain-style hotel (Holiday
Inn, Marriott and Sheraton, amongst others have a presence). And a good number of all-inclusives, especially
outside the holidays and the high season, can be remarkably good deals considering what you get.
From US$200 and up (the ceiling is high for the most exclusive resorts), there's a big jump in terms of the
quality of furnishings, food and service, and in the Dominican Republic, maybe more than elsewhere, you
truly get what you pay for.
Pay budget room rates and you won't necessarily feel like you're on vacation, especially in the cities, but
there are some exceptions. The DR has few proper hostels, and little backpacker culture of the sort found in
the rest of Latin America, Europe and elsewhere. The walled compounds generically called '
cabañas turist-
icas'
, with names suggestive of intercourse or romantic love, on the outskirts of most large towns are short-
time hotels for couples seeking privacy.
Following are some guidelines to keep in mind:
»
Assume that low-season rates are 20% to 50% less than high-season rates.
»
Rooms booked a minimum of three days in advance on the internet are far cheaper (especially so at the all-
inclusive resorts) than if you book via phone or, worst-case scenario, simply show up without a reservation.
»
Be sure the rate you are quoted already includes the 23% room tax. We've experienced sticker shock when
paying the bill after making reservations and booking online.
»
The Dominican government doles out stars, from one to six (very few have received a six), though the qual-
ifications for the rankings probably wouldn't match North American or European standards.
»
Hotels geared towards business travelers, especially in Santo Domingo and Santiago, offer weekend dis-
counts.
