dollars for dominican republic who has the best deal??

angeleyes · 11 June 2005 at 9:36PM

hi
i am going to dom rep on 1st aug and have been told it is best to take US dollars but I dont know when will be the best time or where to buy to get the best rate.......

Can anyone give any advice

Thanks

gazroe · 11 June 2005 at 9:58PM

its 2years since we were there but the people will accept any currency and all the shops exchanged money , we took us dollars and sterling and had no problems with either

Garry

budgetflyer · 12 June 2005 at 3:13AM

A couple of months back nyou could have got $1.92/£ now its around $1.77/£ if you can guess which way it will go then you will be a millionaire. .https://www.travelex.co.uk will lock whatever rate for up to 6 months, allowing you to set your budget accordingly

pattycake · 12 June 2005 at 8:04PM

We have been travelling to the Dominican Republic once or twice a year for the last eight years.

We now only ever take US dollars cash. Make sure you get some single dollar bills for tipping and generally get smaller denomination notes. We rarely even bother to change to pesos now as mostly dollars are accepted. If you do have pesos, you cannot change them back.

As regards where to get them, we got ours back in December when as the previous poster says, the exchange rate was fantastic. We used the Post Office. Don't know if that is the best but it is very convenient and they keep the currency in stock.

BNU_2 · 13 June 2005 at 8:37PM

We honeymooned in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic in 1990, but have recently heard from someone we know only slightly that they now advise you not to leave the confines of the resort unless on an organised trip, due to an increase in jealousy-driven violence by some of the locals on tourists.

Can anyone tell me, is this true?

It would be such a shame if this is the case. When we started planning our wedding we were considering Jamaica for our honeymoon but they were having similar problems there at the time and an English couple had just been killed - so we changed our minds. In 1990 the tourist trade was only just getting going in the Dom Rep, and although poor the people seemed really nice.

pattycake · 14 June 2005 at 8:20PM

BNU
No this is not true. The UK tour reps like to say this to guests in order to sell their excursions at top dollar.

I have travelled with my husband and without him (with a female friend). We have always felt absolutely safe. Just employ common sense as you would anywhere.

BNU_2 · 15 June 2005 at 8:18AM

pattycake

Thanks for this, it is nice to know! We have just celebrated our 15th Anniversary but would like to re-do our Honeymoon for our 20th!

I can well believe they tell you this to sell their trips, when we went to Tunisia years back they told us the Souks were rife with pickpockets and conmen (although they didn't offer a trip there) and being wet-behind-the-ears late-teenagers we believed them and didn't go - something I deeply regret now because the rest of the holiday remains devoid of memories!

We rarely go on package holidays now, preferring to arrange our own, but when we do we never buy their trips, the worst value we came across was a day-trip by coach in Malta which was around £40 pp - which we managed to do for £1.80 each on the local buses - and at our own speed too!

pattycake · 15 June 2005 at 8:42AM

Glad to reassure you BNU. I have to say that you cannot really use public transport in the DR but taxis are readily available and reasonable.

The first year we went out there we took our daughter, then 16. A trip round all the sights in Puerta Plata was around £45 per person. Way beyond our budget at the time.

We hired a taxi and guide from just outside the hotel and saw everything. In fact we were treated like VIPs. It was really funny at the Rum Factory when the guide swept aside the hoards of coach parties to let us through!!

At the end of the trip the cost with a tip for both guide and driver was around £30. Now that is money saving.

The other alternative is to book trips with local operators rather than the UK companies. The British operators try to tell you that these trips are inferior and not insured. It is garbage. They are exactly the same.

Jazzieboy · 15 June 2005 at 12:00PM

hi,
quick question, has Dom Rep changed an awful lot then .... ? I went for my honeymoon 1991 and it was the worst 3 weeks of my life. We all were ill, not just food poisoning but as a result of being there. Always hope mine was a one off but I hear so many horror stories of the place.

BNU_2 · 15 June 2005 at 12:31PM

Jazzieboy wrote:

hi,
quick question, has Dom Rep changed an awful lot then .... ? I went for my honeymoon 1991 and it was the worst 3 weeks of my life. We all were ill, not just food poisoning but as a result of being there. Always hope mine was a one off but I hear so many horror stories of the place.

We went the year before you then. Where did you stay?

We were at the Heavens Club in Puerto Plata, and apart from the occasional powercut (and the Chicken Pox I caught from my Bridesmaids just before the wedding) we had no problems or illness at all.

kparka · 15 June 2005 at 12:49PM

im going to dom republic in july & was wondering what money to take... no-one had advised me to get US dollars! Are they accepted readily over there? Someone had told me to get the local currency of dominican, is that not wise? As for the trips.. i hope we find a good cheap alternative as well!

dollars for dominican republic who has the best deal??

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