DR/Luperon Fees

[RTB]

Not just yours Pete. At least one other poster here that didn't care for Luperon. My question is...for you guys that have been there, were you displeased with all or most of the DR? Or, mainly Luperon?

Ralph

[pete33458]

Originally Posted by RTB

Not just yours Pete. At least one other poster here that didn't care for Luperon. My question is...for you guys that have been there, were you displeased with all or most of the DR? Or, mainly Luperon?

Ralph

Ralph: thanks for the clarification. As I mentioned in my post, a couple of hours down the road is Ocean World/Cofresi/Puerto Plata, where we were able to get good services (other than very spotty internet, as usual!), and spent a pleasant 4 days waiting for a late season cold front to clear Cuba. So it was not the DR, in general. The DR, in general, was pretty much what I expected, and that was just fine with me, no complaints (Luperon aside). pete

[RTB]

Thanks for the information Pete.

Ralph

[Blue Crab]

Blues jammin' in JR's , Luperon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuXKm0G1YPU

[shoej]

RTB -

Luperon is a small town, and not representative of all of the DR. Puerto Plata is a much larger town about 20 miles east of Luperon, and has significantly more services and a different ambiance. I sailed into Luperon and flew out of Puerto Plata, they are very different.

Punta Cana is a town on the eastern edge of the island that is basically a bunch of resort complexes tied together. La Romana is a city near resorts on the southern end, and Santo Domingo is a large city with most of what you would expect that entails.

Lots of different experiences available in the DR, depending on where you go. It's certainly not all like Luperon.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by shoej

RTB -

Luperon is a small town, and not representative of all of the DR. Puerto Plata is a much larger town about 20 miles east of Luperon, and has significantly more services and a different ambiance. I sailed into Luperon and flew out of Puerto Plata, they are very different.

Punta Cana is a town on the eastern edge of the island that is basically a bunch of resort complexes tied together. La Romana is a city near resorts on the southern end, and Santo Domingo is a large city with most of what you would expect that entails.

Lots of different experiences available in the DR, depending on where you go. It's certainly not all like Luperon.

Thanks for your thoughts. We hope to check it out for ourselves.

Ralph

[henryk]

in 2009 My family and i spent hurricane season in Luperon. We cruised Caribbean for three years and the time we had in Luperon was the best of all the places we hang around, but it is not for everybody. If you are a marina type guy, likes luxury, fancy restaurants, you better keep on going. Luperon is very authentic, same as the people that live there. If you give them respect, they'll treat you as a friend, not a gringo. The down side to staying there that you don't cruise, you stay put. But it's a big island, and food and bus fares are cheap, and there is a lot to see. Also is very safe, that was the only place in the Caribbean where you don't have to lock your dinghy. You'll also make friends for life there as we did. There was so much entertainment organize by cruisers and locals that we were never bored. My daughter went to the local school there, the only white girl among 800 students. Our laundry lady ( there is no laundromat) became our best friend. Boy how I miss those evenings, seating in the plastic chair on the sidewalk socializing with the locals, sipping ice cold Presidente

[RTB]

Nice post. Thanks...sounds like our kind of place.

Ralph

[AnchorageGuy]

Our experience in Luperon is the same as henryk's. We stopped for a few days and spent a month. We absolutely loved the place and used it as a base to explore the entire country. 3 or 4 cruising boats could rent a van and a driver for very little and visit all of the big cities and tourist locations. Don't miss the trip to the water falls. A guide drags you up the falls by hand and you have to jump down the several small falls to get back down. It's a blast. We found some great restaurants and found it cheaper to eat out every day than to use up our expensive stores we bought in the T&C. If all you plan to do is sit on your boat and sniff the harbor water, of course you'll hate it. The idea of cruising is to experience the people and culture. Chuck

[shoej]

Another interesting place in the DR that you might want to check out is Bayahibe. It's a small fishing town on the east side of the south coast, not too far east from La Romana. Best sunsets I've seen in my life, and I've seen the sun set in a few places. Also a nice spot to anchor in for a few weeks and enjoy some snorkeling or scuba. The only downside is that it's a popular send-off point for scuba and seatours, so you'll get lots of busloads of tourists showing up most days to head out for both. That activity only happens in the mornings and late afternoons when they return, other than that you pretty much have the area to yourself and a few others anchored there.

Using Luperon as a base while you explore the rest of the island is a great idea. Don't be afraid to hop in a gua gua (private car used as a taxi, multiple passengers, mostly fixed points) and get around that way. They are super cheap and a great way to experience one aspect of what it is like to live life in the DR.

[ASIMPLELIFE]

Currently we are in Grenada heading back north. We spent seven months in Luperon and had a blast. The problem with the bay is that During the rainy season all the garbage from the mountains end up in the bay. It only last for about a week and then the tides clear it out. Still I wouldn't swim in the bay. There are great beaches nearby. The people of Luperon are simply fantastic. They are simple people. As for the corruption we did not experience any of it because when we were there they had a good Commandante. He has moved on. As with any developing country they don't pay the officials that well so they try to get a little on the side to survive. Just accept it it's the norm.$ 10.00 to us is nothing. To them it's food for a week. We rented a car for three months and saw almost everything. Don't just sit in the bay and drink all day you will have plenty of time to do that in the islands that cost you an arm and a leg. Check out our pics on www.asimplelife.us

[Agape39]

We are currently in Luperon waiting on our weather window to PR. Did not experience any corruption from officials, did not even inspect boat. Cost to clear in was $130 USD as expected. The locals are fantastic, helpful and friendly. We are leaving in a day or so but will return on the way north. Like the last post said, don't just hang on your boat, go explore, much to see.we rented motoconchos and rode to Puerto Plata, the falls and all over for $12.00 a day. Although make sure you use a reputable source for the bikes, ours kept breaking down. Made it interesting getting going again since I speak no spanish😜!


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[ASIMPLELIFE]

Originally Posted by Agape39

We are currently in Luperon waiting on our weather window to PR. Did not experience any corruption from officials, did not even inspect boat. Cost to clear in was $130 USD as expected. The locals are fantastic, helpful and friendly. We are leaving in a day or so but will return on the way north. Like the last post said, don't just hang on your boat, go explore, much to see.we rented motoconchos and rode to Puerto Plata, the falls and all over for $12.00 a day. Although make sure you use a reputable source for the bikes, ours kept breaking down. Made it interesting getting going again since I speak no spanishdde1c!

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I'm glad to hear that this season is as good as the last. Tell everyone we will stop back in on our way north. Bring on the baseball and the Presidente.

[Agape39]

Need to update, I guess the comandante likes us so much they will not let us leave! He says weather is bad, really, your gunna tell a seasoned sailor how to read the weather? There must be something else going on! Oh well, could be stuck in a worse place! PS GILL says hi.


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