DR/Luperon Fees

[zboss]

Hi,

I was perusing the customs site for Luperon and I stumbled upon a page that says they charge .70 cents ft/day so for us staying a month on the hook would be around $800 USD... am I reading this correctly?

Customs

[svadagio]

That is .70 there money. About $20.00US/month for 42 foot.
Bob

[zboss]

Originally Posted by svadagio

That is .70 there money. About $20.00US/month for 42 foot.
Bob

The bottom of the page says "Prices in $ US" on the left column where it mentions .70

[svadagio]

We were just there. Paid that fee and a lot more. It is not my favorite place.

[zboss]

Why did you not like luperon?


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[Crew of Turning]

A very good blog written by Canadian trekkers that spent time there this past May 014. Go to SV KindofMagic.

[svadagio]

High fees for anchoring, water, trash etc. plus the entrance fees. Sewage stench so strong in the morning it makes you sick. Very little to do or available in Luperon.
Bob

[shantycrew]

We have stayed here all summer and paid $20 for our 40ft ketch. Papu delivers water to your boat @ 5 pesos a gallon or drinking water at 50 pesos. He also delivers gasoline and will clean the bottom for $1 per foot. Take your trash to town dock for disposal. Only time we had sewage smells was after a long bout of heavy rain. JRs tropical bistro the cruisers favourite bar/with good food, quiz night wed. films Friday, live music Saturdays, Wndys bar across the street kareoke Friday, films tuesday, or Petulas on the edge of town for more gourmet type meals, lots of characters, fun place to hang out for a while in a beautiful country.
Luperon, at last real life again | Sailors to seadogs

[zboss]

That's great to hear. The DR is off the list for this year... maybe next.

Have you met Tullum III with Elise and Rudolph? They are also in Luperon and having a great time this year.

[Canibul]

Sounds like it's more a place for boaters who love the social scene. Those types are good to go wherever they are, as long as they can find a group of like minded people.

Might be a bit different for those who shun social groups. We've been interested for a while, since it's only about a hundred and fifty miles south of us. We have lots of local friends here in Turks and Caicos who come from DR and others who like to visit. Sounds like a nice place to us, as a country. I was planning to go there for some dental work, in fact.

But the reports I get from Luperon vary widely from "Oh boy we had a great party at...." all the way to "stinking brown river with junk on the bottom to foul your anchor, and mosquitos."

One friend came back three months ago and has been fighting Chikengunya fever ever since.
And that friend is Bob, who owns South Side Marina in Provo if any of you know him.

[Agape39]

We are leaving Florida tomorrow, enroute to DR. This post made my mind up on going through the windward instead and raise DR from the south side.....


..........__/)


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[zboss]

Originally Posted by Canibul

But the reports I get from Luperon vary widely from "Oh boy we had a great party at...." all the way to "stinking brown river with junk on the bottom to foul your anchor, and mosquitos."

The truth is probably both.

[pete33458]

My experience with Luperon was . I would only go back in an emergency. The people were nice enough, but no competent anything, anywhere, private, commercial, or government. Of course when you go to many places you are not expecting much, but minimal levels of proficiency and/or professionalism don't seem to be too much to ask. As I've mentioned before, we watched a trawler slowly sink while everyone sat on the dock and scratched. Guys fighting and giving us threatening looks about who we were going to buy fuel from. etc. I know some people go there and love it (some go there and never leave), but I will give it a big pass for all of eternity.

We went down the road to Ocean World Marina/Cofresi, there was someone on site to repair a sail, customs/immigration/Navy on site, good fuel, water, etc. Large city (Puerto Plata) nearby. Much better IMHO.

Oh, as to the original question, we found Luperon to be extremely cheap, can't remember exact costs.

Pete

[RTB]

I wonder if, for most cruisers, the DR is their first landfall in a Developing World (other than the Bahamas)? If you wanted it like home, you could have stayed there.

Bruce Van Sant has much to say about the DR. He offers "Cruisers in the DR contribute comparatively little to such an economy, therefore the situation in the DR harbors won't change soon. Enjoy your stay, but don't waste your time grousing about the conditions of harbors. Undeveloped ports grow rare for the cruiser. Enjoy the DR's while they last."

From reading other's points of view, it's either a love or hate experience. Maybe the negative comments mostly pertain to only Luperon, and not the DR in general?

We hope to give it a try in the near future.

Ralph

[pete33458]

Originally Posted by RTB

I wonder if, for most cruisers, the DR is their first landfall in a Developing World (other than the Bahamas)? If you wanted it like home, you could have stayed there.

Bruce Van Sant has much to say about the DR. He offers "Cruisers in the DR contribute comparatively little to such an economy, therefore the situation in the DR harbors won't change soon. Enjoy your stay, but don't waste your time grousing about the conditions of harbors. Undeveloped ports grow rare for the cruiser. Enjoy the DR's while they last."

From reading other's points of view, it's either a love or hate experience. We hope to give it a try in the near future.

Ralph

If you are referring to my post, the answer is no, it was not my first landfall in the "developing" world other than the Bahamas. Also, Van Sant lives in Luperon (or at least has a home there), so his perspective should be taken with a grain of salt...

pete