Best place to stay in Dominican Republic

[Dollychris]

Hello, Can anyone suggest the best place to stay in the Dominican Republic where there is access to shops etc., without travelling for ever! Last time we stayed in Bahia Principe in San Juan and the hotel was great but we were so far away from everything! We did go on a few trips but it took so long to travel to our trip start point it deterred us from doing it again. No shops, hardly anything surrounding the hotel or within a sensible travelling distance. Someone mentioned a different part of Dom Rep where there were shopping malls and it was busier. Can anyone suggest somewhere please? Many thanks.

[v64paul]

any of the iberostars, have stayed at the costa dorada twice and never been dissapointed.

[nickmo]

How do you want to travel - package or can you make arrangements yourself?

Personally I'd recommend the south - Boca Chica is nice - one link for info : http://www.bocachicabeach.net and loads of others around on the web too..

Lots of local character, pleasant but busy small town, not over developed and used to tourists too, good beaches (sheltered by a lagoon and reef) , wide choice of places to stay - all inc or b&b, excellent diving and good base for excursions around the south and east... and close to Santo Domingo by cheap taxi for the shopping.....

Hope this helps

[pinkcowprint]

hi,i stayed in playa dorado,peurto plata(not sure thats spelt right)in the hotel occidental allegro playa dorado.it was fab,not far from airport and its like a village ,you can walk to a few different hotels and theres a golf course with bar and restaurant,theres also a shopping mall that sells everything,really cheap!!theres a couple of bars in there where you can watch sport if you fancy and also a pizza hut which is sooo cheap compared to here!we had a really good time and didnt feel caged in like some other resorts.you can even go into peurto plata town but its a bit scary so may be better on a trip to see it yourself!jeep safari is ace do that if you can!

[Dollychris]

Thankyou v64paul, nickmo and pinkcowprint for the great advice. We did the package All inclusive when we went but are prepared to make our own arrangements if need be.
Your advice is very much apreciated and as we loved the Dom Rep I think we'll be going back now we know more savvy about areas and hotels to stay in.
To anyone going to San Juan the Bahia Principe was a lovely resort and would recommend to all except that it is a bit isolated.
Cheers all
x