[copycat]

Only been to Casa de Campo, and that's pretty upscale. It was $125 a day to play the "Teeth of the Dog."

When they say don't drink the water, they mean it.

[GeoPie]

I went their with my grandfather and family about 6 years ago. BEAUTIFUL! I forget the name of the place where we stayed, but it was very cheap and the service was first clsas. The people were great, food was awesome. Perfect if you like to just take it easy. Have fun!

[firebrand]

My daughter spent a semester in the DR. She would be on the phone with me from the student center and all of a sudden I would hear all this screaming in the background. "The electricity just went off." Apparently it happened often. Her family that she was staying with were wealthy and had their own generator.

I didn't realize how much she was not enjoying it until one day I remarked about how fast the time must be going by and she said, "Well, there are still forty-four and two-thirds days left." Her university canceled the Dominican program the next year.

[mamelukesabre]

I'm not too literate in spanish, but I think there's a rather unfortunate misspell in the second line.

[Stormyta]

The Dominican is a wonderfuly vacation area---they are completely self contained, except for oil---the fruit is just awesome. Try to find an all inclusive resort--they are by far the best. We also were invited to a party in the mountains and our bus got stopped on the way up as a molasses truck had overturned and there was no traction to get up the mountain, so we had to wait for the army to come and clear the road---all to make the trip more eventful. Go and enjoy---it is just super.

[finnigan2]

There is a charter travel service that offers direct air only and air plus hotel packages from north east Canada to Puerto Plata all winter. They rate their hotels on a five star system and people that have gone there tell me that any hotels that are four stars or better are very good but not to stay at anything lower if you don't want unpleasant surprises. Apparently, there are no problems with the natives and everyone likes the country. The two hotels listed by the charter service for Puerto Plata that they rate highly are:
1- Victoria House ( 5 stars)
2- Sosua Bay Hotel ( 4 1/2 stars)
If you want to see pictures of these hotels and the others, go to : http//gotraveldirect.com

[BloomNTn]

Do you have to go to DR? It sounds like you would love St. John, USVI. It is beautiful. Most of the island is a national park.

You are planning your trip during HIGH season in the Caribbean and it will be a little more expensive. If you can change the date, you will find more bargains. The high season is from mid November until April. St. John is my favorite Caribbean island, but it is expensive. Cruises are the best vacation value and you can check out several islands during one trip.

Good luck. You can find some great cruise deals on the internet. The cruise line websites don't usually offer the best deals.

[Jean S]

I've been to Casa de Campa twice on the all inclusive package. We rented a villa and it as worth every penny.