If you want to tour along the coast, you can rent a car on-site at the car-rental desks of all the major resorts. Driving laws, habits, and conditions may be different from the ones you are used to. Oftentimes a car is not necessary as many visitors are resort-bound at their all-inclusive hotels

If you’re feeling adventurous, the local buses are available for a minimal cost. However, the bus schedule is irregular and typically crowded, and at times, the vehicles are potentially unsafe. Generally speaking, it is not recommended to use as a means of transportation.

In the Dominican Republic, you can purchase and consume alcoholic beverages from the age of 18. This means that bars will not admit anyone under 18, even when accompanied by parents or an adult.

The Dominican Republic is surrounded by over 1,000 miles of coastline on its north, east, and southern borders, and the climate is tropical. Noontime temperatures range from 80°F to 90°F, and can fall to 64°F to 73°F during the winter.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and extends to November 30. In the Dominican Republic, these are the summer and early fall seasons when the weather is sunny and humid, with some cloudiness and occasional rain showers in the late afternoon or at night. Historically, most hurricanes have occurred in the month of September. If you plan on traveling during these months, we recommend you buy travel insurance.

Resort staff is trained in handling hurricane situations, and resort buildings today are equipped to withstand hurricane-force winds. You should also take note that the Dominican Republic is a large country which means that while one coast may be affected, another may be completely unscathed by a storm.

You won’t have any problems communicating in the Dominican Republic. Dominicans are very friendly and even if they do not speak your language, they will help you find someone who can or find a way to communicate. In the big cities, as well as in most tourist destinations, staff in hotels, restaurants, and tourist areas, as well as tour guides understand and speak English, in addition to other languages. Fluency is less common in the villages and countryside, but they will still make out the basics and help you find your way. We recommend you get a good guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, please, thank you, excuse me and numbers 1-10.

The Dominican Republic continues to be one of the countries with the lowest crime rates in the region. Common sense rules, however, and it’s best to take precautions just as you would when visiting any new country or large city in the world. Don’t flash your valuables, such as smartphones and cameras–use them discreetly when you are away from tourist areas. Leave the jewelry at home, dress simply, and don’t wander down isolated streets during the day or night.

No, it is not safe to drink the tap water in the DR, as it is not purified. Always drink bottled water, available in abundance at your resort or in the neighborhood stores and supermarkets.

If your cell phone is on the GSM network, you can use it. However, your roaming costs will be high. Your best option is to bring an unlocked phone, and purchase a SIM card here to have a local number – you can obtain one with your passport ID, and activate it at any of the telecommunications companies in the DM, including Claro and Altice. The SIM card costs less than $5 US, and you will need to purchase additional phone credit for calls, at your discretion.

The local time zone is Eastern Caribbean Time. In the winter this is one hour ahead of Eastern Time. The Dominican Republic does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

The currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso. The most convenient currency to take with you is US dollars, which you can change to pesos once you arrive.

Many tourist destinations, including restaurants, bars, department stores, souvenir shops, and supermarkets tend to accept dollars, though you will receive a less favorable rate than at the banks. Many places also accept major credit cards. That said, most prices in the Dominican Republic are in Dominican pesos. If you plan to make a big purchase in small shops and markets, negotiate first with the seller who may be interested in receiving the payment in American dollars. Prices are fixed, however, in supermarkets and shopping mall stores. Your best bet is to use an ATM to withdraw local currency at the best daily exchange rate.

Tipping: It is widely practiced throughout the country. Many restaurants will add a 10% service charge on the bill. Tips are commonly given to taxi drivers, hotel maids, tour guides, etc.

Taxes: The ITBIS (Impuesto sobre Transferencia de Bienes Industrializados y Servicios or the value-added tax for transferring industrial goods and services) is 18% and is applied to most purchases. In restaurants, bars, and hotels, a further 10% is automatically added as a service charge.

Dominican food is very diverse. In the morning, sample mangú (green plantains, boiled and mashed) with eggs, fried cheese, and fried salami–the traditional Dominican breakfast. At midday, la bandera dominicana (Dominican flag) is the typical lunch plate with rice, red kidney beans, a meat stew, and tostones–mashed and double-fried green plantains. Also popular are chicharrón or pork rinds, locrio de pollo or fried rice with chicken, mofongo–plantain mound with deep fried pork or shrimp, and garlic, fish in coconut sauce, stewed crab and conch, roasted or stewed goat with boiled cassava, and sancocho (a seven-meat stew) accompanied by avocado for dinner. And of course, don’t forget to try cassava bread, and queso de hoja -an artisanal cow’s milk cheese.

Dominican desserts are popular as well–sample grated coconut in cream, sweet beans, sour milk desserts, orange sweets, milk sweets, papaya and pineapple desserts, and guava and cashew paste soaked in syrup. Tropical fruit juices abound, often made into fruit milkshakes or batidas: passion fruit, guava, pineapple, orange, strawberry, mango, mandarin, and papaya.

Don’t miss out on tasting fresh sugar cane juice from one of the fields located throughout the country. You should also sample Dominican coconut water from one of the hundreds of coconut groves and forest – you will love the Dominican coconut’s delicious, thick pulp.

There are various shops along the beachfront of each resort. These shops are owned and operated by the locals. Shopping outside of the resort complex in Punta Cana/Bavaro can be an adventure. In most shopping plazas, you can expect to be approached by one or more friendly, but insistent salespersons. The people of the Dominican Republic love to bargain. You can expect that once in one of their stores you will be taken for a ride. You will initially be quoted ridiculously outrageous prices. It is recommended and expected by the shopkeeper for customers to bargain, which can be an ordeal as they argue over prices.

When walking along the beach vendors will solicit your business. It can be annoying as they will keep pestering you until you come and look at what they have to offer. Tell them that you are not interested and keep walking. The best way of letting the locals know that you are not interested is to tell them that you have no money. The people of the Dominican Republic are very friendly and are offended when you walk past them with no acknowledgment of their presence. A simple `no, thank you` may sometimes work, but in most cases, they will not take no for an answer and will continue to harass you.

Do not buy dried animals (turtle shells, sea shells, etc.) for the reason that it is illegal and you will not be allowed to bring them through customs, and also, this cruelty towards animals should be discouraged. Reef life should stay in the sea, so help to preserve these endangered animals by buying other types of souvenirs.

Dial 911 in an emergency.

Hospitals:

Centro Medico Caribe Bavaro (Bavaro, Plaza Brisas de Bavaro, Suite 207), +1 809 552-1415. Bilingual staff for out-patient medical attention. Open 24/7 for emergencies.

Centro Medico Punta Cana (Near Plaza Bavaro and the local bus terminal), +1 809 552-1506. Open 24/7 for emergencies. Multilingual staff and in-house pharmacy.

Hospiten Bavaro (Near the airport), +1 809 686-1414. Multilingual staff and a fully-equipped facility is available 24/7 for emergencies.