Santo Domingo Tour from Macao

This was a great way to see Santo Domingo and other parts of the Dominican landscape. While the tour was heavy with auditory information, the places we visited and people met were amazing! In fact, it was a nice compliment to the Laguna Limon VIP tour (a smaller, more village-look at the DR) , I took the previous day! Thank you for a great stay in the DR.

The tour of Santo Domingo was well beyond expectation! We were picked up at our hotels on a timely basis at the pre-determined time. And off we went for a memorable day! To learn of the history and experience the culture was great, and the tour guide was entertaining while sharing his knowledge. AND, the value for how we were exposed to the history and culture was what was really incredible. We went down into the Cave of the 4 Lakes. So beautiful and admission paid! The buffet lunch (included) of typical and delicious Dominican foods included a dance show that was totally spectacular! All the entry fees to the various palaces and cathedrals were also included in the tour price. Not to mention the price included 4 tolls each way between Punta Cana and Santo Domingo. Lastly, the tour guide had pre-arranged for special Dominican cheese and bread, as well as a dessert, that he picked up for us to enjoy on the bus on the way back to our various hotels. The full tour took approximately 10-11 hours. Definitely set aside one day to take this tour!

The scenery along the drive from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo alone was almost worth trip. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided narratives in both Spanish and English. He provided a running commentary on the sites and features of the countryside during the drive, as well as detailed histories of the specific sites visited in Santo Domingo. The van we rode in was comfortable, and the driver safe. Be prepared to spend a little money along the way at the tourist shops.

The tour was wounderful from start to finish. The tour guide knew several languages and that made it easier for several people in the bus that spoke french, german,english and spanish. The cave,columbus mansion,Dominican style lunch buffet and impressive cultural dance and walking around calle las damas was wonderful..We also taste rum Barcelo,cocunut,casabe with cheese. negative or suggestion:I wish we would have time to see or go inside the columbus monument instead of driving by. Cutting the time at shopping.

Pros: -Excellent way to see the sites of Santo Domingo & learn about the history -Knowledgeable guide (Gregory) -Easy access to sites (already paid & arranged by tour group) -Tres Ojos cave excellent add-on -Clean bus Cons: -Long day of travel (3 hours round trip) -Too much time allotted for shopping -Somewhat of a "fish-bowl" experience (very touristy, but clearly we expected this) Comments: -There's a lot of walking on this tour so be prepared -At the Cathedral, they give you a wrap if you have worn shorts (no need to wear pants) -You stop once each way where you can use the restroom/buy snacks

We went on the Santo Domingo and Isla Catalina Excursions. Both were great. They were all day tours. The staff was fun and professional. I never felt unsafe. We did everything that is in the website tour descriptions. I was a little bit disappointed with the Santo Domingo shopping. I thought we'd be able to walk around the town a bit and walk into shops of our choice but they only take you to one place to shop. When we were on our Santo Domingo excursion, there were some rude tourists from Portugal on the bus. They seemed to think that the bus seats had their name on them. They made a HUGE stink when after visiting an area and got back on the bus, I sat where their child had sat previously. They were yelling and screaming at the poor driver (Alberto) in Portuguese and he didn't even know what they were saying. Keep in mind when you go on these tours that the bus seats are open to anyone. Of course if you leave your belongings on your seat, it's common sense you will sit there again. But not if the seat is vacant. These drivers and tour guides work very hard. No need to get ugly. You're on vacation! Have fun! Please don't forget to TIP!!!!

Muchas Gracias Por Todo !! Todo estuvo muy bien en nuestra estadía, y en cuanto al tour a Santo Domingo las chicas quedaron fascinadas !!

Last month we booked a day trip to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana through Punta Cana Tours. Overall we were delighted with the way the day went. It was a long day but we knew to expect that. We were picked up from our hotel very early in the morning. We were the last pick up stop (Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel) which also meant we were the first to be dropped off in the evening. Both ways we stopped at a small food and souvenir market which was very helpful as they also had clean toilets. You were under no pressure whatsoever to make any purchases although most people did pick up a drink and snack. We made a few different stops to visit the historical attractions as listed on the itinerary all of which were very interesting. The last stop was in the centre of Santo Domingo. One of the requirements of our trip was that we could visit the Hard Rock Cafe in Santo Domingo and the cathedral is opposite it. After our little group had been to the cathedral there was a free 45 minutes to wander and do souvenir shopping so we used this time to make our cafe visit. Our guide was fantastic. He spoke 4 different languages so everyone in the group could understand – English, Spanish, Italian and French. The small coach was air-conditioned and as a comfortable as it could be on the Dominican Republic roads! Overall from initial enquiry to the day of our trip the communication from punta cana tours was great and we would have no hesitation in recommending them. Visiting from London, UK