Winter trip

Which "Mike" are you referring to? If it is Mike in Sosua, I doubt it. It would be a more than five hundred mile (500) trip.This is a big island.10 Puerto Ricos' would fit in just the DR part. Renting a car is a good idea for exloring the areas you are interested in.. Sosua is only 6 miles west of Cabarete & another 14 to Puerta Plata.  The beauty of the land, sea & mountains is spectacular.  One of the mountains is over 10,000 feet high.Ask many questions of the folks on the forum. The answers are here.  Contact Michael McDermott. Pretty sure he could arrange a driver to pick you up at the airport.

So we can shuttle from Santo Domingo to the Samana airport for $160 witch I think is
a pretty good price, would the Samana airport be a good place to rent a car? My wife
has been ready a lot of threads about the DR and is wondering if the DR is worth it when
she reads about the locals and what the police can do to the foreigners, it raises my
concerns too.

Welcome to the forums. Sounds like a great exploratory trip!!! 

There are a number of recommended drivers on here. Let's see who we can connect you with!

It is well worth it. It is a beautiful country.

You are right to do your homework. Renting a car and driving the country side will be more challenging there than other places you may have been. But, it can be done with care, planning, and being mindful of your surroundings.

I have never shuttled from SD to Samana but $160 per person sounds pretty fair to me. Might be a little high but you will be in unfamiliar country. It would be good to have it all arranged ahead of time. (Just my opinions by the way )

Keep in mind that the car will needed to be returned, so you might have to backtrack? And research insurance. Car and international travel health insurance. You definitely need car and health is well worth the money. Anthem has a product called Geo Trekker for international trip travel insurance.

I hope your trip goes well. We are also checking out Samana during our next trip.

160 per person sounds expensive to me too!  Where did that number come from???

The taxi sindicate, SICHALA, at Las Americas airport(SDQ) used to charge US200 for a transfer to Las Terrenas but they do now have an advanced booking format so it might be less. From LT to SDQ you will pay US200. The taxi driver I use for airport transfers would probably charge 6000 pesos but note the tolls each way add up to over 1000 (5500 each way from Santo Domingo West to Punta Cana (PUJ) including tolls). In that regard a private transfer at US160 seems about right.

Depending on your flight arrival time don't rule out hiring your car at Las Americas airport. The drive from the airport to Las Terrenas is one of the easiest two hour drives you could find. Again you have to think about your return to meet you outgoing flight. Airport hires through the main car hire agencies can be dropped off at other airports on departure.

Lennox I read that it was  US 160 PER PERSON!  Okay if it is one but NOT okay if more.

Normal care & not being an idiot will go a long way towards a great informative fun trip. People write about scary things. Many times it is just a very rare incident. Cops due not go out of their way to harass gringos, just the opposite. True that there are cheats & scammers in the tourist areas. No moreso than any other countries.  What kind of shuttle?  If a plane, not a bad price. Ground transport? a rip off.  The worst thing that I've found here after many years is.......... the locally made toilet paper ain't soft!  Pay the extra & buy Scotts.  Too bad all the people with great experiences don't write as often as the complainers.  Give me a call when in Sosua.

planner wrote:

Lennox I read that it was  US 160 PER PERSON!  Okay if it is one but NOT okay if more.

Agreed. It should be for the trip at that price irrespective of how many passengers.

Ask for a quote from the Ministry of Tourism authorized SDQ taxi company at email below (the yellow coats):

[email protected]

http://www.aerodom.com/app/do/f-taxi.aspx

And there are plenty more companies providing transfers from SDQ to be found on the web.

Agreed Lennox.

Tinker there is no air shuttle.

And yes in tourist areas some police DO target gringos!  To say otherwise is misleading.

Best practice, respect the law. Don't give a reason to get pulled over. If you do, only speak English and act like a dumb tourist!!! 

Bruce Nagel wrote:

So we can shuttle from Santo Domingo to the Samana airport for $160 witch I think is
a pretty good price, would the Samana airport be a good place to rent a car? My wife
has been ready a lot of threads about the DR and is wondering if the DR is worth it when
she reads about the locals and what the police can do to the foreigners, it raises my
concerns too.

I see it as a price for the trip...and that price seems normal from the ;little I know.

Renting at SDQ and returning to SDQ is possible
The turn for the Samana toll road is a bit tricky
You'll need pesos for the tolls...
The driving is easier on this this route than most... but still different

All depends on your itinerary... if you need a car full time?

and No, I would not rent at the Samana airport (AZS)....
No comparison to the SDQ service

Oh !! get WAZE for directions