Notes

The most convenient modes of transport are shuttle flights, taxis, rental cars, públicos (multi-passenger taxis), and guaguas (public buses). The quickest and easiest way to get across a difficult landscape is on one of the shuttle flights offered by Air Century.
A taxi in Punta Cana can cost you anywhere from USD 10 to a whopping USD 80. The cost depends on the driving distance between your departure and arrival points. There are fixed price fares for airport to hotel rides but in general, taxis are quite expensive in Punta Cana unlike in the rest of DR.
Motorbike taxis are popular among locals in the big cities like Santo Domingo or Puerto Plata, and even Jarabacoa, because they are the cheapest and fastest way to get past traffic.
For the traditional Uber, the base fare starts with 35 Dominican pesos (US $ 0.7), 4 Dominican pesos per minute of travel (US $ 0.08) 10 Dominican pesos per Kilometer (US $ 0.2), adding all these factors you will get the rate of your trip.
Taxi services in Punta Cana are safe and common, but make sure to set a price before taking a ride. You can book a taxi at hubs at the airport and at most resorts, shopping venues, and attractions. They have fixed rates, which are displayed on a white board in the outer arrival's hall.
Taxis, excursion vendors, and restaurants will all accept USD and usually have the same rate as the bank.

Health

The standards of Dominican health care vary widely from institution to institution, even in the capital. Some hospitals don’t properly sterilize operating rooms and there are a good number of frauds among the ranks of private doctors. But there are also a number of excellent institutions where you can get high-quality medical care. In emergencies you can dial t 911 for ambulance and emergency medical care. No specific inoculations are required but it’s strongly recommended that you be up to date with your Hepatitis A vaccination in particular, which is not unheard of in the DR and can be contracted more casually than other forms of hepatitis (eg contaminated drinking water). In general, you should do as the locals do and don’t drink the water. Stick with bottled water for both drinking and brushing your teeth. For longer stays you can buy purified water in four-gallon jugs; if you return the bottle for deposit when you’re done, it will cost you only RD$40.

There have been occasional reports of malaria and dengue fever in the Dominican Republic, though the risk of becoming infected is still quite low. Check with your doctor about the necessity of malaria pills; most people don’t bother because of the extremely low rate of incidence. If you do opt on the side of caution, pay the extra cash and use malarone, as it has few side effects and will not interfere with your enjoyment of the trip.

HIV is a particular concern, as it is around the world. Roughly one percent of the population between the ages of 15–42 is hiv positive, and the rate among sex workers is twenty times higher than that. Unprotected sex with a stranger is a bad idea, period, and condoms are readily available. Swimming in or drinking from rivers and streams also has risks, particularly the dreaded Giardia, a bacterium that causes stomach upset, fever and diarrhoea, and Schistosomiasis, a freshwater flatworm that can penetrate unbroken skin; both are treatable with antibiotics.
Insurance

It is a sound idea to take out travel insurance coverage to cover against theft, loss and illness or injury. Before paying for a new policy, however, it’s worth checking whether you are already covered: some all-risks home insurance policies may cover your possessions when overseas and many private medical schemes include cover when abroad. In Canada, provincial health plans usually provide partial cover for medical mishaps overseas, while holders of official student/teacher/youth cards in Canada and the US are entitled to meagre accident coverage and hospital in-patient benefits.

Students in the US will often find that their student health coverage extends during the vacations and for one term beyond the date of last enrolment.

After checking out the possibilities above, you might want to contact a specialist travel insurance company. A typical travel insurance policy usually provides cover for the loss of baggage, tickets and – up to a certain limit – cash or cheques, as well as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most of them exclude so-called dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid: in the Dominican Republic this can mean scuba diving, whitewater rafting, windsurfing and trekking, though probably not kayaking or jeep safaris.
Internet

Virtually every town in the Dominican Republic has public internet access by way of phone centres, internet cafés and wi-fi access in restaurants, and from most mid-range and luxury hotels; the latter also tend to have at least one computer available for guests. Connection speed is not a problem in the DR, and you’ll find using high-bandwidth services like Skype relatively easy. The going rate is typically RD$30 per 30min.

For unlimited Wi-Fi on the go whilst travelling Dominican Republic, buy a Skyroam Solis, which works in 130+ countries at one flat daily rate, paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis. You can connect up to five devices at once. Prices start from as little as €5 a day.
Laundry

Hotels typically offer laundry service and there are laundrettes in the major cities of the DR. These days, it’s normal to have to pay per item, with the following prices a rough guide to what you should expect: trousers RD$20, men’s shirt RD$15, blouses RD$20, underwear RD$5 and socks RD$5.
Living in the Dominican Republic

Many foreigners work in the tourism industry as adventure sport instructors or reps for all-inclusive resorts; most of these people work illegally on a tourist card, as it’s phenomenally expensive and time-consuming to obtain an official work permit. If you’re at a North American college, it’s worth checking whether your school is one of the many to operate an exchange programme with the Catholic University in Santiago.
Mail

Dominican correos, or post offices, are notoriously slow; even if you use special delivery (highly recommended) you’ll still have to allow at least three weeks for your postcard or letter to reach North America and at least a month for it to reach Europe or Australasia. Postage costs RD$5 to North America, RD$8 elsewhere. You can cut these delivery times by as much as a week if you use the central correos in Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata or Santiago, which have specific special-delivery windows; look for the “entrega especial” sign. Sending packages is unreliable (damage and theft are frequent) and not recommended unless absolutely necessary; if you must send parcels, bring them unsealed to the post office for inspection. Whatever you do, don’t use the postal boxes that you’ll see on the streets of many towns – you’ll be lucky if the mail is picked up once a month – and don’t ever send money or other valuables. A private postal service operates in Cabarete and Las Terrenas.

The most convenient way to receive mail is to have it sent to your hotel, though most post offices have a reasonably reliable lista de correos, where mail is held for you for up to four weeks, for a charge of RD$10 per letter. Bring your passport (or a photocopy) when picking up mail and make sure that correspondents address letters to you under your name as it appears on your passport.
Money

There are two distinct economies within the Dominican Republic, the US dollar economy of the all-inclusive hotels and tour operators and that of the official Dominican currency, the peso (RD$). Throughout most of the country, you will have to change any foreign currency into pesos in order to conduct transactions. At the all-inclusive resorts and other foreign-owned tourism companies, though, all prices will be quoted in US dollars and Dominican pesos are accepted reluctantly – and at a poor rate.

Today the peso floats freely against the dollar, which means that there’s some variation in exchange rate from day to day.

ATM machines are available across the country, even in fairly small towns. Visa and MasterCard are accepted in major cities and tourist destinations, and Amex is accepted in most large hotels and resorts, but when travelling in the countryside, expect to pay in pesos.