Planning a Trip

Getting There

The airport is the Puerto Plata International Gregorio Luperón Airport, lying 11km (7 miles) east of Playa Dorada. American Eagle (tel. 800/433-7300 in the U.S. and Canada; www.aa.com) has daily 2-hour flights from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Puerto Plata. Flights cost from US$170 to US$398 per person round-trip from San Juan to Puerto Plata. American Airlines also flies daily from Miami (2 hr., 10 min.) and from New York (3 1/2 hr.). Most of the Puerto Plata resorts are about a 40-minute drive from the airport.

From Santo Domingo, the 3 1/2-hour drive directly north on Autopista Duarte passes through the lush Cibao Valley, home of the tobacco industry and Bermudez rum, and through Santiago de los Caballeros, the second-largest city in the country, 145km (90 miles) north of Santo Domingo.

Takeoff Destination Service S.A. (tel. 809/552-1333; www.takeoffweb.com) no longer offers regularly scheduled flights from such Dominican destinations as Santo Domingo or Punta Cana. Today, it's necessary to call and make arrangements for flights, which can be chartered and shared with others to cut costs.

It's a rough ride if you take a bus to reach Puerto Plata, and you might share it with some chickens. Caribe Express, corner of José Eugenio Conjas, Plaza Caribe (tel. 809/586-6796), offers service between Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata, passing through Santiago en route. Travel time from Santo Domingo to Santiago takes about 2 hours. From here, it will require an additional 90 minutes for ongoing passage to Puerto Plata. Buses run back and forth between the three cities every day between 6am and 7pm (last departures). Metro Buses, Calle 16 de Agosto, corner of Calle Beller (tel. 809/586-6062), also runs buses from Santo Domingo and Santiago to Puerto Plata (or vice versa) daily at the same times. A one-way fare from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata costs RD$215.

Getting Around

Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 in the U.S. and Canada, or 809/586-0214; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/472-3325 in the U.S. and Canada, or 809/586-0413; www.budget.com), and Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 in the U.S. and Canada, or 809/586-0200; www.hertz.com) all have offices at the airport.

You probably won't need to rent a car, however, if you're staying at one of the all-inclusive resorts. You might just like to get around Puerto Plata by motor scooter, although the roads are potholed. You can rent a scooter at the guest services kiosk at just about any large hotel in Puerto Plata.

Minivans are another means of transport, especially if you're traveling outside town. They leave from Puerto Plata's Central Park and will take you all the way to Sosúa. Determine the fare before getting in. Usually a shared ride between Puerto Plata and Sosúa costs RD$45 to RD$60 per person. Service is daily 6am to 9pm.

If you take a taxi, agree with the driver on the fare before your trip starts, as cabs are not metered. You'll find taxis in Central Park in Puerto Plata. At night, it's wise to rent your cab for a round-trip. If you go in the daytime by taxi to any of the other beach resorts or villages, check on reserving a vehicle for your return trip. A taxi from Puerto Plata to Sosúa will cost around RD$600 each way (for up to four occupants).

Visitor Information

There's an Office of Tourism in Central Park (tel. 809/586-3676; www.infopuertoplata.com/guide.htm). Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 3pm.

Fast Facts

Round-the-clock drugstore service is offered by Farmacia Deleyte, Calle John F. Kennedy 89 (tel. 809/586-2583). Emergency medical service in Puerto Plata is provided by Clínica Dr. Brugal, Calle José del Carmen Ariza 15 (tel. 809/586-2519). Medical services are also provided at Hospital Clínica Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, Av. 27 de Febrero 21 (tel. 809/586-1166), maintaining 24-hour emergency service. The Clínica Dental, also in Puerto Plata, is at Av. Juan Pablo Duarte 80, Galerías Las Bromelias 33 (tel. 809/971-5689). In addition, there is also Servi-Med, Plaza La Criolla, Sosuá (tel. 809/571-0964), and Servi-Med at Calle Principal in Cabarete (tel. 809/571-0964). To summon the police in Puerto Plata, Calle Luis Ginêbra, call tel. 809/586-2331. If you need to visit in person, the address is Calle Luis Ginêbra 14. The office of the local Western Union is at Playa Plaza Dorada (tel. 809/320-2501), open daily from 8am to 9:45pm.

Because so many Canadian visitors descend on Puerto Plata annually, that country has opened a consulate at Virginia e Ortea, Edificio Isabel de Torres (Ste. 311-C) at Puerto Plata (tel. 809/586-5761), Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm.

The U.K. Consulate is at Beller 51 (tel. 809/586-4244; www.fco.gov.uk), open Monday to Friday 8:15am to 12:30pm. The U.S. Consulate is at César Nicolas Penson (tel. 809/221-2171; http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/ca_pp-e.html), open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4pm.

For Internet access, go to SR Systems, Carretera Puerto Plata and Maimon (tel. 809/320-1603), where the charge is RD$175 for 30 minutes.

For money exchange or banks with ATMs, head for Banco BHD, Calle San Felipe (tel. 809/320-7919; Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm; or Banco del Progreso, Calle Beller 33 (tel. 809/320-0504; www.progreso.com), open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 3pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm.