Anonymous wrote:I went to an all inclusive in Punta Cana last year with some friends. (Zika/Zilara Cap Cana) The resort is safe, the workers there were kind and wonderful, but I would not leave it. I also think your plan to fly directly to Punta Cana is good. We made the mistake of flying into Santo Domingo which is 2 hours drive from Punta Cana. We hired a reputable transport service for this and they were very good.
Santo Domingo definitely felt very unsafe - we were fine inside of our locked van, but there were vagabonds everywhere in the street, and the roads were very tight at some points (quite dangerous for all the people on motorbikes). As a white-passing tourist I would never walk around in the open.
I also can’t say great things about the Santo Domingo airport, it was very chaotic and the security guards randomly snatched my friend’s passport + luggage from her when she was going through security, leaving her stranded with us for 30 minutes. We found out it was a drug test only because a kind Spanish speaking tourist argued with the guards for a while to find out what was going on, and we eventually saw the dog sniffing her luggage.
Go enjoy your vacation OP, but use common sense, fly to Punta Cana, and keep a lookout! All inclusives are so fun - relaxing, enjoyable, lots of good food, without worrying about the nickel and diming that non-all inclusive vacations will inevitably have.
Wow, you should probably just stay home in the future. Such horrible stereotyping and xenophobia in this post! Santo Domingo is a fascinating and historically interesting city that should not be missed. We felt safe there at all times, day and night, and enjoyed it very much. Please get a grip PP.