Santo Domingo - World Class City

[joizy]

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating, but I have to say, this trip to Santo Domingo has opened my eyes to all it has to offer - aside from the big dicks. I encourage anyone looking for a culturally rich city with great restaurants and a perfect location to check it out. 

This is my 5th time here. My first time was almost 20 years ago. It was a stopover to get fucked, pig out at the Cine Lido and then go to Las Terrenas for some R&R. The past three times I’ve stayed at the Renaissance Jaragua because I like the pool and wanted to go someplace warm, but not crowded during peak winter travel season. I chose Santo Domingo because I figured most people who come to the DR go to the resorts, they don’t hang out in the capital. 

Here are a few things I discovered on this trip:

It’s better to come after New Year’s. My first trip to the Renaissance in 2019, I arrived on Christmas Day and stayed over New Year’s. The hotel got busier towards New Year’s Eve and they played loud music at the pool as NYE approached. It was not what I wanted. If you want a fiesta atmosphere and don’t mind crowds, by all means, come during the Christmas/NY holidays. If you want quiet, come after New Year’s. I think the hotel is at about 50% capacity now. You can probably get better rates even later in January while still getting good weather.

Chat GPT and Gemini are my travel companions now and they’ve helped me identify restaurants and things to do that a simple Google search could not. Today I had lunch in Meson de la Cava, a beautiful restaurant located in an actual cave in Mirador Sur (a park up the hill with amazing panoramic views). It was quite an experience. A little fancy for my simple tastes, but I had a nice glass of wine, a skirt steak, a Caesar salad, espresso and a coconut flan for about $70 USD. The other day I had fried rice with a piece of fried chicken and a bottle of water for $3 USD, so it balances out (I would love to have some more of that chicken - near Cine Lido).

Restaurants I enjoyed - 

Manolo - behind the Renaissance - excellent pork chops, classic old service from trained waiters, big TVs, informal seating on a patio, moderate prices.

Adrian Tropical - a very popular Dominican restaurant right on the water - a short walk from the Renaissance - typical Dominican dishes - mofongo, sancocho, grilled meats, juice, cocktails, etc. Slow service, but great location.

Meson de la Cava - upscale restaurant in a Cave that also has a large outdoor “jungle” patio. Gemini told me I’d be seated outside because I was going to wear shorts, but they led me inside to the elegant cave seating, and I saw at least one other person wearing shorts. Dinner service is probably more formal. Great place to take your new Dominican honey if you want him to think you have lots of money (or maybe better not - stick to the fried rice and fried chicken).

El Leñazo - one of my favorite places in Gazcue, a short walk from my hotel. They do grilled meats and something called “calderitos” which are like bowls that come in small metal pots - rice, beans, avocado, a little salad, and a protein - steak, chicken, ribs, loganiza, etc. Their sancocho is supposed to be excellent (frankly, I’m not a fan of sancocho). Very comfortable restaurant, nicely done, good AC, good service, reasonable prices.

Pate Palo - in the Colonial Zone on Plaza España - by far the best meal and service I had on this trip. I went early for Sunday lunch, sat outside, had an excellent meal with a great view.

Honorable mention:

El Conuco - it’s an experience. Almost like a museum. Lots of typical Dominican handicrafts scattered around, I think they have a show in the evening, you used to be able to order a buffet all you can eat, lots of traditional Dominican dishes. Geared towards tourist, but it is fun to visit once or twice (I didn’t go on this trip).

Villar Hermanos (or Hermanos Villar) - a typical Dominican spot popular with locals. They have a cafeteria style/diner type part where you order from a buffet (and I think you can also order from a menu) and a nice garden area where they also have the buffet, and you can sit outside, or you can order from the menu. Service was sooooo slow, and the food wasn’t that good (I got pork chops). 

The Chinese place near Cine Lido - I’m serious, their fried chicken is the best! I saw people sitting there and waiting until they brought out a fresh batch and taking huge boxes of it home. It’s a super local spot. Great to see the people coming in and out. Open to the street. Merengue playing outside. Go before or after the cine.

El Gallego - near the MAM - upscale Spanish restaurant in a beautiful old colonial home. If you like Spanish food. I had boquerones (anchovies) in vinegar and oil, and gambas al aljillo (garlic shrimp) with a nice glass of white wine, crema Catalana and a coffee for about $70.

And then there’s more…

I visited the MAM - Museo de Arte Moderno - beautiful museum that is not that old - 100 pesos to enter and I had the whole place to myself! Beautiful (mostly) Dominican art. Located on la Plaza de La Cultura with the Natural History Museum and the Museum of the Dominican Man (not what we are all wishing that museum was dedicated to). All in a beautiful park. This was when I decided that Santo Domingo could rival Mexico City.

I passed so many other museums in the Zona Colonial that I did not visit - the Taino Museum, the Museum of Dominican Resistance, beautiful galleries, of course the first church in the Americas and all of that Colombus shit… so much to do and see.

And then there are the men. If you want to pay - they are plentiful. If you don’t want to pay, they are still available. The dicks grow big here, but the men themselves are beautiful, warm, loving and friendly.

Apolo Spa and Cine Lido are both places where you can play.

I was conservative with the sex because I was shy about bringing people to my hotel, but I did bring one guy up to my room, and it wasn’t a problem - he just had to show his ID, they made a copy and I signed it.

Oh, and the motel experience was a lot of fun (see that post for the full story).

If you’ve been thinking about visiting but have been on the fence, I encourage you to take the plunge. Dominicans are lively, energetic, fun-loving, argumentative (like Italians that way), and welcoming people. It helps if you can speak a little Spanish - with apps now, it is possible for you to get by.

Avoid the hottest months unless you like walking around in a sauna. Avoid fall unless you’re a fan or hurricanes. Skip Christmas/New Year’s if you don’t like the crowds, but otherwise, January - March are great times to visit (avoiding Semana Santa).

I will definitely be back.

Here’s a photo of the cave.

 

[12is12]

Joizy, thx so much for all the sharing. It's a pleasure to partake in the individual way u found so much joy there, and in the forthright manner u reported.

I wish ur recommended hotel was closer to the center. I dont like to uber every time I want to go anywhere.

I twice stayed at the hotel palacio, but m fed up with waiting 10 minutes for hot water...

 

[joizy]

1 hour ago, 12is12 said:

Joizy, thx so much for all the sharing. It's a pleasure to partake in the individual way u found so much joy there, and in the forthright manner u reported.

I wish ur recommended hotel was closer to the center. I dont like to uber every time I want to go anywhere.

I twice stayed at the hotel palacio, but m fed up with waiting 10 minutes for hot water...

 

Thanks. I found my hotel to be just far enough from the center to be away from the noise, but close enough to walk. It was about a 25-minute walk to Cine Lido. There are others along the Malecon that are closer. Ubers were cheap and easy and moto-Uber, while death-defying, was really cheap, fun, and fast. It’s not cheap though. I may try another hotel next time. Santo Domingo has no shortage of hotels.

[Curious25]

Thanks for all the information, it's helpful to read a report outside of the nightlife. If I can ask what would you say is an estimate of daily expenses? I'm hoping to be there in March and while the flights are expensive, I imagine the cost of living is ok?

[joizy]

On 1/13/2026 at 1:34 AM, Curious25 said:

Thanks for all the information, it's helpful to read a report outside of the nightlife. If I can ask what would you say is an estimate of daily expenses? I'm hoping to be there in March and while the flights are expensive, I imagine the cost of living is ok?

It's really hard to estimate - food depends on where you eat - $3.00 for fried rice and fried chicken or $70 for a world-class dinner with wine and dessert. What I will say is it is more affordable than the US right now. I could never afford a place like Meson de la Cava without feeling like I was needlessly draining my bank account. In Santo Domingo, it was a splurge, but still felt like a bargain. Ubers are cheap. Accommodation varies, you can find cheap or not, depending on where, and what is important for you (I wanted a nice pool, and a nice room, so I spent more on my hotel than I normally would - but again, much more affordable for similar quality elsewhere). You can definitely get by on a budget. 

[Latbear4blk]

On 1/12/2026 at 5:01 PM, joizy said:

El Leñazo

Nice report! Thank you! It got me in the mood to visit much more than the stories about big dicks!

I laughed at the name of that restaurants. In the appropriate context, it can have a sexual connotation.