Dominican Republic

[ohgwm226]

I stayed at Hotel Duque De Wellington http://www.hotelduque.com/ingles.htm in this last February. I was told it is not any more what it used to be. The new Italian partner/owner is trying to move the hotel toward family orinted business, making it less, and less gay-friendly. Now, you rarely find rent-boys in the lobby, though on occasions they would be on the street in front of the hotel. You'll be charged about $8 for bringing a guest to your room.

There is a new gay-oriented and owned hotel in Santo Domingo. The ownners as I understand it are American of Dominican origin. I have neither visited it nor stayed at it. It is called "Casa de Monaga". Here is the link: http://www.monaga.com/cdm/ The site has info about, and links to gay night spots in Santo Domingo.

Dominican Republic is surely worth a visit. But it is not Barzil, or Rio.

[ohgwm226]

I stayed at Hotel Duque De Wellington http://www.hotelduque.com/ingles.htm in this last February. I was told it is not any more what it used to be. The new Italian partner/owner is trying to move the hotel toward family orinted business, making it less, and less gay-friendly. Now, you rarely find rent-boys in the lobby, though on occasions they would be on the street in front of the hotel. You'll be charged about $8 for bringing a guest to your room.

There is a new gay-oriented and owned hotel in Santo Domingo. The ownners as I understand it are American of Dominican origin. I have neither visited it nor stayed at it. It is called "Casa de Monaga". Here is the link: http://www.monaga.com/cdm/ The site has info about, and links to gay night spots in Santo Domingo.

Dominican Republic is surely worth a visit. But it is not Barzil, or Rio.

[Guest ossilein]

hi, was at the Duque as well in February this year and can confirm your stats, perhaps we met in the lobby or at the bodega, hassling with Fernando`s difficulties.Additionaly none of the limb receptionists warnd me to check all the windows and the terrace door before going to sleep, because it is quite easy and well

-knownto enter the first flooor terrace during the night, so I had an intruder the first night, happily I had a light sleep and woke up and he left in a hurry. Next week I had another guest entering a small window hidden behind a curtain which I didn´t hear entering and robbed me.The manager just complained and let a bolt be installed to bar the window, but it was so unprofessionally made, that I could remouve with two fingers.No quality, no concern no safety.And they are very silly:fences before the windows in the upper floors, where only birds could enter, but nothing (advice or protection) in the lower floors, easily to be entered. The clerk whispered me, that there were 5 robberies in one week.And the boys are low quality and greedy.The price for a ride from the airport 25$ is 3 times higher than a normal cab. If you are looking for sleeples nights go to the Duke. Pete

[Funseeker 22]

Well this Duque Hotel sounds like a real fun safe place to stay- especially for those with a death wish. :+

[Guest LatinoRican]

>Well this Duque Hotel sounds like a real fun safe place to

>stay- especially for those with a death wish. :+

 

I have been a regular client of Hotel Duque for years and have never had a problem with security. I am sorry to hear that others have not been so fortunate. However, in hindsight, I was there in late March and they had strenghtened security with a plainclothed, armed guard patrolling the premises during the night.

 

The issue with the young men was that they got to be too many hanging around and sitting in the lobby all day long. The hotel is not exclusively gay, but gay-friendly. Apparently other guests were not comfortable with all these boys taking up all available seating space.

 

Maybe you would do well to check out the Monaga web site as recommended by a previous poster.

 

Good luck.

[StillLovely]

Although I don't know all the details of what the situation is at the Duque de Wellington, I do know the owner of Casa de Monaga personally, and the Monaga web site (http://www.monaga.com) is very thorough and has all the information a gay person needs to have an enjoyable and safe time in the Dominican Republic. It lists and reviews all the gay nightspots in Santo Domingo, the gay friendly hotels and loads of other information to help you. Check it out. The Dominican men are waiting for YOU!

[Guest ossilein]

hi, the patroling security at Duque was there in february as well, but he didn`t see me waving at him from the balcony eather.As to Monaga: I visited them to have some contact informations of the boys of their website; made me come back 3 times for the right person which in the end had no idea how to get in contact, showed me some fotos that I already knew. Those who know the Dom know the meaning of service and reability in this country.Pete

[gilbertinbronx]

Thanks to everyone for the information. What is the going rate there for the escorts? If you meet someone is it o.k. to take them to your room?

[Guest LatinoRican]

>Thanks to everyone for the information. What is the going

>rate there for the escorts? If you meet someone is it o.k. to

>take them to your room?

 

In March, the going rate was about $700-$800 pesos ($16.00US), but it may have gone up a bit since the peso has continued to devaluate. Now maybe $1000 pesos which is about $20.00US. Of course, some may ask you for more, but that is up to you to decide. Do NOT leave with an "escort" from the bar without first agreeing on how much he will get. It may save you from a nasty scene in your room later on.

 

At the Duque de Wellington, your "guest" has to leave his ID card at the front desk and both you and he have to sign a paper. When he leaves and goes to retrieve his ID, they will call you from the front desk and ask if everything is OK before returning it. They charge a few dollars for visitors, but if you take a double room they are allowed in without charge (?). You do the math. I do not know how this works at Casa Monaga as I have never been there.

 

Other posters might want to comment here.

[trilingual]

RE: Comparison Shopping

 

Interesting! From the post above, it appears that prices and procedures are basically the same in the D.R. as they are in another popular destination South of the U.S.A.: Brazil!

 

Something to keep in mind for future vaction planning, although the D.R. doesn't have the sauna scene available in Brazil. But it certainly has plenty of hot guys!

[gilbertinbronx]

Thanks StillLovly, The web site for the Monaga was relly good. It seems like a good place.

[gilbertinbronx]

Thanks again to everyone for the information.I got an e-mail from the manager of Monaga hotel and he said that visiters where allowed in your room at no extra charge. It looks like a really good place. Is anyone planning a trip there?

[Santiago]

I am planning to go in November and wanted to see if anyone has visited recently to update the hotel scene?????

[StillLovely]

I was there in May. I stayed at the Wellington. However, my situation may be a little different than yours. I have a novio (boyfriend) that stays with me in Santo Domingo, so I don't try to pick up the bugarrones (hustlers). But I still have eyes, and I did notice that the boiz were no longer hanging around in the lobby. But, I seriously doubt there would be any problems with you bringing someone back with you, provided they have a cedula (ID).

 

I would also recommend staying at Casa de Monaga (http://monaga.com/). As I have stated before, I know the owner and some of the staff personally, and they will take very good care of you, and there is no problem with bringing a date back to your room, and I don't think there would be an extra charge.

 

As for the bars, Bar Phoenix is still the hustler bar to go to. Open from 7pm-1am, and the owner and staff there will take good care of you. And after you leave Bar Phoenix, if you feel for hanging out at a club, well, the owner of Monaga has opened a Club called The A Club, and I hear the strip shows are really something to see. They're only open on Fridays and Saturdays, though. With hot Papis like this:

http://monaga.com/img/photogallery/Web66.jpg

 

And if you want a big disco, Club Aire is pumping past the break of dawn.

 

There is plenty other information at the Monaga site as well as addresses of the places I mentioned above, and all the info is up-to-date.

[jivau3930]

Even though you don't partake of the local fruit, do you have an idea of the hourly rate or an overnight with a hottie like you posted?? Thanks

[gilbertinbronx]

Does anyone have any information on the scene in the Dominican Republic and the Hotel Duque De Wellington Thanks for any information

[StillLovely]

I may not partake of the local fruit NOW, but trust, I had my days before I fell in love.

 

I'm pretty sure the going rate now is around 1,000 pesos. Their currency (the Dominican peso) has devauled rapidly over the last year, so this rate is subject to change. You can pretty much cound on $25-30 U.S. calculated at the current exchange rate. Today it's around 43 pesos to 1 US dollar. An overnight you could probably count on at least 1,500 pesos. Although, my past experience was that they don't expect a lot more for overnight. Of course, you'll be paying for all the food, drinks and extras.

 

There is no sauna scene ala Rio. Bar Phoenix is really the only hustler bar. The other clubs and discos will have hustlers in them, but the gay Domincians hang out too, so not everyone will be a hustler. At Bar Phoenix, if you get the OK from the owner (Lawrence) or the bartender (Jayq), you can be pretty sure that you'll have a good time.

 

Boca Chica is the local beach. It's about a 30 minute drive from Santo Domingo. There is also plenty of beach and street action there, but you do need to keep your wits and street sense about you. Knowing a little Espanol will help too.

 

I'm not trying to sound like a promo for Monaga, but as I said before, the folks at Monaga can help you along with everything. They have a bi-lingual Dominican driver who can take you around and translate for you. The owner is an African-American who is extremely friendly and knows the scene well.

 

I will be in Santo Domingo on Friday, September 17th. If anyone will be there then and want to hook up, let me know. My novio has a car, and we will be hitting the night spots.

 

And just to wet your whistle, here's a couple more photos from the Monaga site, taken at Monaga's Club - The A Club:

http://monaga.com/img/photogallery/Web60.jpg

http://monaga.com/img/photogallery/Web58.jpg

[Guest LatinoRican]

Like StillLovely, I too have a regular "boyfriend" in Santo Domingo. It will be 5 years this month. However, I still see other bois on the side, especially when he goes off to his hometown to see his girlfriend and family... Anyway, the bois make no distinction between going with you for a while or for the night. The rate is the same going from 800.00 to 1000.pesos depending on the "escort". That is like $23-25.00USA at the most. Do NOT give them more unless you find that "special" one. Most will do the deed and be happily on their way home, for some reason most like to wake up in their own bed. Do agree on an amount before you take them from the bar/disco. Happy Hunting!

[Santiago]

Guys,

 

Great responses!!! You should move some of this to the FAQ section. You could do for the Dominican economy what Tri has done for Brazil!! (little does Lula know it was really Tri who saved the President's economic plan!)

 

In Brazil, realizing that there are exceptions, the sauna guys are usually safe for bringing back to the hotel. Have you had any problems in your pick-ups with the guys in the DR? Also, Tri was helpful in sharing the other items that might be of use/desirous for the guys in Brazil (shirts, hats, large condoms, etc). Same for DR?

[StillLovely]

Problems with pickups in the DR? Hmmm... There are some horror stories out there, as there are horror stories in Brazil too, I'm sure. But anywhere there are hustlers, there will be vics. Not just in the DR. You absolutely must use common street sense. If you're going to pick up someone off the street or the beach and you don't know them from a can of paint, then you're going to need to be prepared for what may or may not happen. But if you pick up someone that comes recommended by someone you feel you can trust, then chances are, you'll be OK. The owners and employees of Monaga, The A Club, Bar Phoenix and the other gay establishments in Santo Domingo are all good sources. If you meet someone in these places, you can ask the owners or employees if the guy is alright, and then proceed how you wish. One further thing I would recommend is this. Insist that the guy has a cedula (an official Dominican ID) and register him with reception at your hotel and have him leave his cedula at the reception desk. Even if the hotel does not require this, do it. He can then pick up his cedula on his way out. And lock up all your valuables, including your ID and passport, in your hotel safe, and hide the key. All this is common street sense, and either you have it or you don't. And if you don't, learn it.

 

As far as bringing the guys things, all you need to bring is US dollars. Their economy is in the toilet right now, and your greenbacks will go a long way. The exchange rate is out of control and benefits the tourists. It's very sad for a local Domincan making a peso wage, but on the flip side of the coin, it's great for tourists. They need your money right now, not shirts and hats.

 

The DR is a beautiful country and is full of sexy, big-dicked, beautiful Domincan men. But it is a third world country, and there is a lot of abject poverty. There's a good-sized upper class who own and control everything, a very small working middle class and an even bigger population of people living in abject poverty. But if you keep your wits about you and use common street sense, the island can be a beautiful vacation experience.

 

Here's another pic from the Monaga site. I believe this photo was taken at Boca Chica Beach - the local beach for Santo Domingo.

 

http://monaga.com/Beach%20Shot2.JPG

[Guest LatinoRican]

>Guys,

>

>Great responses!!! You should move some of this to the FAQ

>section. You could do for the Dominican economy what Tri has

>done for Brazil!! (little does Lula know it was really Tri who

>saved the President's economic plan!)

>

>In Brazil, realizing that there are exceptions, the sauna guys

>are usually safe for bringing back to the hotel. Have you had

>any problems in your pick-ups with the guys in the DR? Also,

>Tri was helpful in sharing the other items that might be of

>use/desirous for the guys in Brazil (shirts, hats, large

>condoms, etc). Same for DR?

 

 

About 2 years ago, I went to Santo Domingo with a friend who travelled there with me many times. He took a man with him from the gay bar where we had been to spend the night with him. Error: he did not agree on a "rate" with the man first. So, next morning my friend is knocking at my bedroom door, comes in and frantically tells me that this guy is getting violent. The man was asking him for 1,500 pesos which at that time was a ridiculously high amount. This was

a large,, muscular man...not a young "boy". Anyway, I managed to calm him down and my friend ended up paying him the amount he wanted. My friend was a fool and I told so. Once again, never take any "escort" from any bar/club without first agreeing on a price. All the other experiences have been smooth sailing.

 

Hmmm, let me see... Shirts? No. Hats? No. Large condoms? Yes!! Definitely a yes!!

[BgMstr4u]

On Aug. 6 the NY Times published a major article on the political/financial woes of the Dominican Republic. I attach it below. Do those who know the DR well have any comments, particularly as regards public safety in what appears to be a time of growing instability there?

 

Dominican Republic on Edge of a Default

By SIMON ROMERO

Published: August 6, 2004

 

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Aug. 4 - The Dominican Republic is coming uncomfortably close to a default on its foreign debt as the incoming administration of Leonel Fernández, who assumes the presidency later this month, positions itself to grapple with a simmering economic crisis.

 

Signs of increased hardship are evident throughout this capital city of two million, with prices for basic foods nearly doubling in the last year. Shortages of gasoline and propane have idled many automobiles, and electricity blackouts last as long as 20 hours, blanketing much of Santo Domingo in darkness at nightfall.

 

"Life has become much more of a struggle to survive, period," said Máxima Prensa, 36, who operates a hair salon in the living room of her home in a working-class neighborhood here. "The proof of this is all around us."

 

The outgoing administration of President Hipólito Mejía, trounced in a re-election bid in May, has come under criticism for using public money to compensate a relatively small number of depositors who stood to lose from several bank failures in the last year. That bailout cost the government an amount equivalent to about a fifth of gross domestic product.

 

Tension over a deteriorating economy is manifesting itself in various ways, including the actions of a mob of protesters at the University of Santo Domingo on Tuesday who pelted the windshields of vehicles in Mr. Mejía's motorcade with stones only to be chased away by bodyguards who fired more than 100 shots into the air in the protesters' direction. No one was seriously injured in the clash.

 

Mr. Mejía, an businessman known for his populist rhetoric, has shown little inclination to deal with pressing issues during his remaining days in office, preferring instead to reward political supporters. In one move in recent days, his administration said it was seeking to allow civil servants to buy automobiles without paying import duties.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Fernández, a lawyer raised in the Bronx who served a previous term as president in the 1990's when the Dominican Republic was one of Latin America's fastest-growing countries, is under pressure from international creditors to rapidly come up with a cohesive plan for dealing with a string of costly bank failures and soaring prices for imported oil and natural gas.

 

In a sign that public finances are under increasing strain, the central bank missed a $27 million interest payment on an international bond two weeks ago. Outgoing officials at the central bank have declared their desire to make the payment within a 30-day grace period allowing the nation to technically avoid a default, but investors and analysts are growing skeptical about the government's ability to honor its obligations.

 

"It's an extremely acute situation," said Richard Francis, the primary credit analyst of the Dominican Republic at Standard & Poor's in New York. "We think a default is a lot more likely than not at this point."

 

The prospect of a default is a remarkable turnaround for an economy that was considered a model for others in the Caribbean and Latin America as recently as two years ago. A multiyear burst of robust economic growth, driven by the establishment of export-oriented factories and a vibrant tourism sector, has come undone in the last year as officials responded poorly to difficulties in the banking and electricity industries.

 

The Dominican economy shrank last year for the first time since 1990, contracting by nearly one percentage point, and is expected to shrink about the same amount this year. The country faces a financing gap estimated at $100 million to $200 million this year after the currency, the peso, tumbled in value more than 100 percent since last year, settling in at around 45 pesos to the dollar.

 

The currency devaluation, in turn, heightened an exposure to foreign creditors, with debt in dollars ballooning to about 40 percent of gross domestic product from 20 percent. The country has nearly $6 billion in foreign debt after Mr. Mejía's government borrowed heavily during his first years in office, extending the dependence on foreign financing initiated under Mr. Fernández's previous administration.

 

A team from the International Monetary Fund arrived in Santo Domingo this week to assess the fragile state of the Dominican government's accounts. The fund suspended a $600 million aid package to the Dominican Republic last year after Mr. Mejía's administration stunned investors by effectively renationalizing an ailing electricity company controlled by Unión Fenosa of Spain.

 

Fund officials are focusing on whether Mr. Fernández, Mr. Mejia's successor, can quickly assemble a cabinet intent on pulling the nation out of its predicament, people involved in the negotiations said. Mr. Fernández moved in that direction on Wednesday, naming economist Héctor Valdez Albizu as the new president of the central bank, as well as appointing officials to economic posts overseeing tax collection and customs.

 

Mr. Fernández has also already sought to shield the country from the effect of increasing oil prices, traveling to Venezuela last month in an attempt to persuade the government there to continue selling oil with preferential payment terms. The Dominican Republic, a nation of 8.8 million that occupies the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, imports nearly all of its fuel and has been hurt by surging oil prices.

 

Much of the damage to the economy, however, cannot easily be undone through shuttle diplomacy or by sending promising signals to multilateral lenders. Inflation has climbed to almost 50 percent from the single digits last year as the prices of many imported products skyrocketed. Economists here say the economy would be in even worse shape if not for remittances sent to relatives by Dominicans living in the United States and Europe.

 

"Never before in this country was more poverty created in such a short time span, less than a year," Miguel Ceara-Hatton, an economist with the United Nations Development Program, said in an interview.

 

Investors appear to be pricing in some sort of reorganization of the Dominican Republic's foreign debt, with the country's dollar-denominated bonds trading at about 65 cents on the dollar, a level that indicates substantial wariness but not expectations of a chaotic, Argentina-style economic collapse. Earlier this year, government negotiators were able to reach an agreement with bilateral creditors in the Paris Club that allowed them to reschedule nearly $200 million of debt coming due in 2004.

 

That agreement, however, hinges on additional financing from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Mr. Fernández seems to be bracing the country for at least some of the short-term economic medicine necessary for securing financing from multilateral lenders, throwing his support behind proposed tax reforms that would include a 20 percent excise tax on alcohol and tobacco, a 10 percent tax on phone services and a 16 percent tax on travel by plane or boat.

 

Some international officials are supporting more drastic measures. For instance, John Taylor, the undersecretary for international affairs at the Department of the Treasury, recently said the United States would provide technical assistance to the Dominican Republic if it chose to dollarize its economy, a move that would effectively replace the peso with the dollar as the currency while removing the central bank's authority to guide monetary policy.

 

It remains to be seen how Mr. Fernández will react to such proposals, though analysts here believe he will do what he can to avert a default if Mr. Mejía's government fails to meet the interest payment on the nation's bonds before leaving office.

 

"You have to give condolences to the winner as well as the loser in the most recent election," said Bernardo Vega, a former Dominican ambassador to the United States and also a former president of the central bank. "Nobody here wants a default, but the scenario is very challenging."

[StillLovely]

Yes, although the NY Times puts it much more eloquently and states the facts, as I said before, their economy is in the toilet.

 

The last time I was there was in May. Most of the same problems they are experiencing now they were already experiencing then. Frequent blackouts and currency devaluation are probably the two major problems that are affecting most of the population.

 

With regards to the blackouts, most hotels and businesses have their own backup generators. The average tourist will not experience blackouts in hotels and resorts. If the electricity goes out, there is a seamless transition to the backup generators.

 

The currency devaluation is a two-sided coin for tourists and locals. For the locals, life has become much more of a struggle. Their wages do not go up with the devaluation, but the price of everything does. It has made an already bad situation much worse. However, for the tourists, with the devaluation the exchange rate with the dollar is out of control. Meaning your dollar can buy even more than it previously did.

 

The Dominican people, in spite of the adversity they face on a daily basis, are still optimistic. Their new President will take office this coming Monday, August 16th. This is the same President they had during the 90's when their economy was doing much better. In speaking with my friends who live there, they are hopeful that things will get better. Personally, I suspect they just believe the political rhetoric that's been given to them. But who can fault them for that, when we Americans do the same thing. Just watch how much of the bullshit spewing out of Madison Square Garden at the end of the month that the Republican Party will blindly swallow. But that's another issue, and I digress.

 

Back to the issue at hand. Has the current situation in the Dominican Republic made it any less safe for the average tourist? I personally don't think so, and did not feel so when I was there in May. Go to the DR, exchange your dollars into lots of pesos and have a wonderful vacation!

 

Here's a photo of me and my novio Dominicano taken a couple of years ago at my 40th birthday party in Bar Phoenix. And if some of you recognize him, yes, when I met him 4 years ago, he was a bugarron and a stripper. Now he's a kept boi, and I'm keeping him!

 

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/3fe3215b_15180/bc/5e73/__sr_/8bf1.jpg?phPtiGBBqs.j2RCL

 

(Hopefully, this link will post the photo itself, it not click on the link to see the photo.)

[+ Axiom2001]

The link doesn't work; I clicked on everything that I could...!

 

Thanks for your imput of previous days; I've truly appreciated your take on what you've experienced while in the DR; I also liked the pics that were posted here.

 

It's strange-- when I was in Brasil in February of 2003, an African American guy who joined us on the Apollus Boat Cruise raved about the DR and its men; it was his first time being in Brasil, and as recently as this Saturday, a couple of friends of mine (who have both been to the DR previously) discussed with me a few things about the country and its people. From what I've gotten during the past few days, my interests in visiting have really peaked! I hope to get there before the end of 2005! Again, thanks very much...!

[StillLovely]

Sorry, but I tried everything I could think of to get the photo of my novio, which is stored in my Yahoo photos to post. When I click the link, I can see it, but apparently others can't. I think the administrator has to enable me to be able to post jpegs that aren't linked to a site.

 

In the meantime and in-between-time, here's another shot from a strip show at Monaga's A Club. And no, this is not my novio, but I certainly wouldn't turn him down! Ay Papi!

 

http://monaga.com/Dancer6.jpg