BudgetTravel

For something more elaborate, the huge Casa Marina complex on Calle Alejo Martinez (809/571-3690, fax 809/571-3110) charges just $65 a night per person through April 24 for an all-inclusive plan (that's three meals a day, plus unlimited drinks, alcoholic and not, day or night) and access to a nice beach, seaside Jacuzzi, multiple pools, restaurants, bars, shops, its own disco, and nightly shows; in July and August the price drops to $57 daily. To that, add typical high-season midweek fares of $310 to $360 round-trip from New York and $325 from Miami (both on American). A few tour operators also offer all-inclusive air-land deals such as seven nights this spring at the Sol de Plata resort just outside Sosua (from TourScan; see box, p. 123) for about $850 out of New York. Most operators, however, tend to concentrate their efforts on the Playa Dorada ghetto.

One caveat: while the D.R. is not especially unsafe, bear in mind that this is one of the world's poorest countries (with an unemployment rate approaching 30 percent), and in some areas the stream of relatively affluent tourists unfortunately encourages prostitution. Thus in Sosua, for example, it's not single women but rather single guys who can sometimes be harassed on the streets (beware: postcoital robberies are not unknown); it helps not to wander around alone at night. The putas also frequent certain discos such as Moby Dick or High Caribbean (try Copacabana, Tropic, and Pyramide instead, which tend to be less infested). Cabarete has some tourist-friendly evening street life, too, but noticeably less of this particular kind of hassle.

Gettin' to La Vida Loca

In addition to seasonal charters, there's a fair amount of regularly scheduled airlift to the Dominican Republic, especially via New York and Miami. Flying times are approximately three-and-a-half hours from New York and two hours from Miami. Fares vary according to season, but midweek and round-trip they run $310-$470 from New York and $325-$350 from Miami.

To Santo Domingo

TWA (800/892-4141; www.twa.com) from New York and San Juan; Tower (800/231-0856; www.towerair.com) from New York; Continental (800/5250280; www.continental.com) from Newark; American (800/433-7300; www.aa.com) from New York, Miami, and San Juan.

To Puerto Plata

American from New York, Miami, and San Juan; TWA from New York; Continental from Newark (as of mid-June).

To Punta Cana

WA from New York and Newark.

On the island

Flights between Santo Domingo and either Puerto Plata or Punta Cana typically run 850 pesos ($54) each way on Air Santo Domingo (809/683-8020). If you want to go by land, it takes about four-and-a-half hours to drive the 140 miles between Sosua/Cabarete and Santo Domingo. The main roads are okay, but smaller ones can be in awful shape, getting lost is a possibility, and the Dominicans are not always the best drivers. So I'd definitely recommend the reliable, comfortable hourly bus service run by Caribe Tours (809/571-3808) and Metro Servicios Turisticos (809/586-6062). Both charge around 90 pesos ($5.70) between the north shore and Santo Domingo.

Smooth operators Top marketers of air/hotel packages to the DR include: Apple Vacations (800/727-3400; www.applevacations.com), Funjet (800/558-3050; www.funjet.com), InterIsland Tours (800/245-3434), Moment's Notice (718/234-6295; www.moments-notice.com), TourScan (800/962-2080), and Vacation Travel Mart (800/288-1435; www.festaholidays.com).

Informacion, por favor

For further details before leaving home, contact the Dominican Tourist Board at 800/723-6138; in New York, call 212/588-1012, in Florida 305/444-4592, and in Chicago 773/529-1336. On the Web, log on to http://dominicanresorts.com, www.debbiesdominicantravel.com, www.hispaniola.com/DR, and www.dominicanrepublicpage.com.

Once you're on the island, several free publications in English can be helpful, such as Santo Domingo News and Touring in the capital and La Costa and The Columbus Guide on the north shore. For phone assistance while in Sosua, dial 71-3433 or toll-free 1-200-3500.