Dominican Republic Survival Helps. Money. Tipping and More.
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Real Life and Times in the Dominican Republic
Just incase you have any problems this telephone number for the United States Embassy is good to have on hand. Call 809-221-2171 for help 24 hours a day.
HELPFUL HINTS AND "PUDDLE" EXPLANATIONS
We will try and give you some helpful hints and survival tools to make your visit to Dominican Republic much more enjoyable and safe. Going to a different country can sometimes be confusing and a little frightening, especially when you do not know what to expect and what the customs are.
Here I will put things I have learned and information others have taught about how to make your vacation on this island in the Caribbean a more pleasant experience. What to watch out for. What's extra good. Anything we feel you should know. So, when you see a little blue "puddle" on a page follow it to get a few pointers.
Tipping and more What to expect in most Dominican restaurants, cafes, bars, businesses in general, service can be slow and inattentive. It's not important if the place is high class of you are eating on the street. Don't let it upset you. It will not help at all. It will just make you miserable and give people something to look at when you lose your temper. Remember, you are on vacation.You are not going to change the way things are and always have been here on the island. No matter how upset you get. ( There is historical documentation which states that people of the tropical islands are slow, maybe due to the heat. Go to the
historical document page to read some of these interesting documents for yourself.)
There is tax added to your bill and most places will also add a 10% gratuity.Not all places add this gratuity into the bill. make sure you look. This is usually(note I said USUALLY..sometimes they never receive this money) divided between ALL the restaurant workers in their bi-weekly pay check.You should always add a little extra tip in cash ( average pay for food servers is around $4000 pesos a month, sometimes less). If you are really pleased with the service you can add another 5-10% or more tip (this is usually split between the workers of that day).When you want to give a little extra to your waiter/waitress, give them the tip directly.*Be sure to check your bill very carefully. Sometimes other charges (friends drinks..etc.) could be placed on your bill that are not yours.
It is also nice to leave tips for people that help you. The person in your hotel. The maid that cleans your room everyday (many people leave gifts for the maids). The shoe shine boys in the park. Just remember if you leave them a tip in monies other than pesos please do not give them coin change (example: US 25 cents). Only paper bills. There is no money exchange place that will exchange coin. So this means that coins (other than Dominican Pesos) are worth nothing to them.
Remember do not take large amounts of money out of your pocket or purse where people on the street can see. You set yourself up for being robbed. And sometimes, even worse, you will get an entourage of shoe shine boys, street people and even dogs (yes, they can sense generous tourists also) following you asking for handouts (at times some can be quite aggressive).
Would you like to take a Speed Boat ride? Go White Water River Rafting? Go Diving?
Check out
for these excursions and many others. .