First step - Traveling to the DR

ATM's work - ask your bank where you can get free withdrawals
might be limited to $200US per withdrawal (10,000 pesos)
Bringing dollars works too....

Yes US credit cards works.... be careful - use cash when you can

Use both!   DO not exchange at the airport or the bank.  Western union and private exchanges are far better.

Be careful with credit card receipts,  keep em all in case something is incorrect later.

Good choice of travel to investigate. Some of the most beautiful parts of DR are in Samana and to the south of Barahona.

Personally I would not use a credit card for anything other than paying a hotel bill. I use pesos for most of my transactions in DR.

And if you are travelling by bus for your travels keep the amount of cash you carry to a minimum.

You can draw cash at ATM's at banks and particularly a Visa or Mastercard backed debit card (in preference to credit card) would be a good solution whereby you draw cash as you need. I would advise against drawing from ATM's at gas stations and the like due to instances of scams. also I have seen tourists struggling using their credit cards here. having a recognized bank card will help. it seems to be the lesser cards that cause trouble getting clearance. Remember the days when you advised your bank of your foreign travels to avoid such problems!

Not sure how long you will be visiting but between Wednesday 17th to Monday 22nd April wil be nuts in Samana and south of Barahona as people get away fro the Easter break. Santo Domingo will be peaceful and quiet.

Hi Lenox, thanks for the info. I will travel to Samana from April 8 to 12 and Barahona from April 15 to 18. Hopefully it's not to hectic out further Bahia De Las Aguilas and Jaragua park during holy week but I'm sure it will be fun either way.

Samana is crazy during Semana Santa and best avoided. You will find people camping on most of the beaches at this time. Hotels and guesta houses are absolutely full.

I suspect there will be little in the way of accommodation south of Barahona too at this time so I hope you have already booked your hotels. Hotel space is limited in the South West too. People will be camping in Cabo Roja outside the entrance to Bahia de Las Aquilas and places like Laguna de Oviedo which is definitely worth a visit. I am sure Los Patos will be full as will Paraiso, San Rafael, La Cienega and El Quemaito.

A tent might be a good idea.

I booked a few AirBNB places a couple of months ago so I'm all set, also booked a camping night at Cueva de las Aguilas. Sounds like I will get full exposure to the local people which will be a good experience, especially if I'm thinking of making DR my home. Thanks again.

Excellent.

It is a lovely part of the country and most definitely you will see the simple life.

You have probably read up on the places to visit when in the South West but if not this link will help you on your way:

http://www.godominicanrepublic.com/barahona/

Before I forget, there are few if any banks south of Barahona but there are limited ATM's, so plan with this in mind.

Here is a video of some of the attractions in the Pedernales area. You are going a long way to see Bahia de Las Aguilas so maybe find time to see some more of the area.

https://youtu.be/E3w2UAdO4so

Just came back from Barahonna which was nice but pretty much mainly undeveloped. Three check points on the way back to Santo Domingo. I did not see much of banks or much of anything else.

Please don't base this country on Semana Santa!   For me, it is the worst time to travel here.  Be very careful on the roads, many deaths that time.of year!