Is the DR made for me ? [lots of questions inside !]

Chop welcome to the forum.  You will find lots of information here.  First off have you  been here before?  If not it would always be a good idea to come here for a month or two and see if it "fits" for you.

This is a big country with lots of various areas to settle in.  A lot depends on what  you are looking for and yes costs do vary a bit by region with tourist areas being more expensive.  You can find a condo for that amount but it will be pretty basic and you probably will have to add to that the cost of internet, TV cable and electric.  Electricity can be expensive especially if using the AC a lot.  Your best bet to find a place is to be here and do some exploring. Still you can live on $1500 but it will be tight with not lots left for entertainment.

I would NOT rent a scooter as it is extremely dangerous to ride one here, rather use the pubic taxies or private taxies (which can be pretty cheap in most areas)

Hope this helps you getting started.

Bob K

I don't know what Las Terrenas is like these days, or if it is even possible to rent a scooter. I think I would depend on motoconchos for awhile until you get a good idea of  what traffic and directions are like. Driving a pasola (scooter) in a small town like Las Terrenas is probably safer than in a large city like Santo Domingo or Santiago. I spend a lot of time in Barahona where motoconchos are the only public transportation other than feet, Barahona has perhaps 80K people and is built on an incline from the surrounding hills down to the coast. I have gone downtown and back from perhaps 3 kms up the hill over a hundred times, and every time I have noticed that another moto has come far too close to me for comfort. There are several dozen traffic lights, and only one or two of them seem to merit a full stop. Cars and trucks stop, but motos and pasolas simply swerve around, and I have yet to see a serious collision. In the local hospital, however, I have seen some traffic accident victims, and they were hardly a pretty site.

The motoconcho I usually travel with is a friend, and one day he was fiddling around with his Chinese 125cc Loncin motorbike, capable of carrying three adults and one small child, believe it or not, or the driver a large cooking gas cylinder on a twelve years old's lap, or the driver and perhaps 125 lbs of groceries, and I noticed that the rear tire was bald, with the fabric showing through. So I gave my friend $1000 pesos to replace it, because there is no way that it would not do more than $23 in damages if the tire blew out when I was riding it.

I learned that recently he hit a large dog and wiped out the moto and was in bed for a couple of weeks. I don't think the dog made it.

I do not think I am ready to attempt driving a moto or pasola myself. Perhaps if I lived in a very small town, like San Rafael or Los Patos, but not in a place that has thousands buzzing about, like Barahona.

I  will never recommend anyone use a motoconcho. sorry, they are dangerous!!!! Driving  a pasola will probably be safer in small towns, definitely not for Santo Domingo.

On the topic of apartments - usually only the most expensive or tourist oriented are advertised. Best way to find one is feet on the ground. Come down and rent a hotel room or similar for a week and start looking around, ask taxis etc for help. If you know anyone in the area as for their help.

Internet - will depend where you are, with which provider and what speed you purchase. Personally I always have a back up just in case. I use Tricom and i am very very happy with them. I don't believe they are in the Samana area at all.  I have a Viva MiFi as back up.

Thanks everyone for your answers, I really appreciate it.

I guess I will see by myself if i can drive a motorbike or not, after your comments i'm not too enthusiastic about it

I don't really like big cities that much and I would like to avoid big tourist areas, any ideas where I should focus my research ? Having the beach nearby isn't mandatory !

Again, thank you so much everyone for you time !