How to rent a car with a driver in the Dominican Republic?

Question

I am contemplating a trip to the Dominican Republic around Easter, and would possibly like to see more than one place of the island. We had thought of renting a car, but numerous advice online have said that's a very bad idea, due to the bad driving of the locals, as well as the possibility of ending up in jail should an accident occur.

We were therefore thinking of simply taking a taxi, as a safer alternative, on the rationale that they are professional drivers who know the local driving etiquette much better than we would ever do.

• Is it even possible to hire a taxi for a longer journey?
• If yes, how would we go about it? Would we need to book in advance, or should we simply try our luck by flagging one on the street?
• If the answer to #1 is still yes, what would the approximate cost be for a five hour drive, say from Puerto Plata to La Romana?

Answer 1

I have never done this in Dominican Republic, but I have in some other Central American and Caribbean countries.

It's usually fairly easy to rent a car and driver for a fixed trip to a specific place, or just for a fixed amount of time. It's best to book somewhat in advance, like a day or two. Assuming you are staying at a hotel or resort, try to book something through them. Almost every hotel knows of drivers prepared to do this. Make sure you agree a price in advance.

At a resort or hotel chain they will probably put you in touch with a 'private tour' company. This may be quite expensive (by the local standards) but very safe.

I've never tried to hire a taxi off the street. I would expect it to be possible, but more difficult, as those taxis are not expecting a trip that long. You could however approach a taxi and ask them to do something specific the next day. They would usually do that, and it would probably be cheaper than the hotel arranged tours. Again, be very clear about price up front.