Been very busy lately. Many friends are visiting. Have a good friend here who is about to get some cosmetic surgery done. So I have been running around with him. We have a great doctor, and I will have more on that in a separate entry. Unfortunately he has not consented to before and after photos. I asked.-----------------------------
Been getting emails from our gay brethren who work for the U.N and other N.G.O.s working in Haiti. The situation has improved. But it is still quite dire. I have had a few come stay with me and the stories are horrific. What is amazing about these people are that anywhere in the world there is a tragedy they are the first people trying to get there to see what they can do to help. These are the people who will still be working here long after the worlds attention has moved on to the next tragedy. There are many people from the U.N. and other agencies who will be based in Santo Domingo for the unforeseeable future. Most of the hotels along the malecon are full. I had breakfast this morning at the Jaragua Hotel and it was filled with many rich Haitians, along with a large contingent of aid workers from Europe. Many apartments that were for rent for the last several months have been snatched up recently, and at prices higher than originally asked for. And the prices in the colonial zone for apartments have started easing upward again.
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Carnival in Santo Domingo has been moved. It is usually the first Sunday after the 27th of February, which is the date Dominicans celebrate their country's independence. Carnival in Santo Domingo is now on Sunday, March 7, 2010.
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With the curfew in effect with regards to the sale of alcohol it can be really dead, nightlife-wise, during the week. I just got a copy of the new DR1 guide (website should be updated next week) and there is an article in there about where to go after-hours in Santo Domingo. They listed two places. One is the Coppa Bar & Lounge, which is located in the Diamante Casino in the Melia Holel on the malecon. It is open every night. But this is an upscale place where proper dress is enforced. There is another place listed, Aurora del sol Hotel & Casino. There is a club at this hotel which is extremely popular. It is open everyday until 6am. I have been to this club and had a great time. The weekends after 2 - 3 am the place is packed and there is a line to get in.
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The Sofitel brand is no longer in Santo Domingo. The two hotels, the Sofitel Frances, and the Sofitel Nicholas de Ovando, are now known as the Hotel Frances, and the Hostal Nicholas de Ovando. The hotels are still owned by the Accor chain, but it seems they didn't live up to the Sofitel standards. In any case they are still open and the Hostal Nicholas de Ovando will be having a dinner special for Valentine's Day.
Been getting emails from our gay brethren who work for the U.N and other N.G.O.s working in Haiti. The situation has improved. But it is still quite dire. I have had a few come stay with me and the stories are horrific. What is amazing about these people are that anywhere in the world there is a tragedy they are the first people trying to get there to see what they can do to help. These are the people who will still be working here long after the worlds attention has moved on to the next tragedy. There are many people from the U.N. and other agencies who will be based in Santo Domingo for the unforeseeable future. Most of the hotels along the malecon are full. I had breakfast this morning at the Jaragua Hotel and it was filled with many rich Haitians, along with a large contingent of aid workers from Europe. Many apartments that were for rent for the last several months have been snatched up recently, and at prices higher than originally asked for. And the prices in the colonial zone for apartments have started easing upward again.
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.jpg)
Carnival in Santo Domingo has been moved. It is usually the first Sunday after the 27th of February, which is the date Dominicans celebrate their country's independence. Carnival in Santo Domingo is now on Sunday, March 7, 2010. -----------------------------
With the curfew in effect with regards to the sale of alcohol it can be really dead, nightlife-wise, during the week. I just got a copy of the new DR1 guide (website should be updated next week) and there is an article in there about where to go after-hours in Santo Domingo. They listed two places. One is the Coppa Bar & Lounge, which is located in the Diamante Casino in the Melia Holel on the malecon. It is open every night. But this is an upscale place where proper dress is enforced. There is another place listed, Aurora del sol Hotel & Casino. There is a club at this hotel which is extremely popular. It is open everyday until 6am. I have been to this club and had a great time. The weekends after 2 - 3 am the place is packed and there is a line to get in. -----------------------------
The Sofitel brand is no longer in Santo Domingo. The two hotels, the Sofitel Frances, and the Sofitel Nicholas de Ovando, are now known as the Hotel Frances, and the Hostal Nicholas de Ovando. The hotels are still owned by the Accor chain, but it seems they didn't live up to the Sofitel standards. In any case they are still open and the Hostal Nicholas de Ovando will be having a dinner special for Valentine's Day.
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2 comments:
I think it may be safe to say that, unfortunately hotel and apartment costs in the rural areas of the Dominican Republic will not be the only entities with increased costs. I can see food, entertainment, and transportation costs rising as more foreigners settle in for the long haul in rebuilding Haiti. There will probably be many rotations of people taking breaks from working in Haiti. I guess it'll be good for the Dominican economy.
The Nicolas de Ovando Hotel
is a MCgallery now.
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