Don't want to be those stupid Americans.?

Question

My husband and I just got the idea to go to Domincan Republic, yet we don't know much about their culture or language. We found a great deal on an all-inclusive resort and don't really plan leaving the resort while visiting. Neither my husband or myself cant really speak anything except English. Do we need to brush up on some spanish before we go, or should the staff know English? What else should we know before deciding to go?

Answer 1

Why go to the D.R.? When there are so many islands that are far nicer...  head to the islands from St. Lucia south to Grenada. (They all speak english too). St. Vincent, Bequia, Union Island, Carriacou, and beautiful Grenada.

Answer 2

Hi Super W.!,

You are not stupid, but you must know that you don't need to speak Spanish to discover a beautiful country like the Dominican Republic. I'm a VIP inbound Tour Operator here and I can help you not to do the same mistake as so many people do with not go out from the resort (Golden Jail Hotel?)

and when they are back in the country (at home) they say " We where in the Dominican Republic" but they don't now nothing about it and sometimes even tell lies about it, by simply ignorance. The north coast, Puerto Plata is the best for this kind of tourism. Punta Cana is known as "Golden Jail Hotels" Your choice.....

Enjoy it!

Answer 3

It definitely helps to know some Spanish. They appreciate your effort. Some have a good command of the English language but others know just a few words. My husband and I can speak some Spanish words and I feel it helped us get much better service. He is more fluent then I. He took it in school and I just picked it up traveling.

Also, bring dollars for tipping, that is the next best thing to speaking the language. They don't make much, it's very much appreciated.

As a side bar to this question, I don't consider myself a stupid American because I can't speak Spanish fluently. A few words and hand gestures go a long way.

Enjoy your trip and good luck)

Answer 4

Yeah you should atleast bring a spanish translation book. though it might not help because

the book would teach you SPAIN spanish which is completely different dialect unless you buy a book for latin american spanish

Answer 5

We're not all stupid americans...

Answer 6

It would be a real shame if you were to come to the Dom Rep and not leave your resort as I would have thought that kind of defeats the object of travelling to a foreign country.

English is very well understood and spoken in most of the resorts and hotels, especially management, reception staff and bar staff although you will find that English is not spoken quite as fluently by the waiting staff or room maids for example, but as long as you speak slowly and clearly and most importantly with a smile you shouldn't have any problems.

It's always a good idea to learn a few basics of the language of the country you are visiting after all it's only polite in my view and shows a little bit more respect for peoples customs and cultures.

I would urge you to take some time and go out and about wherever it is you decide to stay here, on all the professionally organised excursions you will be accompanied by an English speaking guide who will help you if you do have difficulties being understood. Try and avoid the beach touts who will no doubt offer you excursions at a cheaper price than your tour operator but as with everything you get what you pay for and you may find you miss the enjoyment of seeing the country because of the language barrier.

The Dom Rep has some stunning places to see and do so don't let your lack of Spanish be barrier to you enjoying it.

Have a great trip !

Answer 7

We found the staff at our hotel to be able to speak some English, French and German besides their native Spanish.

They were most friendly and helpful.

The Dominican is one country where I felt comfortable outside the resort. The taxis and buses are expensive though, and you will find that people trying to sell timeshares hang out just outside the resort and try to push the sale. Just keep walking and say Non, gracias.

They do have cheaper transportation if you don't mind cramming into a minivan with a bunch of locals. These are called GuaGuas - pronounced gwa-gwa. For about 100 pesos they will take you to the next town - you may have to hang outside the door - a great thrill!

If you are going to the North coast around Puerto Plata, be sure to visit the town of Caburete - it does not have too many big resort operations, but lots of restaurants and shops.

It is a surfing, sailboarding and kiteboarding center, and it is fun to watch even if you don't participate in these activities yourself.

Don't drink the tap water unless your resort management says that they have a good purification system and that it is safe. Otherwise, stick to bottled water even for tooth brushing.

Also, ask if they wash their salad veggies and make their ice cubes from bottled water - if not, then avoid.

If you go snorkeling or scuba diving around coral you might get a nasty coral rash - actually tiny coral polyps in their free-swimming phase can try to grow on your skin. Take some rashguard T-shirts with you to prevent this. These are made from very tight weave fabrics and are available from dive shops.

When ordering coffee, they do not automatically assume you want milk or cream. Most of the tourists there are European, and they drink it black. They have excellent coffee there - just order it "con leche" which means with milk.

Have fun!

Answer 8

You won't sound stupid at all... about 98% of the people down there speak fluent english.. especially at the hotels and resorts.

Answer 9

im dominican and trust me is a lot of fun, the majority of the staff should know more than one language, enjoy the beaches and the drinks. awww i envy you. can you give me the website where you found the resort? email me thanks

Answer 10

Don't be concerned many of the staff at the AIs will speak English.  Sure it's a good idea to brush up on your Spanish but remember Spanish speakers willl laugh with you not at you when you mangle the language.  They appreciate it when you try.  Check thesite below it will give you some basic help.  Enjoy your trip.

Answer 11

You are not leaving the resort, that is typical tourist behaviour. The staff will speak English.You don't have to learn Spanish for this but neither will you learn anything about the people,region, culture or language.

Answer 12

The first thing you should know is that Dominicans are very friendly and don’t be afraid to explore what is their culture is all about. When you go the resort just ask for excursion where they have someone that speaks several languages, especially English show you around the town or city.

A good advise I could give you is that anytime you try to buy something from the local like souvenirs take in consideration that they will try to charge you at least 2 times it’s value so bargain with them. ALWAYS OFFER LESS UNTIL YOU GUYS AGREE, this is part of the culture.