Money Matters
Foreign currency can be changed into Dominican pesos at Banco de Reservas booths at the airports, major hotels, or at commercial banks. Banking hours are 8:30 to 3 pm, Mondays through Fridays. Airport booths remain open to service all incoming flights, up to 24 hours if necessary. Travelers checks and major credit cards are widely accepted. Cash advances are available at some commercial banks. The rate of exchange fluctuates around RD$16.00=US$1.

Language
Spanish is the official language. English is widely spoken, especially in tourist areas. Traffic signs and most menus in restaurants are in Spanish, although menus in tourist regions tend to be multilingual.

Accommodations
50,000 rooms are available at business hotels, tourist resorts, private villas, condos, aparthotels, inns and guest houses at city, beach and mountain locations. Over two million people visit the Dominican Republic every year.

Beaches
Over 400 kilometers of sparkling beaches span the South, East, Southwest and North coasts. These include the beaches of Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, La Romana, and Bayahibe in the Southeast. Punta Cana and Bávaro in the East. Paraiso and Enriquillo in the Southwest. And on the north coast the beaches of Playa Dorada, Sosúa, Cabarete, Playa Grande, and Luperón. In the Northeast, there is Las Terrenas, Las Galeras, Puerto Escondido, and Portillo. Numerous other deserted beaches dot the coastlines waiting to be explored.

Sports
There is a wider range of sports in the Dominican Republic than on any other island of the Caribbean. There are the traditional sports of golf, tennis, polo, scuba diving, snorkeling, all kinds of watersports, horseback riding, skeet and clays shooting, deep-sea fishing, sailing, bicycling, bowling, and parasailing. There are the ecosports for adventurers such as trekking, hiking, rafting, tubing, canyoning, caving, mountain biking, camping, paragliding, and cascading. Then there are the spectator sports of baseball, international polo, horse racing, boxing, basketball, volleyball, windsurfing, powerboat and sailing competitions, cockfighting, motocross, and car racing.

Special note: Baseball is the national sport and passion. The Dominican Republic outnumberered all other Latin American nations with the most ballplayers (over 50) playing in the North American Major League last season. All 26 U.S. clubs have academies or camps in the Dominican Republic. A Professional Winter League plays in the country from late October through January (which draws many American players) and summer tournaments are held annually. The most important stadiums are in Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, and Santiago.

Gambling
Over 20 hotels in the capital city, North, South and East coast tourism destinations have casinos offering Las Vegas-style odds featuring blackjack, craps, roulette, slot machines, poker and baccarat. Players must be over 18 years of age; casinos are open 4 pm to 4 am (weekends until 6 am). Other forms of gaming action are bingo, horse-racing and cockfighting.

Dining
Dominican restaurants offer a worldwide mix of cuisines including Italian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Swiss, Japanese, Korean, New Orleans, Mexican, French, Iranian, Continental, North American and South American. The local Dominican cuisine is a savory yet subtle blend of native Indian, Spanish, Middle Eastern and African ingredients. Popular Dominican dishes are sancocho (meat and vegetable stew), moro (rice cooked with beans), mangú (mashed green plantains), longaniza (spiced pork sausage), carne guisada (beef stew), lechón asado (roast suckling pig cooked on a spit), pescado con coco (fish simmered in a coconut sauce, popular in Samaná) and stewed goat. Plantains, rice, beans and root vegetables are staples.

Shopping
A very favorable exchange rate makes shopping for colorful handicrafts and other locally produced products a great bargain. Most popular are the amber (brought to world acclaim in the hit film Jurassic Park) and larimar semi-precious stones. Other favorite items are wicker, rattan, and wood furniture, hand-painted masks, macrame, ceramics, straw and woven goods, rocking chairs, carved mahogany structures, Dominican fine art and paintings, fashions from local-born designers such as Oscar de la Renta and local coffee, rum, and cigars.

Santo Domingo has large commercial malls and smaller shopping centers. Store hours are generally 9 am to noon and 2 pm to 7 pm, but major shopping centers, supermarkets and stores with a large tourist clientele remain open for lunch time. While most stores are open Monday through Saturday at noon, several large shopping centers and most supermarkets are now open on Sunday mornings. Duty free shopping is available at Las Americas and Puerto Plata international airports, as well as at select locations in the capital, but duty-free goods are claimed at the airport prior to departure and purchases must be made in U.S. dollars.

Duty Free Allowance/ Customs Entrance
One liter of alcohol, 200 cigarettes and up to US$100 worth of gift items are allowed duty free when returning to the United States. Personal electronics are admitted into the Dominican Republic, although professional video equipment, television cameras, and such may need special clearance.

Clothing
Light casual resort wear for day and night. Sport jackets and cocktail attire is recommended for elegant evenings out in Santo Domingo and some of the bigger resorts. Shorts and sleeveless shirts are not permitted in landmark churches, casinos and some restaurants.

Time
On the same time zone as New York in spring (Eastern Standard Time). Daylight Savings is in effect year-round, so the time is one hour ahead of New York in the fall.

Electricity
110 volts/60 cycles, the same as the U.S.

Climate
Tropical climate averaging 27 degrees Celsius and ranging from 18 degrees in winter to 34 degrees in summer; the hottest month is August, the coolest is January. Trade winds keep the air cool and fresh; temperatures can drop to 0 degrees Celsius in the mountains.

Tips and Taxes
Hotels and restaurants add a 10% service charge plus an 8% sales tax to the bill. Hotels add an additional 5% for room tax and may include a nominal energy charge. It is customary to give an additional 10% for good service. Bellboys, maids and taxi drivers are tipped according to the service.

Siesta
The Latin tradition of long lunches, the major meal of the day, is maintained, and thus many shops still close from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Major shopping centers, supermarkets and stores frequented by visitors usually remain open from 9 to 7 pm.

Communications
There is direct dialing to the Dominican Republic using area code 809. The country's privately owned telephone company CODETEL, a GTE subsidiary, and Tricom (a Motorola joint venture) provide the Dominican Republic with one of the most sophisticated telecommunications systems in Latin America. Services include international direct dialing, faxing, teleconferencing, electronic mail and now videoconferencing.

Cable, fax, telex services, and long distance calling services are also provided by All America Cable and Radio, ITT and RCA Global Communications. Internet service by Codetel.

Mail
The Dominican public postal service with over 190 branches is the least expensive way of sending and receiving international mail. The postal service also has an express mail service for which additional fees are charged.

Private international courier service, which is faster and more costly than regular mail, includes DHL, Federal Express, UPS, and several local P.O. Box courier services such as Express Parcel Service.

Historical sights
As the site of Columbus' first landing in the Americas and home of the New World's first city, the country is steeped in history. Among the leading attractions in Colonial Santo Domingo are:

• Columbus' Castle (Alcazar)
• Saint Francis Monastery
• Cathedral of Santo Domingo
• Museum of Royal Houses
• Columbus Square
• Ozama Fortress
• National Pantheon
• Dominican Convent
• Calle Las Damas (the first street ever built in the Americas).

In Puerto Plata, Fort San Felipe bears witness to Nicolás de Ovando's founding of that city in 1502. The town of Isabela, discovered by Columbus on his second voyage in January of 1494, lies west of Puerto Plata.

The monumental Columbus Lighthouse in Santo Domingo boasts 151 search lights and houses museums displaying treasures from Italy, Spain, Israel, Great Britain, the U.S., Japan and other countries. The chapel with Columbus' tomb and remains serves as the Admiral's final resting place.

Museums
National museums celebrate all aspects of Dominican life past and present, as well as house treasures and artifacts from the world over. Most are located in Santo Domingo including:

• The Museum of Dominican Man
• Museum of Natural History
• Museum of the Dominican Family
• Museum of Royal Houses
• Prehispanic Art Museum
• Numismatic and Philatelic Museum
• Modern Art Museum
• Museum of Antique Coins
• Viceroy Museum and Alcázar
• Amber Museum
• Outside of the capital city, visit the Tomás Morel Folklore Museum (Santiago)
• Amber Museum (Puerto Plata)
• The Archeological Museum (Altos de Chavón, La Romana).

Festivals
Carnival, a colorful parade along the Santo Domingo Malecón, takes place the week of Independence Day, which is February 27. Merengue Festival is a lively celebration of the country's national music with merengue bands performing at major hotels and on the Malecón in Santo Domingo from the last week in July through the first week of August. Puerto Plata's Merengue Festival is held during the second week of October. Christmas celebrations begin in early December and end on Epiphany Day on January 6.