Is the Dominican Republic Safe? My Firsthand Experience

 ​If I had a nickel for every time I got asked about the DR’s safety in the last few months, I could have paid off my house. If I coupled that with the phrase “Come back alive” when I told friends I was headed down there, I would be a millionaire. With so many different stories and major news events, it is easy to get caught up and be scared about travel. However, we decided to test it out ourselves to get a firsthand look at what is really going on and how resorts are responding to this security threat. We wanted to make sure it was safe for our clients to travel (That's our job as travel agents!). We checked out the resort security, alcohol, and off-site security at popular excursion locations.

RESORT SECURITY

​One of the first things that you notice when pulling into any resort is the number of guards at the front entrance checking every van coming in. There was also physical security between most resorts on the beach. They did not stop you from walking the beach which I enjoy, but I noticed one vendor starting to wander into the resort and was immediately redirected off the property and back to the beach. This doesn’t mean that you will not be asked to buy a necklace or wooden figure on the beach, but security is definitely watching people more closely and where they are going.

ALCOHOL

​The other major news item was the security of the mini-bars and alcohol. I stayed at and toured AM Resort hotels and was very impressed. Everything was bottled and sealed. No open spickets in the rooms and the bars had name brand imported liquor available. I felt very comfortable drinking both the local bottled rum and imported liquor. I talked to several other people on our excursions about their all-inclusive resorts and their observations were identical to mine. Everything was sealed and was either bottled or canned.  

OFF-SITE SECURITY

​A trip to any all-inclusive would never be complete without an excursion or two. We booked two popular excursions to Marinarium and Coco Bongo. At both locations, you felt very comfortable with the staff and your surroundings. Marinarium did not serve alcohol until the snorkeling was completed which is the standard protocol. They had filtered water and ice on the boat along with bottled liquor which all seemed safe and protected behind the bar. Transportation to and from was very secure with door to door drop-off and pickup. I was really impressed with the staff when they noticed one person drank a little too much. Immediately, they cut him off from the alcohol and when back on shore, they brought him to his transportation van.

Coco Bongo is very popular nightclub\show in Punta Cana with several other Caribbean locations. Being one of the most popular places in Punta Cana, I was interested to see what the security was like. It is good to note here that we booked excursions with our local Amstar rep on site instead of the hotel or another vendor. Amstar arranged travel to and from the show. Coco Bongo also picks certain cab drivers that can transfer people back from Coco Bongo. We felt safer knowing that if we stayed later and missed our van back, we would not get picked up by some random driver. The venue had several security guards both inside and out. I noticed that if there were any individual females or female only groups, they grouped them by the cocktail tables surrounding the dance floor for added security. There was a metal detector at the entrance as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

​With my personal experience, it looks like the resorts and off-site locations are taking this threat seriously and have worked hard to make sure everyone feels safe and secure on their vacation. I talked with one of the property managers about it. He said the last thing they want people to worry about is their safety on vacation. People should be relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. I couldn’t agree more and felt very safe throughout my entire trip.