Santo Domingo DR

[goldenpup]

I hope this post is ok to write. If not, I am sure it will be removed. We were departing on RCL Mar 15 so we arrived in SD one day early. We stayed at the Hotel Palacio. A very nice place in the Colonial District. The staff were very accomadating and friendly. We arrived late so they had the hotel security walk to a local restuarant to have them come over with a menu, we placed our food order and they returned with our meal on trays in glass plates and silverware and everything. What service! We suddenly lost water in our room and they promptly removed us to a HUGE room for the 5 of us! The next day they held our luggage for us until later in the day when our transportation arrived. Meanwhile they suggested some local food places. While in one we had a problem with the language barrier so a nice man at the counter came and assisted us. He showed his credentials from a resort accross the road. Walked us to a local place to dine and then offered a 3 hour walking tour of the city for $30 for the 5 of us. He was an employee of the hotel and tour guide for 22 years. He really knew his history which was very informative to learn. We were very pleased with the local citizens. I went with concerns from having read many books and reviews on being cautious of theft of tourists in DR primarily in Santo Domingo. We went on our cruise, had a wonderful time and since we didn't have a flight back to USA until 2:55am we had a room to relax in at the beautiful Hilton Hotel in Santo Domingo. My reason for this post is to just remind people to always be aware of your surroundings and cautious. We walked to a recommended restuarant by the hotel staff. It was a nice place only 1-1/2 blocks away. We had a nice late lunch. At around 5pm in broad daylight in a busy area my family of 5 was suddenly attacked and I was assaulted. We were successful in working together as a team in overcoming the attack, the hotel staff assisted us and witnesses attempted apprehending the attacker. I was injured but we were safe. This can happen in any city your are in, just be prepared (our daughters were trained in basic self-defense awareness) and we stayed calm as best as possible. Just don't let down your guard regardless of where you are. Other than this very unfortunate incident I have the highest recommendations for the Hotel Palacio, the Dominican Republic Tranportation, and the Hilton Santo Domingo!

Wishing others safe travels always!