Book Review: Other Places Travel Dominican Republic

This is the second in a series of posts about my recent trip to the Dominican Republic’s Samana Peninsula:

1. I’m going to the Dominican Republic!
2. Book Review: Other Places Travel Guide Dominican Republic

Other Places Travel Publishing produces guidebooks written by former Peace Corps volunteers. All Other Place authors lived in the country they’re writing about for two years, so they really know what they’re writing about. I heard good things the Madagascar and Mongolia guides, and I was excited when one of their titles finally fit my travel plans.

The Other Places Dominican Republic guidebook was a great choice for me. The book assumes readers are independent traveler with some interest in eco-tourism. Since those are my interests, the information in the book was really helpful. It’s not the best guide in all situations – there’s almost no coverage of major resort areas.

I wish Lonely Planet guidebooks were like this

I buy Lonely Planet guidebooks out of habit and lack of options. When I get a guidebook, I look for information on affordable accommodations, public transportation information, and historical context. Usually, I find what I need in Lonely Planet. Sometimes, I get unpleasant surprises. I found myself in the middle of Africa, without internet, and a Lonely Planet heavy on luxury safari lodge listings. The last Lonely Planet boasts winning combination of vague bus directions and GPS-phobic addresses.

Other Place Dominican Republic is like the Lonely Planet guide I want.

• The layout is similar to Lonely Planet. Since I’m a Lonely Planet reader, it felt intuitive.
• The book has an in-depth history, society, economy and arts section, also reminiscent of Lonely Planet.
• The transportation directions assume the reader generally knows how to travel, and needs specific directions for the Dominican Republic. The book provides detailed information on getting around rural areas on gua guas (vans and trucks without set schedules).
• Hotel and restaurant listings were really detailed. I stayed in a tiny a one-street village, and the guidebook had a several hotel and restaurant listings.

I need budget and itinerary suggestions!

The Dominican Republic guidebook has a ton of useful details – but no summary. There’s no suggested itineraries or average budgets.

The Dominican tourism industry focuses on resort development.  Independent traveler can forge their own trip in the country, but it takes some planning. This guidebook could be the perfect platform to teach independent travelers how to backpack around the island. I did deduce the main attractions for independent travelers while browsing through the book – but I wish they authors had done that work themselves.

The other section I missed is a budget section. I find that Lonely Planet’s budget, mid-range, and high-end daily budget estimates are usually pretty accurate for my trips, and would have been nice to see a similar feature in this book.

This problem is specific to the Dominican Republic guidebook. I browsed other titles online, and most included either “best of” lists or suggested itineraries.

Even with its faults, I would recommend the guide for travelers going off-the-beaten track in the Dominican Republic.

More Other Titles

I’ll be seeking out Other Places guidebooks in the future. Other Places is a new publishing house with a growing list of titles. Their Paraguay book is a best-seller (probably because no one else covers Paraguay). I’m personally interested in the Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica guidebooks.

Africa

• Benin
• Cape Verde
• Madagascar
• Namibia

Asia

• Mongolia
• Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand

Eastern Europe

• Bulgaria
• Ukraine

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic

South America

• Paraguay

The Pacific

• Tonga
• Micronesia and Palau

Dry Tortugas National Park and the Yankee Freedom

This is the fifth and final of a series of posts about my recent trip to Key West:

1. Key West Trip Nuts and Bolts
2. Key West Beaches – the Bad and the Lovely
3. Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa – Review and Pictures
4. Key West for History Buffs
5. Dry Tortugas National Park and the Yankee Freedom

Dry Tortugas National Park is a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean. I saw amazing pictures, and decided I had to go. I loved it. It’s my best travel experience this year so far.

Aerial View of Fort Jefferson. (C) National Park Service.

View of Fort Jefferson moat from the beach.

The Yankee Freedom

Dry Tortugas is remote. The island is 70 miles from Key West. Most visitors get to the park by taking the Yankee Freedom ferry.  The Yankee Freedom tour is well organized, and my love for Dry Tortugas is probably a result of both my great experience with the Yankee Freedom and the park’s natural beauty.

Dry Tortugas is in the middle of the Caribbean 70 miles from Key West. (C) Yankee Freedom.

Price

The trip costs $165. For me, it money well spent. But I travel solo, and I suspect that a $600+ day might not fit into the budget of the average vacationing family.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, like Dry Tortugas, also has a great beach, snorkeling and a Civil War fort.

Unless you have your own seaplane, you’ll need to take the Yankee Freedom to Dry Tortugas.

Getting to the Yankee Freedom dock

• The Yankee Freedom departs at 8AM, check in for day-trippers starts at 7 AM. I’d recommend showing up by 7:30. There’s no reason to get there the second that check-in opens, but the boat does leave on time.
• I found the dock tricky to locate. I got confused by all the little yachts parked in Key West. The Yankee Freedom is a really big boat – carries over 100 passengers. If you also have an NYC frame-of-reference: it’s about the size of the Staten Island Ferry, the Circle Line, or the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island boat.
• The dock is at 100 Grinnel Street. If you’re staying in town, you need to walk to east toward the dock from Mallory Square. Once you’re close, you’ll see several signs pointing out the dock.

The Yankee Freedom ferry terminal.

The Yankee Freedom docked in Key West.

The Boat Ride

• The boat ride lasts about 2 hours.
• The boat was clean, the seats were new, and the bathrooms were as clean as public toilets can be.
• Guides provided explanations over the speakers, so I understood what I was seeing from deck and never had questions about trip logistics.
• There were documentaries about Dry Tortugas running on the top passenger deck.

Passengers on the top deck of the Yankee Freedom.

The Yankee Freedom tour is really well organized. With a posted schedule and frequent announcements, I always knew what was going on.

Food

• There’s no place to buy food once in Dry Tortugas. The only store on the island is a gift shop.

• The Yankee Freedom trip includes breakfast and lunch.
• Breakfast was available immediately after the boat left the dock.
• Breakfast options included bagels, fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereal, bagels, hard boiled eggs. I had more several options for a healthy, high-protein breakfast.
• A make-your-own sandwich bar is set up for lunch after the boats docks at Dry Tortugas. The sandwich bar is open for about 2 hours, so there’s some flexibility in when you eat lunch.
• Neither breakfast or lunch was gourmet, but both were decent choices. As vegetarian, I found it easier to put together something healthy fro breakfast, but I certainly had enough choices for lunch.

• Starting 2PM, passengers can buy drinks and snacks. If you want to get started early with happy hour, you can get strawberry daiquiris, margaritas, pina coladas, mojitos and rum punch.
• I thought the prices for the drinks and snacks were fair. The Yankee Freedom has a captive audience, and it was nice that they weren’t gouging prices.

The lunch sandwich bar opens after the ferry arrives in Dry Tortugas.

The Yankee Freedom bars opens on the way back to Key West. Drinks are sold for $3-$6.

Snacks and drinks are sold on the way back to Key West. Breakfast and Lunch included in the tour price.

Activities

There are two main activities in Dry Tortugas:  the fort and the beach.

Fort Jefferson tour

• A Civil War era fort occupies most of the island.
• Yankee Freedom tour guides leads one tour of the fort. The tour starts about 15 minutes after the boat arrives.
• Pretty much all of the park ranger led tours I’ve been on have been phenomenal, and the Yankee Freedom staffer was was about as good as a park ranger.
• There is a small gift shop in the fort where you can buy souvenirs and hunt down a park ranger to stamp your National Parks Passport

Walk this way if you’re a Civil War history buff.

View of the Caribbean from the top of Fort Jefferson.

Yankee Freedom staffer leading a tour of Fort Jefferson.

Swimming, Snorkeling, and Lounging on the beach

• The beach is small but perfect. Given the difficulty of reaching the beach, it also wasn’t very crowded.
• Yankee Freedom staff make snorkel gear available as soon as you arrive.
• I hadn’t snorkeled before – and I found that this was a great first snorkeling experience. The Yankee Freedom Staffer showed me how to put on a snorkel, suggested a place to snorkel, and provided enough instructions to get started.

Snorkel gear is available right after the boat docks.

Snorkeling along Fort Jefferson’s moat.

The main in Dry Tortugas National Park.

Time on the island

I was worried that the trip would be too short, but I was happy with the amount of time I got on the island. I had enough time to tour the fort, eat lunch, snorkel and swim, and walk around the entire island. I never got bored, and I didn’t feel rushed.

People

Maybe I was just lucky, but everyone on this boat – both tourists and staff – were extremely friendly and approachable.  On the boat, I chatted with fellow tourists, tour guides, the bartender, and boy scouts. Two kids snorkeling beside me shared all their marine finds, “Ma’am, do you want to see a big sea slug?”

Camping on Dry Tortugas

There’s a primitive campsite on Dry Tortugas.Yankee Freedom charges $188 for overnight campers. The fee covers transportation, campers bring their own tents, water and food.

The Yankee Freedom website lists weight and size restrictions for the amount of equipment overnight guests can bring. I chatted with a boy scout troop leader heading out for a camping trip, and he reported that the Yankee Freedom has more than enough space available for the average camper’s needs.

The campsite in Dry Tortugas is a few feet from the beach. Campers can use  BBQ grills, picnic tables, and bathroom facilities. Park rangers stay on the island in two week shifts – so the park is staffed after the boat leaves.

Ocean view campsite.

Similar National Parks

I absolutely love the idea of a National Park tropical beach. Four other National Parks similar to Dry Tortugas are on the top of my list:

• Biscayne National Park is just south of Miami, Florida. Most of the park is water. Biscayne Underwater offers tours and transportation for campers.
• Channel Islands National Park is just south of Santa Barbara, California. Island Packers offers both day-trips and transportation for campers.
• Virgin Islands National Park in St. John, a US territory in the Caribbean. You’ll need to fly to St. Thomas, then take a ferry over to St. John.
• National Park of American Samoa is a bit out of the way in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

 

Key West for History Buffs

This is the fourth of a series of posts about my recent trip to Key West:

1. Key West Trip Nuts and Bolts
2. Key West Beaches – the Bad and the Lovely
3. Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa – Review and Pictures
4. Key West for History Buffs

Key West is a great, relaxing history buff destination. It had enough attractions to keep me interested, but not so many that I felt obligated to sight-see all day. I saw everything I wanted, and had plenty of time left for the beach.

Last Minute Marriott Seasonal Awards Booking– 25% Off Point Redemptions

25% Discount on Points Redemptions

I’m not a big spender, I don’t travel for work, and it takes me a long time to accumulate points. Low hotel point redemptions let me to stretch the points I do manage to scratch together.  I broke up with Marriott – but now I’m tempted by one last redemption.Today and tomorrow is a good time make a reservation since the Marriott devaluation goes into effect on May 16.

The 25% seasonal award discount brings the points redemptions down to realistic levels.

Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa – Review and Pictures

This is the third of a series of posts about my recent trip to Key West:

1. Key West Trip Nuts and Bolts
2. Key West Beaches – the Bad and the Lovely
3. Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa – Review and Pictures

Hyatt Key West Resort

I opened up a Hyatt Visa so that I could use the free night certificates at the Hyatt Key West Resort (Tripadvisor ranking: 13/42). Key West was high on my bucket list, but has a dearth of budget lodging options. The lone hostel in Key West sounds terrible.

Five Hudson Valley Mansions

The Hudson Valley is a region just north of New York City peppered with all-American towns, scenic hikes, and gilded era mansions. If you ever read a novel by Edith Wharton or Henry James, or seen Portrait of a Lady, then you know about Hudson Valley mansions.

It’s my favorite day trip destination. Unfortunately, its gilded era mansions hibernate in winter. I’ve been antsy all winter and I’m excited that my favorite part of the state is waking up after the long winter slog. Most historical homes open in early May, and stay open through the fall.

New Resources Tab!

I spend a lot of my spare time researching destinations, and I’ve found tons of useful, niche resources along the way.

Some of my favorite resources are put together by amateurs. Like a Jordan country guide to  maintained by a woman who just likes the country. Or an encyclopedic Puerto Rico blog maintained by a couple exploring the island.

I’ve added a Resources tab to track all my finds. It’s a running list of destination guides, hostels, hotels, and activities. Some of these are things I’ve experienced, some are things I’d like to do one day, and some are just things that look cool. The current tab is a start – I’ll add resources as I find them.

I’ve no financial relationship with any of the businesses I link to.

Beaches in Western Puerto Rico

I spent most of the mini-vacation in western Puerto Rico beach-hopping. I drove the length of the western coast,  on side roads, sticking close to the ocean. I found the best beaches are either the far southwest (Playa Sucia and Balneario Boqueron) and far northwest (Playa Jobos).

Playa Jobos in northwestern Puerto Rico.

My favorite beaches

Balneario Boqueron

Balneario Boqueron belongs in a travel magazine centerfold. It’s the travel porn beach I fantasize about: shallow azure waters, powdery sand, and palm trees.

Overnight to the Caribbean

Like my Tampa Bay trip, my western Puerto Rico mini-vacation was influenced by an airfare deal.

I earmarked 35,000 Thank You points  for a trip to the Caribbean over Presidents Day weekend 2013.  Legacy carriers want 35,000 points to fly to the Caribbean, so the number felt intuitive, and I had the rest of my balance earmarked for other trips.

In general, 100 Thank You points=$1. With The Thank You Premier credit card (which I had), 100 Thank You points=$1.33.  So I was willing to spend $466.67 on my ticket.

That’s a ridiculously low-budget for a ticket to the Caribbean in February. President’s Day weekend is probably the most expensive time to fly to the Caribbean:

• Demand is high. Everyone wants to escape the cold and there’s no risk of hurricanes.
• It’s a long weekend.
• It coincides with winter break in schools.
• It coincides with Valentine’s Day.

Three Awesome JetBlue Routes

I’m flying JetBlue to the Dominican Republic tomorrow morning. (Yay!)

I’ve developed a JetBlue obsession in the last few months. Every few months, I hear about a new JetBlue route to a great destination otherwise hard to reach from New York. Here are my favorite three routes.

Destination: Samana, Dominican Republic

Why it’s on my bucket list: Gateway to tropical beaches in a quiet corner of the Caribbean.