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getting around in Las Terrenas

Last activity 27 October 2021 by Oscarsahony Sanchez

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carolmarchena

I tried finding a topic related to what I need to no avail.  So here it is:

We will be moving to Las Terrenas and initially, we will not have a car and we will be living  near Pueblo de los Pescadores .  How would one go about  going to Supermarket?  Can I order a taxi, or do supermarkets deliver? We are from NYC and are use to walking ALL the time, but bringing our groceries back by foot is not a dream of ours, LOL. 

I wonder what is your experience in getting around Las Terrenas without a car? Considering our future location, which is near to so may things, any suggestions, specifically buying groceries?

Thank you

Guineo Verde

If you are not reluctant, use a Moto Concho. It is what most of the people who do not have a car do. Price is +/- 50 pesos.

Taxis are expensive because those are tourist taxis.

Jwoddis

You COULD walk from the supermarket to Pescadores but it wouldn’t be fun.
Consider -
- deliveries from the supermarkets through their apps.
- hiring a trusted scooter driver to shop for you
- walking or taking a scooter to the store, buying your stuff and then having it delivered
- buying a scooter or a quad.
Deliveries are not like New York, they will be on their schedule and any timeframe they commit to is more like a maybe than a commitment.  But they do deliver.

Freedmeister

It's not a bad walk to Supermercado Lindo, and if you go each day, the bags won't be heavy. Also, you can get fresh fruit, veggies, fish at other local spots. There is a woman who will stop at your house with fresh fruit each day, and she can get you what you want for the next day if you ask. Conchos are pretty safe in the downtown, but i would not go with them on the main roads where speeds are high and the condition of the bikes, not so much.

carolmarchena

Great suggestions. It gives me a better sense of what to do.

Life will be nothing like NYC-  and that is a good thing, LOL.  Having lived in Moca and  Santo Domingo when I was a child has taught me that. 

Thank you everyone!

RockyM

Denise and I bought scooters to get around in our first 6 months. Had a smallish cooler bungee'd to the back of the seat to carry the groceries. Maybe I am getting older (well...no maybe about it, I am) but I don't like taking such risks anymore. The Mad Max "survivor of the fittest" traffic behavior here is just too crazy for scooter mobility. Too many of our expat friends have had accidents on their scooters and bikes. Sold the scooters at a loss. Bad experiment.

We had Lindo deliver for us a number of times. It worked out quite well, although what I didn't like is someone else pulling the products from the store shelves. I'm trying to recall some of the weird stuff we would occasionally unpack after delivery. Lindo delivery is like a box of chocolates....

And of course cabs here are very expensive, so we never use them unless we have to.

And motoconcho?  See my first paragraph regarding risk avoidance. And how does that even work with groceries?

ddmcghee

What Justin said about Lindo's delivery is correct! Although the site allows you to choose a delivery window, it's pure coincidence if that's when they show up! Normally they arrive an hour or so after the window ends, but the one time they showed up early, I had specifically chosen a later window because I knew we'd be away from home for a few hours first thing in the morning!

And Rocky's comment on the substitutions is spot on! Normally they will call you if they are out of something and need to substitute it, but not always. And there are a few things that you can only order by the pound (sometimes a half pound), but who needs that much garlic or ginger??

Before we had our car here, we would get delivery of the bulky and heavy stuff (TP, paper towels, sodas, liquor, canned goods, etc.), and then stop in on our scooters for produce and meat.

On our first visit to LT, we stayed at the end of the road by Don Cesar (just past Pueblos) and we made the walk to LIndo several times. It wasn't bad for the few things we needed - but I'd bring an insulated bag and cold packs if you plan to get anything frozen or refrigerated. Forget about ice cream!

Denise

carolmarchena

RockyM. You are hilarious!!   Thank you for the candid reply. 
We are also at that stage of our lives that avoids risks.

carolmarchena

We are laughing so loudly at the comments.  Although I’m sure at the times, it was no laughing matter. 
Can you imagine if Dominicans became organized.  They will make some decent money— with the opportunities they can have  to serve expats and visitors. 

maybe a new business— groceries deliveries😉?

Brewpub56

Walk down, ride back. 😊

carolmarchena

Yeap.  My thoughts exactly.   Thank you for your reply

WillieWeb

Once you're there a while, you'll find a moto man you can trust to run errands, deliver, etc

Not hard - all sorts of 'all purpose' motos looking for work

RockyM

As a follow-up, and to be fair, there are many expats that are comfortable on scooters and motor bikes here. And many choose quads, and a few golf carts are running around town. More power to them. The alternative is a costly automobile I guess. Transportation here is a tough nut to crack.

oscarsahony

that is great info friends
maybe i should be a delivery pwrson for expats etc since i wom' t have anything to do.
i was thinkimg of putting a small place and teach english for kids or youn adults to help them and guide them
uber sanchez mmmmm
but then i will habe to wake up early and my golf time would be messed up lol

Oscarsahony Sanchez

on that topic of moving around, do you recommend leasing a car if not buying or bringing a car soon after Jan\feb?
any dealers that could be recommended on this item?
thanks
will be living in SD

Oscarsahony Sanchez

oscarsahony wrote:

that is great info friends
maybe i should be a delivery person for expats etc since i won' t have anything to do.
i was thinking of putting a small place and teach English for kids or young adults to help them and guide them
uber sanchez mmmmm
but then i will have to wake up early and my golf time would be messed up lol

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