Who made your "Reserve the Date" cards?
The Reserve the
Date cards were made by hand by us (Bianca and Darren). We worked on the
wording and the design using Microsoft Word. We bought the paper
and silver envelopes at the Paper Source store (see our Credits page for
vendors info), we used fine resume
paper from Kinko's. We printed everything at home and had all the sheets
cut at Kinko's. Each card was individually
& manually
assembled. At first, we wanted to put a blue wax seal with our initial
on the flap of the silver envelope, but during our mail trial the wax
seal was completely destroyed. Only the save the date cards that were
delivered by hand (a Dominican tradition) had the wax seal.
Can you tell me a little bit about the Santo Domingo Airport?
The airport is pretty hectic and busy, but
people tend to be pretty nice and warm. Just keep in mind that all you
have to pay when you get there is the tourist card that you need to
purchase before you go thru the immigration booths. The only people you
need to tip are those that help you with your luggage and this is not an
obligation. Make sure you pick up your suitcases right away and keep
them with you at all times, you will need the airline luggage receipt
before you get thru customs (this is the receipt that was given to you
when you checked your luggage at the airport), for security reasons the
employees at the Santo Domingo airport check and match the ticket/receipt on your
suitcase to the one that is stapled on your ticket before you are
allowed to leave (they do that to make
sure that the right owner walks away with their suitcase and not someone
else's - by mistake) - so keep your luggage receipt/ticket handy.
Do you know how many suitcases are we
allowed to take with us?
Normally, you are allowed 2 suitcases
(with not more than 70 pounds each - if any of them go over 70 pounds -
you will have to pay a high fee) and one carry-on bag (not heavier than
30 or 40 pounds) per person. Check with your airline about your luggage
restrictions just to make sure. We recommend that you take a carry-on
bag with you (with important pieces and/or your jewelry) - just in case
your luggage is delayed.
At little bit about Taxicabs in the
Dominican Republic
If you need to take a cab - you should
know that it is not safe to take just any cab from the streets. You
should call a taxicab company first or ask the hotel/restaurant or
location where you are - to call a cab for you (note that the
taxicab company operator speaks only Spanish). When a cab is called the
taxicab company will provide a description of the taxicab (4 doors,
minivan, color etc.) and will provide a taxicab identification number -
once the taxi arrives the driver will identify himself by the cab number
id (given to you by the cab company), the taxi drivers keep a photo-id
visible at all times inside the cab. Note that it is safe to take one of
the standing cabs at the main lobby of the Hotel Hamaca. In the city of
Santo Domingo these are the cab companies that normally operate:
Apolo taxi 537-0000 and 537-7772
Tecni-taxi 567-2010
Nacional Taxi 535-3541
In Boca Chica - SICHALA 549-0245
Note that you don't need to dial the area
code (809) while you are in Dominican Republic and you can just dial any
of the phone numbers mentioned above.
Do taxicab have meters? If not, how are cab fares
calculated? Can you tell us a little bit more about how taxicabs operate
in the Dominican Republic?
Taxicabs in the Dominican Republic do not
have meters. The fare is calculated based on the distance and
destination place. The fares are negotiated and confirmed before
you get into a cab. So, before you get in a cab - ask how much is going
to cost you to get to a desired destination, that way you won't
have any surprises. If you ask someone to call a cab on your behalf,
that person can confirm the cab fare (ask them to do that, it's
customary). Tipping cab drivers is not customary in the Dominican
Republic, unless the driver is someone that you have hired for a long
period of time (to take you many different places and wait for you at
different locations - sometimes you can get a better cab fare (deal) if
you use the same taxicab and cab driver all the time - you can do that
by requesting a particular cab number (the driver can give you his
taxicab number id, so you can request for his services every time you go
out; if you wish to do this, allow for a little bit of extra time (the
taxicab might not be in your area). Many taxicabs don't have air
condition, if you wish to have air condition, request this service
before you get into the cab. If someone calls a cab on your behalf ask
them to request a cab with air-condition - sometimes they charge
you a little bit extra for this, so ask how much is going to cost you.
What kind of transportation is
available from the Santo Domingo International Airport (Las Americas) to the hotel?
There is one Taxicab company that operates
in the area and in the Santo Domingo International Airport "Las
Americas" also known as "AILA". The name of the taxicab company is "SICHALA"
stands for "Sindicato de Choferes Aeropuerto Las Américas". They
charge US$18.00 dollars from the airport to the Hotel Hamaca Coral by
Hilton; this fare is per cab (not per person) and it's good for up to 4
people in one cab (as long as they all fit comfortable in the car). If
your or your companions have too many suitcases you might have to hire
more than one cab. Note that each taxicab driver carries a yellow id tag, with a number and the name of the taxicab
company on it. The cab drivers refer to the hotel mostly for just
one name "Hotel Hamaca" (in Boca Chica).
SICHALA has a booth at the airport and
their phone number is 809-549-0245.
Make sure you confirm the rate (US$18.00)
before you get into the cab.
Does the hotel have a shuttle service?
Sorry, the Hotel Hamaca Coral by Hilton doesn't
have a shuttle service.
Are safe deposit boxes available at the
hotel?
Yes, the hotel rooms have a safety deposit
box. You should ask for the key to the safe deposit box at the the
hotel registration desk. The hotel charges US$3.00 per day or US$20.00
per week for the service.
Do
American Citizens need a visa to visit the Dominican Republic?
No. American Citizens and USA residents (green card holders) don't need
a visa to visit the Dominican Republic. They need a valid passport to
enter the island and are only required to purchase
a tourist-card (tourist visa) upon arriving to the
Dominican Republic airport. The tourist card costs $10.00 US dollars
and is good for visiting the country for two months.
Many people have asked us if it's OK
for them to bring gifts to the Dominican Republic - to which we have
responded:
Thank you, but gifts
are not necessary, just bring yourself. We won't be able to bring gifts
back with us to United States. It is also important to know that some items, such
as electronics, will be taxed by the customs department when you bring them to the Dominican
Republic. Although, many other
items are not taxed, they can take a lot of space and international shipping
is extremely expensive. So please do not worry about gifts. Your company is the
best gift we can receive.
Some people have asked us what to do,
if they have already picked up a gift for us - to which we have
responded:
Thank you so much for
your generosity and the nice gesture, if you've already
picked up something for us, we would really appreciate if we could receive it
in Boston, perhaps sometime after our wedding. We'll be back home (at
least for a little while) on January 20th, 2004.
For how long will the hotel
hold your block of rooms?
Rooms
will be held until Wednesday December 17, 2003.
The hotel wedding
discount will continue to be available, but after December 17 rooms
that have not been reserved will not be guaranteed.
What are the hotel rates for
children?
Children that
are 4 years old or younger stay for free in the company of one or two adults.
Children between the
ages of 5 and 12 pay US$15.00 dollars per night (in the company of one
or two adults. )
Children
that are 13 or older pay the same rate as an adult.
Does the hotel offer babysitting
services?
Yes, the cost is
US$10.00 dollars per hour and per child.
Can several adult share the same
room?
Yes, up to three
adults can share the same room.
Are food and drinks included as part of the hotel rates?
Yes, the Hotel Hamaca Coral by Hilton is an all inclusive resort. Food and drinks
(alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are included
24 hours/7 days a week.
So are taxes and a 10% gratuity.
Why the hotel URL is not working?
The Hotel Hamaca Coral
by Hilton has a new URL.
Unfortunately, the
URL that we provided on the Reserve the Date cards is not longer
available:
The hotel has changed
their URL/Domain-name in a couple of occasions.
If
you have saved an URL and it's not longer working, try one of the
following domain names:
http://hiltoncaribbean.com/
http://www.coralbyhilton.com/Home.htm
http://www.coralbyhilton.com/Hamaca/index.htm
Select Dominican Republic and the
Hotel Hamaca, you'll be redirect to the correct site.