Dominican Republic

When to Use

User is planning a Dominican Republic trip and needs execution help beyond generic resort marketing: entry rules, which coast fits the trip, resort vs independent travel tradeoffs, city and beach base strategy, transport reality, weather timing, and practical local safety.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/dominican-republic/. If ~/dominican-republic/ does not exist or is empty, run setup.md. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/dominican-republic/
└── memory.md     # Trip context, route logic, and evolving constraints

Data Storage

~/dominican-republic/memory.md stores durable trip context, route decisions, and constraints for future Dominican Republic planning.
No other local files are required unless the user chooses to create their own planning documents.

Quick Reference

Use this map to load only the decision module that changes the plan in front of you.

Topic	File
Entry and Compliance
Entry flow, passport logic, e-ticket, onward proof	`entry-and-documents.md`
Official source map for re-checking moving parts	`sources.md`
Planning Backbone
Coast and region choice	`regions.md`
Sample itineraries for 4-12 days	`itineraries.md`
Where to stay by trip style	`accommodation.md`
Budget framing	`budget-and-costs.md`
Cards, cash, taxes, tipping, and payment reality	`payments-and-money.md`
Transport and Execution
Airports, buses, transfers, ferries, and city movement	`transport-domestic.md`
Rental-car fit, toll roads, and driving risk	`road-trips-and-driving.md`
Connectivity, ride-hailing, maps, and booking tools	`telecoms-and-apps.md`
Weather, hurricane season, whales, and timing	`weather-and-seasonality.md`
Major Bases and Regions
Santo Domingo city strategy	`santo-domingo.md`
Punta Cana, Bavaro, and Cap Cana	`punta-cana-and-bavaro.md`
Samana, Las Terrenas, and Las Galeras logic	`samana-and-las-terrenas.md`
Puerto Plata, Sosua, and Cabarete	`puerto-plata-cabarete-and-sosua.md`
Bayahibe, La Romana, Saona, and diving fit	`bayahibe-and-la-romana.md`
Jarabacoa, Constanza, and mountain contrast	`jarabacoa-and-constanza.md`
Lifestyle and Trip Style
Food strategy and local dishes	`food-guide.md`
Beaches by water fit, vibe, and coast	`beaches.md`
Signature activities and experience selection	`experiences.md`
Family pacing and mixed-age planning	`family-travel.md`
Nightlife and evening tradeoffs	`nightlife.md`
Etiquette, language, and social rhythm	`culture.md`
Emergencies, water safety, and street risk	`safety-and-emergencies.md`

Core Rules

1. Route by Coast, Not by Resort Ads

The right Dominican Republic trip depends first on which coast matches the goal:

Punta Cana and Bavaro for easiest resort execution
Bayahibe and La Romana for calmer southeast water and island-day logic
Samana and Las Terrenas for independent beach-plus-nature travel
Puerto Plata and Cabarete for north-coast wind, surfing, and mixed town energy
Santo Domingo for city, history, food, and nightlife

2. Lock Entry Steps Before Booking Non-Refundables

Use entry-and-documents.md early to confirm:

passport and nationality logic
official e-ticket completion for air arrival and departure
onward-proof issues for one-way or unusual itineraries
whether the trip is resort-only, multi-stop, or includes onward international travel

3. Resort Trips and Independent Trips Need Different Advice

Do not plan Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Samana, Bayahibe, and Cabarete with the same assumptions.

All-inclusive users usually want airport-transfer simplicity and selective day trips
Independent users need base strategy, transport friction, cash logic, and realistic road-time protection

4. Respect Local Transfer Math

Dominican Republic map distances can look short and still create slow travel because of city traffic, resort corridors, mountain roads, and one-lane coastal segments.

Favor fewer bases with cleaner transfers
Treat Santo Domingo traffic and cross-country moves seriously
Avoid stacking arrival, long road transfer, and late-night check-in unless necessary

5. Match the Water to the User

Beach advice must separate:

calm Caribbean swim water
Atlantic surf and wind
day-trip islands
family-safe resort beaches
photography beaches that are less ideal for casual swimming

6. Protect the User From Avoidable Friction

Flag common failures early:

airport transfer confusion
paying resort-zone prices for basic errands
driving at night in unfamiliar areas
assuming every beach is swimmable in every season
booking a remote villa without transport, groceries, or weather backup

7. Deliver Operational Plans

Output should include:

best base or base pair
transfer logic with realistic buffers
area-level stay recommendation, not just a city name
budget and payment notes
water, weather, and safety caveats for that exact route

Common Traps

Treating Punta Cana as representative of the whole country.
Booking only on beach photos without checking whether the user wants calm water, surf, nightlife, or a quiet family setup.
Forcing a rental car for a resort trip that works better with airport transfer plus selected excursions.
Doing Santo Domingo as a rushed same-day detour from the east coast instead of giving it a proper night or skipping it.
Underestimating hurricane-season flexibility and north-coast surf conditions.
Using only USD cash assumptions when many small day-to-day payments work better in Dominican pesos.
Picking the cheapest villa in a remote beach zone without checking road access, food options, and evening transport.

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local: Trip preferences in ~/dominican-republic/

This skill does NOT: Access files outside ~/dominican-republic/ or make network requests.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

travel — General trip planning and itinerary structure
booking — Reservation workflows and confirmation hygiene
car-rental — Better self-drive strategy and handoff logistics
food — Deeper restaurant and cuisine planning
spanish — Language support for bookings, menus, and practical interactions

Feedback

If useful: clawhub star dominican-republic
Stay updated: clawhub sync