Santo Domingo Basic Medical Travel Cheat Sheet (+Airport Info)

Santo Domingo is one of the leading destinations for Medical Travel in the Dominican Republic.

We are excited to welcome you to our beloved capital. A city that offers incredible spots to visit before or after your treatment.

If you plan to come down for medical or wellness purposes, then this is the right post to read, in which we cover basic though valuable city information.

Airport

The Dominican Republic has eight international airports that cover major Medical Travel locations like Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Plata (POP), La Romana (LRM), and Santiago (STI).

The closest to Santo Domingo is Las Americas International Airport. In any search field of your desired airline, it is easy to find it as SDQ.

Proximity to Santo Domingo

Depending on traffic volume, time of transportation, and traffic destination, a trip from SDQ to Santo Domingo takes between 35 minutes to an hour.

Currency

The local currency is the Dominican Peso or DOP. Nevertheless, USD (United States Dollar) are very commonly acceptable, as well as Canadian dollars and pounds.

Check the exchange rates at Banco Popular Dominicano. For PC it would be on the top right, where you should see a $ sign. By hovering the mouse the rates will display.

For mobile, go to the link above and scroll down for a few seconds. You should be able to see it under “acceso clientes.”

Weather/temperature

The Dominican Republic is a tropical country, which means, of course, having a tropical climate.

According to Wikipedia, a tropical climate “is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have temperatures of at least 18 °C (64 °F).

Often, it consists of only a wet season and a dry season. Temperature is relatively stable (hot) throughout the year.

The average year-round temperatures are 78°F to 88°F (25°C to 31°C). November through April are the coolest while the warmest months are from May through October.

In Santo Domingo, this may be a scenario: It can be beach-like hot outside, and after a 20-minute nap, it can be pouring rain with winds. Or vice-versa. It’s not the rule, but it happens, so be prepared.

Don’t panic! It’s not that much different than Miami.

Big cities time estimates

One of the most important facts is the time estimates for the big cities in the United States and Canada, where most of the medical travelers come.

New York: 3h 35m
Toronto (all airports) 4h 25m
Chicago: 4h 20m
London: 9h 15m
Berlin: 10h 20m
Miami: 2h 15m
Los Angeles: 6h 50m
Atlanta: 3h 20m
Panama: 2h 25m
Argentina: 7h 50m
Boston: 4h

Network

The Dominican Republic is probably the most connected country in the Caribbean. We have quite the same network as in the USA: 4G LTE and 4.5G LTE, with 5G LTE in the process.

Phone conversations via Whatsapp and video/voice call through Skype are typically flawless. A SIM card can be purchased at the airport using any type of official documentation like a passport, license, or resident card.

Major companies:

Claro
Altice
Viva

Uber

Uber arrived in the Dominican Republic in 2015. Since then, it has had a rapid growth because of its competitive prices, and the customer has reported being comfortable on their rides.

Want to dine or just hang out around the city? Uber can be an affordable option, and some recovery houses provide an all-day ride service in the city, not included in your package. Nevertheless, check your options and decide which one fits best to your needs/budget.

Uber Santo Domingo Blog (in Spanish).

All major Rent-a-car companies are in service.

Medical Travel will continue to make improvements in Santo Domingo and the rest of the country.

It’s already a global trend with a 25% growth per year. Here, you can access cost-effective services, quality treatment, and warm culture that it’s open to the world.