Rio San Juan in the Dominican Republic

Presentation

Rio San Juan is a authentic Dominican village where they mainly live of fishing...

Photo Rió San Juan

Rio San Juan is a authentic Dominican village where they mainly live of fishing. This small village profits from a major attraction: the Laguna Grigri, a forest of mangroves where you can observe a quantity of birds in particular vultures. This forest reaches out until the ocean.

To the east of the village you can find the beaches of "Playa Caletón" and "Playa Grande", as you can see by the name is a very long beach with many coconut palm and other large trees.

To observe the birds which return in the evening to the Lagoon is a splendid spectacle which is unforgettable. Rió San Juan is a small quiet village where the tranquility and the smile of its habitants is a real moment of rest.

Activities

Playa Grande Rio San Juan

Playa Grande

You can arrange a visit to the laguna Gri-Gri, this mangrove forest which leads from the center of Rió San Juan to the Atlantic ocean, this visit will take the whole day and is done by boat, these boats can take up to 7 people on board. there you can discover many birds and a strange atmosphere which is very interesting, its better to take this trip during the morning since the birds only sleep in the lagoon and you wont see them during the afternoon. The beaches are located to the east of the village, there are many restaurants and bars where you can spend your earned rest.

In the center of the village of Rió San Juan, you can also find two typical Dominican discotheques where you can listen to batchata, merengue and reggeatón. There also exists a All inclusive Hotel Complex, around 11 miles to the west, which offers a discotheque,bars and a casino for the hot nights.

Hotels

Hotel Bahia Blanca

The hotel Bahia Blanca is located in the center of the city Rio San Juan, in front the Atlantic ocean, in the back the laguna Gri-Gri. It offers 30 double rooms, with hot water and a fan. Inside the hotel you can find a Restaurant. This Hotel is run by a Canadian the prices for the rooms are around 20US$ per night.

hotel Bahia Blanca

Hotel Sea and Golf

No description available

hotel Sea and Golf

Restaurants

Comedor

A comedor is a small restaurant which sells hot-dogs and other fast foods, even the typical Dominican rice,chicken and beans. On the main road which leads to the Lagoon you can find various Comedores with a large selection of meals. These Comedor restaurant are very cheap, if you should ever go and visit one you'll spend around 2 or 3 Dollars.

Le Café de Paris

"Le Café de Paris" is a beautiful with a dinning terrace in front of the lagoon. There you can find specialties of fish and seefood and even pizza. The establishment is held by French and a part of the small French community is there to have a drink around the aperitif hour. The prices are around 8US$ per meal.

Sol y Arena

Sol y Arena is a small restaurant located in the fishermen village, there you can have crab specialties, shrimps, fish...we suggest that you pass during the day to see the fresh fish of the day and make a reservation. Very nicely decorated, beautiful terrace in front of the ocean, the prices are around 10US$ per meal.

Restaurante Teresa

The restaurante Teresa is located in the calle Duarte (main street which leads to the lagoon). There you can taste the real Dominican food like fish with coconut, pizzas or seefood. They also offer breakfast for those who want to escape the hotel to enjoy it nice and comfortable in the city.

Spending an evening in Rio San Juan

Resort Bahía Príncipe

Located 1.5 miles from Rió San Juan, this complex is really great to spend an evening and also it is a very nice all inclusive hotel. The people meet on the main road, where the casino is found, night clubs, bars, restaurants... it is not necessary to be a client of the hotel to enter the complex, but the prices are higher then in the village of Rió San Juan.

Disco Laguna 2000

La Laguna 2000 is a typical Dominican discotheque, so there is rum, beer... the ambiance is very hot and the music is merengue, batchata and reggeatón. Hot night... The discotheque is located to the right of the laguna Gri-Gri but anyway all the moto conchos know it.

Tips and Information

Transport in Rio San Juan

  • There is Caribe Tour bus stop entering the city in front of a small supermarket. But attention the bus stops only once a day both ways.
  • One public taxi stop (public transportation) is at the traffic lights on the main road. They leave always when the bus or car is full, they go to the west to Cabarete, Sosua, or to the east to Nagua, Sanchez, Las Terrenas...
  • Of course you can find moto conchos all over the village.

Shopping in Rio San Juan

there is only one ATM machine it is located at the banco Progreso in the center of the village. You can find a small supermarket entering the villiage, also you can find some souvenir shops where the traffic lights are.

Communication in Rio San Juan

There is a calling center from Verizon which is located on the main road before the laguna Gri-Gri and there is a internet cafe in the center of the village.