Your return pickup from the hotel to STI — where the driver meets you

How the return pickup is confirmed

The day before your departure we send you a WhatsApp message with three things: the pickup time, the vehicle, and the driver's name. That is the confirmation — nothing needs to be printed, signed, or re-booked. If the message has not arrived by early evening, send us one line and we answer with the details.

The time we send is built backwards from your flight: the drive for your destination plus the buffer it needs, so you stand at the airport with margin instead of sprinting to check-in. Our departure-buffers guide lists those buffers by destination.

Your flight number is on the booking, so if the airline moves your departure we usually know before you tell us — and the pickup moves with it.

Where the driver waits

At hotels in Santiago city, Puerto Plata, Sosúa or Cabarete, the driver waits at the main lobby — the same entrance where you were dropped off on arrival day.

At a villa or an apartment in Gurabo or Jarabacoa there is no lobby, so the pickup happens at the door or the gate; the day before we confirm the exact pin on WhatsApp, which matters more than at a hotel because private addresses in the Cibao are not always where the map pin suggests.

Either way the message the day before says exactly which spot applies to you, so there is no guessing in the morning.

Check-out and luggage timing

Check out of your room before the pickup time, not after. Most hotels ask for the room by 12:00, and a pickup at 10:00 with keys still to return is the classic five-minute delay that eats the buffer.

Keep your bags with you in the lobby once you are checked out. If you want a last hour before the drive, the front desk holds luggage — collect it ten minutes before the confirmed time.

Travelling with golf bags or a stroller: mention it when you book, not at the lobby. The right vehicle is assigned in advance.

If the driver is not at the lobby yet

Stay inside and send us a WhatsApp message at +1 849 377 5889. Traffic on the Autopista Duarte or a queue leaving the mountain roads can hold a car for a few minutes; the answer tells you exactly where the driver is.

What you should not do is take a random taxi from the lobby line because it is there. The pre-booked car is on its way, and your buffer covers a few minutes of waiting.

Villas and private addresses

Send a live location or a photo of the entrance when you check in, and the return pickup becomes a non-event: the car stops where you are standing.

Questions we get on this

Where exactly does the driver wait at my hotel?

At the main lobby — the same entrance where you were dropped off on arrival. At a villa, the pickup is at the door or gate, confirmed by pin the day before.

Do I need to confirm my return transfer?

No. We confirm it to you: the day before departure you receive a WhatsApp message with the pickup time, the vehicle and the driver's name. If that message has not arrived by early evening, send us one line.

Can I change my pickup time on the day?

Usually yes, if you message early enough — the limit is your flight, not our schedule. The confirmed time includes the buffer your destination needs, so moving it later eats into that margin first.

What about very early-morning pickups?

The routine is identical at 3am as at 3pm. The driver is confirmed the evening before, the car is at the lobby at the agreed time, and there is no night surcharge on any destination.

What if I cannot reach the driver at the lobby?

Message +1 849 377 5889 on WhatsApp from the lobby and you will get the driver's exact position. The car is pre-booked and on its way — do not switch to a lobby taxi because it happens to be standing there.

Is the return leg charged separately?

The return is booked as its own fixed price per vehicle. Book both legs together and the combined fare is 5% off; you pay the driver at the end of each ride in US dollars or pesos, nothing prepaid.