The buffer is not the drive time
Casa de Campo is 10 to 20 minutes from the terminal, and we still ask you to be in the lobby two hours before departure. The gap is not padding for the road. It covers the airline's check-in cutoff, the queue at the counter, security, and the short walk to the gate.
LRM closes check-in 60 minutes before departure on most carriers and 90 on some charters. Miss that and the ticket is gone, whatever the traffic was. Every buffer below is built backwards from that cutoff, then the drive is added on top.
The second reason is the shape of the day. LRM is small, so when two charters check in at the same time the single departures hall fills quickly. The same 15-minute drive from Casa de Campo puts you in a 35-minute line when a Europe-bound flight is checking in and a five-minute one when nothing else is leaving.
Buffers by zone
La Romana and Casa de Campo: 2 hours. The drive is 10 to 20 minutes, so nearly all of it is terminal time.
Bayahibe and Dominicus: 2.5 hours. The drive is 25 to 40 minutes on the Bayahibe road, and the resort porte-cochères there are slower to load than a city hotel.
Higüey 3 hours and Juan Dolio 3 hours. Both are roughly 45 to 70 minutes of driving with local traffic that varies by the hour.
Boca Chica 3.5 hours, Santo Domingo 4 to 4.5, Cap Cana 4, Bávaro and Punta Cana side 4 to 4.5. Santo Domingo runs 1 h 45 to 2 hours plus city traffic; the Punta Cana zones are 1 h 15 to 2 hours plus the Autovía del Coral tolls.
When we add time
Christmas week, New Year, Easter and the first half of February: add 30 minutes on every zone. LRM is not bigger in high season, and the queues are.
Departures that leave within an hour of another scheduled flight: add 30 minutes. Two check-in waves at once is the only thing that makes LRM slow.
Groups of seven or more in a van: add 15 minutes. Loading a van with fourteen suitcases at a resort entrance is slower than loading a car with four.
Two hotels on one pickup, or a stop for a passenger at a neighbouring resort: add 20 minutes. Tell us at booking and we build it into the time we confirm.
What the return costs
Return rates are identical to arrival rates: La Romana $25 Standard, Casa de Campo $29, Bayahibe $40, Dominicus $45, Higüey $70, Juan Dolio $75, Boca Chica $95, Cap Cana $95, Punta Cana Village $105, Santo Domingo $110, Bávaro $115, Uvero Alto $145. VIP runs $59 to $210. One-way, per vehicle, one to six passengers, taxes and tolls included.
Book both legs together and the return leg is 5% cheaper. Bayahibe round trip is $78 Standard instead of $80, Dominicus $87.75, Casa de Campo $56.55.
Seven to fourteen passengers move to a van: Standard plus $20, VIP plus $40 on local zones. Long-distance vans (Santo Domingo, Punta Cana side, Samaná) are quoted on WhatsApp rather than at the flat local surcharge.
How the pickup runs
We message you the day before with the lobby time and the driver's name. The driver is at the resort ten minutes early. If you do not see him at the door, he is at the porte-cochère or the designated transport bay — most resorts do not let cars idle at the entrance. Casa de Campo and gated villa communities require the villa number at the gate, so send it when you book.
Check out the night before if the pickup is before 06:00, and ask reception at dinner for a boxed breakfast. Resorts do this routinely when you ask early and rarely when you ask at midnight.
Payment happens the same way as on arrival: cash in US dollars or Dominican pesos to the driver at the end, or bank transfer beforehand if you need an invoice. Nothing is prepaid to hold the booking.
If your flight moves
Send us the new time on WhatsApp as soon as the airline tells you and we re-cut the pickup. There is no change fee and no re-quote; the price you were given stands.
A delay announced while you are already in the car is not a problem either — the driver drops you at the terminal and you wait there, which is where you want to be once check-in opens.
A cancelled flight with a hotel night attached is the only case where the run is genuinely re-planned. Message us; we rebook for the new day at the same rate.
Drive time and one-way rate by zone
| Zone | Normal traffic | Peak 15:00–18:00 | Night 22:00–05:00 | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Romana city / cruise port | 10–15 min | 15–25 min | 10–15 min | $25 |
| Casa de Campo / Altos de Chavón | 10–20 min | 20–30 min | 10–20 min | $29 |
| Bayahibe | 25–35 min | 35–45 min | 25–35 min | $40 |
| Dominicus | 30–40 min | 40–50 min | 30–40 min | $45 |
| Higüey | 45–60 min | 60–80 min | 45–60 min | $70 |
| Juan Dolio / Guayacanes | 50–70 min | 70–90 min | 50–65 min | $75 |
| Boca Chica | 70–90 min | 90–120 min | 65–85 min | $95 |
| Santo Domingo city | 1 h 45 – 2 h | 2.5–3 h | 1 h 40 – 2 h | $110 |
| SDQ (Las Américas Airport) | 1 h 30 – 1 h 50 | 1 h 45 – 2 h 15 | 1 h 30 – 1 h 45 | $110 |
| Cap Cana | 1 h 15 – 1 h 30 | 1 h 30 – 1 h 50 | 1 h 10 – 1 h 25 | $95 |
| Punta Cana Village / PUJ airport | 1 h 25 – 1 h 40 | 1 h 40 – 2 h | 1 h 20 – 1 h 35 | $105 |
| Cabeza de Toro | 1 h 30 – 1 h 45 | 1 h 45 – 2 h 05 | 1 h 25 – 1 h 40 | $110 |
| Bávaro / El Cortecito / Los Corales | 1 h 35 – 1 h 55 | 1 h 55 – 2 h 20 | 1 h 30 – 1 h 45 | $115 |
| Arena Gorda | 1 h 45 – 2 h 05 | 2 h 05 – 2 h 30 | 1 h 40 – 1 h 55 | $125 |
| Macao | 1 h 55 – 2 h 15 | 2 h 15 – 2 h 40 | 1 h 50 – 2 h 05 | $135 |
| Uvero Alto | 2 h 10 – 2 h 35 | 2 h 30 – 3 h | 2 h – 2 h 20 | $145 |
| Miches / Playa Esmeralda | 2 h 30 – 3 h | 2 h 50 – 3 h 20 | 2 h 30 – 2 h 50 | $170 |
| Las Terrenas / Samaná / Las Galeras | 4 – 4.5 h | 4.5–5 h | 4–4.5 h | $320 |
Add the buffer above to the drive time. One-way, per vehicle, one to six passengers, taxes included. 7–14 passengers uses a van (Standard +$20 / VIP +$40 on local zones; long-distance vans quoted on WhatsApp).
Price is per vehicle, one-way, taxes included. 7–14 pax uses a van: Standard +$20 / VIP +$40 on local zones; quoted in the form.
Send the flight, get the price in writing
Hotel name, flight number, date and party size. We reply with the fixed rate, track the flight and meet you inside arrivals with a name sign. Pay the driver on arrival.
Book on WhatsAppQuestions we get on this
- What time should I leave Bayahibe for a 10:00 flight?
- 07:30 from the lobby. The drive is 25 to 40 minutes; the rest covers check-in, which closes 60 minutes before departure, plus loading time at the resort.
- How early do I have to leave Santo Domingo for an LRM flight?
- 4 to 4.5 hours before departure. The drive is 1 h 45 to 2 hours plus city traffic at the start. The return is $110 Standard or $180 VIP, per vehicle.
- Is the return more expensive than the arrival?
- No. Same figure both ways. Booking both legs together takes 5% off the return leg.
- Does an early morning pickup cost extra?
- No. A 03:00 lobby time costs the same as a 15:00 one. There is no night surcharge on any zone.
- What happens if my flight is delayed after the driver has collected me?
- Nothing changes for you. You are dropped at the terminal and wait there. If you know about the delay before the pickup, message us and we move the lobby time.
- Can the driver pick us up at two different hotels?
- Yes. Tell us at booking; we add about 20 minutes to the buffer and confirm one lobby time per stop.
- Do you track the departure time or should I?
- We check the flight the evening before and again on the morning of the run, but send us any change the airline gives you — you usually hear first.