Sajomero previously said:

Barahona is a great place to visit for a few days because there are so many interesting things to do nearby. I did this road trip a few years back and its something I want to do again ASAP. From Santiago drive to Bani and stop over in Las Marias for lunch, agua de coco embotellada and ofcourse their great selection of Dulce de Leche. After Bani there is a very long strech of the road wich is pretty deserted but a nice road for speed..lol..Once in Barahona you'll find lots of bars and clubs to stay up all night, cause those people really like to party.
There are several hotels in town or nearby, I stayed at a place called Pontevedra a few minutes outside of the city. There are several spots to eat in el malecon area, I liked la Javilla. During the day you can take several trips to nearby Los Patos and San Rafael beach, drive up to Neiba and then on to el lago Enriquillo. In Neiba try their local grapes and wine, but expect a totaly different flavor than what you are used to here. Also the people there have a very pronounced southern accent. Cabral and laguna del rincon are near the Polo mangentico so you can take in these sights in one trip. Around el lago Enriquillo you can see a lot of wildlife, las caritas and even reach Jimani on the other side, althought its a long drive.
La Sierra de Bahoruco is also nearby. This trip takes a little more effort and its really for nature lovers, not the occasional hiker I would say. The place is amazing with lots to see and do, but not very well organized. Dany Rivera is drawing up a plan wich will include La Ruta De Enriquillo, of great historical and archeological interests.
Good luck and have fun..Also don't do like my cousin the psychologist who realized after three days that he hadn't had any water..just cerveza con agua de coco...

Sajomero previously said:

We drove a Montero so the ride was confortable, but most roads were Ok. In all we had 3 different phone companies but Orange and Claro worked best, again some of these places are very remote so you are bound to end up in a dead zone. The Bani-San Cristobal road is still a mess in some spots but better than ever in some newer spots. If you can by pass the capital all together when you drive down on the autopista Duarte and just go straight through San Cristobal you'll save a lot of time and traffic hell as well.