North Coast or Punta Cana

lerobbins

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Apr 14, 2011
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Long time reader, first time poster.

Husband & I have decided to move to DR this fall. We had nearly settled on the North Coast until it appeared the already spotty flight schedule to US is becoming even more infrequent (assume this may be seasonal?). This could be an issue since he travels to US, Europe & Asia for work & needs flexible travel options for connections. Punta Cana has much better flight options, probably due to tourism, but not sure if we should consider as a viable alternative. Additional worry is internet access since I will be working 10-20 hours/wk from home - is infrastructure better in East? Would appreciate any opinions from anyone living year round in east.

I'm okay with expat enclaves, in fact this is a preference since we have two small children & plan to do plenty of internal travel. However, I don't want to be living among 90% tourists. My impression from research is Sosua is a bit more relaxed & has a somewhat sizable population of retired expats & consultants. Is there more to year round Punta Cana than service workers? I imagine COL is higher, but this isn't nearly as big a concern as lifestyle & making friends. Would like to narrow decision before making trip(s) down later this summer to view rentals.

Many thanks! Laura
 

AJL6767

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Apr 14, 2011
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Punta Cana area would be a much better choice. More access to flights in and out of DR. Check out the heratige school at cap cana Also with the improvements in roads, time to santo domingo will probably be 3 hours in the near future. Major supermarkets opening in punta cana area. There is internet service, cable tv etc available also.
 

lerobbins

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Apr 14, 2011
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Thanks, I was afraid you would say that. Having worked in a tourist area, I know how hard it can be to make friends with brutal hours for many workers in high season & extensive travel in low. But I imagine we'll find our niche. I'll check out the school. Also, any recommendations on how I should approach my property search? I've read on the site that traditional realtors don't work as much with rental property (we want to wait 1 year to buy). Would appreciate any referrals! Again, thanks for the advice!
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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PC/B?varo is safer but a little more more remote from the rest of the country. Living costs, eating out etc. are relatively high. No blackouts.

The resident community is not just expats - many Dominican professionals and business owners have settled in PC/B?varo too, as well as people of all nationalities and Dominicans who are directly employed in tourism.

Punta Cana Village near the airport has a very good international school, almost half the price than Cap Cana Heritage but probably as good in most ways. The best supermarket in the area is in PC Village. Pueblo B?varo has a Spanish-only school, Calasanz. Los Corales in B?varo is on the beach and more tourist/expat dominated. Cocotal is another large gated community with a combination of locals and expats. They are a short drive from the San Juan Shopping Centre (cinema, supermarket) and Palma Real (banks, cinema) and from Punta Cana airport.
 

Caribbeandreamto

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Mar 26, 2011
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I guess it really depends on the person. I would personally choose Punta Cana. I live in Bavaro but if I had a family, I would definitely live in Punta Cana. Punta Cana Village is a beautiful community with great restaurants, large supermarket in El Nacional (Sosua and Cabarete do not have a large supermarket) and amazing beaches. A little further north you have two large shopping plazas in San Juan and Palma Real. We have two movie theaters (only Puerto Plata on the North Coast has one) and a larger selection of restaurants and nightlife.

Right now, exploring the country is more difficult from the Punta Cana but with the completion of the new Autopista del Coral (keep your fingers crossed) travel throughout the country will be opened up a great deal. With the new highway, the capital will only be 2 hours away. Sosua and Cabarete are 3 hours away. You may not want to go to the capital but, believe me, everyone needs to go some time or another.

Sosua and Cabarete have a closer knit expat community than Bavaro/Punta Cana. Most people that live on the East Coast are transient: one day they're here, one day they're not. Also, a car is necessary to make your life easy in PC/Bavaro, on the North Coast, it's not so much a necessity. Internet can also be shaky in the East. Maybe someone can give you an honest opinion about internet on the North Coast.

Flights are more prevalent in Punta Cana because of the increase in tourism. Where Puerto Plata has gradually declined, Punta Cana has gradually increased.

I'm sure you will hear arguments for both choices. IMO, Punta Cana/Bavaro is growing and has more options all around
 

lerobbins

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@ Chirimoya: Thanks! This is great advice & will definitely help me focus my property search!

@carribeandreamto: Thaks for your POV. Consistent with what I've heard, which is why I was hoping to make it work in Sosua with a less transient population. But PC would be much easier. Disappointing about the internet though. This could be an issue.
 

Caribbeandreamto

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@ Chirimoya: Thanks! This is great advice & will definitely help me focus my property search!

@carribeandreamto: Thaks for your POV. Consistent with what I've heard, which is why I was hoping to make it work in Sosua with a less transient population. But PC would be much easier. Disappointing about the internet though. This could be an issue.

Ask the opinion of others on the board about the internet. This has been discussed before. I have had bad experiences with Tricom and Orange. I have not tried Claro.
 

InsanelyOne

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Oct 21, 2008
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I live in Pueblo Bavaro and have WiMax from TriComm. It's been very reliable. I get just shy of 2Mbps down and about 400 Kbps up. Cost is about $100 per month. I'm a software engineer by trade and rely on the Internet for my work.
 

lerobbins

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Thanks - my husband works in software, too & I do data analysis, so it's good to hear that you have had reliable service in the area. Not cheap, but comparable to what we are paying here for what is probably comparable service [i love you ATT], so might make sense to get some sort of back up, too just to be safe.
 

InsanelyOne

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I guess it's all about perspective but $100/month doesn't seem expensive to me. Guess I'm just used to it now. Back in 2007 when I was living in Trinidad I was paying $200/month for 256 Kbps service!
 

Chirimoya

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Caribbeandreamto - I agree 100% with your post about the pros and cons of PC/Bavaro but I would qualify your point that "most people are transient". While this is probably true for some areas like the beachfront residential areas and maybe also Cap Cana where you have a lot of seasonal residents, snowbirds etc., it isn't really the case in places like Punta Cana Village, Cocotal or Pueblo B?varo where there is a central core of permanent residents. Where I live at least there is a strong sense of community.
 

amparocorp

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Aug 11, 2002
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nc or pc

after two weeks without a hill, you'll selll a kid to stare at a mountain. lived the florida keys for 20 years, hot flat boring after you get over the beach. gas is going to be 6US per dollar, cuts down on the exploring. best of both worlds, Jarabacoa, maybe a little dirtier around town, but why move to te DR ifyou don't want to get your hands a little dirty, as in "get off my car",,,,,,which may be the worst that happens........mountains and beach,,,,,,,,,here i am stuck in the capital wearing shoes
 

oriole100

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Oct 9, 2005
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For what it's worth, we have had Claro in Cabarete for 7 years and it has be great. No problems, our router went out once. But for internet. Great 24/7. High speed.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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PC is really far form anything :) i found it pretty but rather boring.
living on the north coast will give you access to flights from POP and santiago (only 70km drive, and worth it if flights are cheaper) and all the other amenities offered by those cities. east seems to be more quiet and exclusive.
 

VistaMar

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Mar 16, 2011
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If money is not really an issue then i would say Punta Cana. Beaches are better and just an overall cleaner feeling. Something about Sosua and raising a family just dosn't click :ermm:. You should really visit both places and see for yourself.
 

AJL6767

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Apr 14, 2011
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Internet and Cable

There are companies that can get you hooked up with cable, internet, satellite TV and satellite internet
 

Caribbeandreamto

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Mar 26, 2011
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Caribbeandreamto - I agree 100% with your post about the pros and cons of PC/Bavaro but I would qualify your point that "most people are transient". While this is probably true for some areas like the beachfront residential areas and maybe also Cap Cana where you have a lot of seasonal residents, snowbirds etc., it isn't really the case in places like Punta Cana Village, Cocotal or Pueblo B?varo where there is a central core of permanent residents. Where I live at least there is a strong sense of community.

Point well made. Where I live in Cortecito/Los Corales the community is more transient. This is not the case in PC Village.
 

lerobbins

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Thank you to everyone for the great advice & info. We've decided to focus on PC. Will be there in June with the whole family to start our property search. Can't wait!
 

MikeFisher

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Feb 28, 2006
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that's correct.
Cortecito is the typical transient community.
PC Village, Cocotal, even here at my Place in lil Fishing Town Cabeza de Toro the communities are old and stick together.
PC is Large, really HUGE, different parts show different communities.
I work on the Internet 24/7 all around the year, on Claro, never had a significant prob with it, just around $55.- per month, and there is quicketr service available if needed.
phones work everywhere in the Arae.
Electricity and Water is available here on the East 24/7/365.
once You found Your way around PC is not more expensive than any mayor populated area on the Island.
connections from PC Intl are top towards almost every destin on the Globe.
Distances??
actually we need max 3hrs from Cabeza de Toro to the Center of Santo Domingo, on a smooth ride, on emergency calls I arrive at the Naval base 27th in 2hrs on early morning or nighttime rides.
the under construction Highways will reduce those travel times even significantly more.
schools on top level as mentioned above are available, there is the Heritage, the Centro Educativo Punta Cana, teh Calasanz(Sp??) and a good number of mid class schools aside of the top dogs.
Beaches?
the Island provides beautiful Beaches all around, PC does not need to hide behind any spot, the North also offers top spots on that.
supermarkets?
since a short while that long lasting problem is solved in PC.Bavaro,
we have Nacional at PC Village and we have Super Pola(the best in Town IMHO) at San Juan Shopping Center, so we do not even need to drive to Iberia in Higuey anymore.
Yes,
a Car is highly recommended for a comfo Living in PC.Bavaro, but I would say the same for any other populated Araea on the Isle.
who can make it on the Northshore without a own car can make the same here on the East, Public Transportation is available all around and everywhere.
the formerly nice booming North is declining since long,
the East is Booming stronger than ever.
Living Costs to compare??
if You want to live a certain standard with a Family, with 24/7 lights on etc etc, then there are no significant differnces between the different regions.
if You like Cities then St Dgo and also Santiago may offer a cheaper Deal.
for the requested Flights the Capital City is of course also good connected.

it finally cpomes down to your own preferences for the Family to decide which side/portion of the Isle will suit best.

good Luck and welcome to the Isle

Mike