sosua or cabarete

tanicos

New member
May 28, 2012
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Hi all

My name is Cosmin and i am planning to relocate in DR next month. While looking on different websites for a place to rent i found Cabarete which was very attractive due to the fact that a lot of apartments were right on the beach. Here a 1 bdr would start from 700USD.
Looking better today i found Sosua. A lot of modern furnished apartments were available starting at 400USD with some features included in the rental price.

Can someone please tell me what is the difference between Sosua and Cabarete lifestyle? Also can you tell me how much do cigarettes costs over there, so i know if i will shop it from home or not.

Thanks a lot
 
#1
Live as close to other people as possible. ( I mean dont rent some apartment somewere in the mountain/campo were you need other people to drive you )

#2
Dont trust someone just because he/she speaks the same language as you. There is a couple of gringos who has stayed in the sun to long down here- and they live after the following saying: " What can you do for me today? "

#3
Stay away from drugs- if you do not want to be Pablos sexslave in jail/gulag for cigarettes the next 5-25years.

So over to your question.
For me Sosua is more quiet and easier to live in. Everything you need is very close to you, if not there is just a 20min taxi trip to Puerto Plata if you want to see a "bigger" city. The taxitour is together with other passengers so it is not so expencive for you as a gringo- you just pay for your seat like the others.
There is maybe a couple of prostitutes in Sosua at daytime. but they have never been nasty to me, just say no and they leave you alone. At night there is a colourful nightscene with gringos, whores and all other beeings that God has lost control of, crawling around in the bars. It is wonderful to be a part of this.

Cabarete is more windy and could be more expencive. I must admit i have not spent so much time there because of experience with the Gringo-prices.(overpriced items) Yeees fellow members of the board i have changed into a taka?o after all these years.

My advice must be to start your adventure in a hotel in Sosua. Rent 7days. I highly recommend Hotel El Colibri. See if you can get a map over the small hotels around the place, then walk/ or use a moto concho to the different hotels and ask for what the prices are for longtime rent. You must know for how long time you will stay there before asking. It is very important to ask for what is included in the deal.
Write down the name of the place- the price and go to the next hotel. When you have found something you like,in a distance you can live with- ask us in here for the opinion on the place. Then i believe you are alittle in control of the situation.

Also take a taxi to Cabarete- walk around and see if you like the place. If you like cabarete better then you rent a hotel there instead.

I hope this was a little useful, others will possible give their advice later on.

Good luck.


Ah almost forgot. Prices of cigarettes are very low, i do not smoke myself. But there is no need for bringing anything else than your creditcard and your good mood.
 

jaiallen

New member
Jul 9, 2010
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Cabarete has a more laid back feel to it. Both are tourist towns but Cabarete caters more to wind surfers, kite surfers and some couples. You wont escape crime in either, but Cabarete has a bit less than Sosua and the police there seem more friendly. Mind you , these are Dominican Police, so that's relative. Sosua has a better availability of foreigner friendly grocery stores, Cabarete just has Janet's but, you'll find pretty much everything you need there. Food prices are high at Janet's, Playero and City market, so it doesn't matter. That's pretty much standard all over the country.

There's not much to do in either. There's a little culture growing , some expat theater and a few other things to pass your time, but expect to be bored in both. As far as renting an apartment goes, I don't think there's much of a difference in price.

Both are different cities when the sun goes down, but Cabarete's night life is a lot tamer than Sosua's but if you're into that, there's clubs and bars along Cabarete Beach, and of course, the " stroll " in Sosua. My opinion is that if you're into bars, the beach in Cabarete is a little safer.. but you're in the D.R.

It's a matter of opinion. I prefer Cabarete. It seems a little " friendlier " to me.
 

arrugala

Bronze
Nov 7, 2010
967
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I HAVE LIVED IN BOTH BUT CHOSE to live in Cabarete ..... IN A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT WHICH CABARETE IS SOSUA has historically had a Poor reputacion . Cabarete focus is more physically health oriented. SOSUA idea of health is lifting a beer bottle LOLjust a joke .. Cabarete has which makes it very unique in the world bars and decent restaurants perched right in front of the ocean .Make sure you bring an electronic reader ....as it can be very boring unless you are really proactive.
 

young seniors

Bronze
Feb 1, 2012
559
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Hi Tanicos and welcome to the board. You are going to love this site, full of information from good people. They will steer you in the right decision.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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both cabarete and sosua are touristy and there are lots of gringos around. and so, lots of hos and lots of nighlife.
cabarete attracts younger crowd (water sports) and i like it a bit more. smaller and safer.
but sosua has more life and action to it and it is much closer to puerto plata. traffic in cabarete can be very bad (one narrow street in the middle of the city, cars parked on both sides of the road). cabarete is more expensive, generally, than sosua but you can find something withing a set budget in both places, be it 200 dollars (poor barrio) or 2000 dollars.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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and a pack of white marlboro (whatever that means, i was asked to buy for someone else) in a colmado is 120 pesos. 3 dollars, i think?
 

DonDR

New member
Jul 14, 2010
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6 years ago started living in Sosua, after 6 months moved to Cabarete. It’s much pleasant on the streets and on the beach, more activity in the evening, very important - much safer (the Politur is actually working on the streets and beach). The choice of luxury and safe condos are much greater than in Sosua. Much more people are driving to Cabarete from Sosua to spend nice evening or have a night out, then otherwise. The Cabarete restaurants and clubs compete between each other who will have the biggest and entertaining party, the Sosua “restaurants” and clubs compete who have the cheapest beer, burger and chica. But as people are different in their choices – for some Cabarete is the best for others it is Sosua …
 

jaiallen

New member
Jul 9, 2010
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I lived in Cabarete, but worked in Sosua, but found myself urgently always wanting to leave Sosua before the sun went down. It's two different cities. The nightlife, if you're into that sort of thing can be wild, but there's the safety factor. Cabarete, especially during the off season is pretty quiet. Both offer dining, bars, and water sports, but Cabarete beach is more suited to skiing, boarding, while the calmer waters off Sosua beach attract more snorkelers and divers. I agree with the boring part, there's limited activities in both.

Sosua is what you make it, I know many who lived there incident free, and I know some who are robbed on schedule it seems, but crime happens in Cabarete too, just not at the volume it happens in Sosua. In Cabarete, the further you get out of city center, the lower the price is, and you can find something decent pretty reasonable once you past Islabon out of the city if rural living is what you want.

I wouldn't live in Sosua, just me.. working there was enough...
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
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well obviously you will have to visit each yourself, lol as opinions vary and who would believe a message board without checking it out personally
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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check out whether flooding is likely whereever you intend to go- if its too low lying the chances are it will flood in a storm
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
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Cabarete is very dusty and consists of a 4-5 block row of strip stores.The main road which is narrow runs thru the strip stores.
The traffic often travels at high speed and is very dangerous as well as dirty.The ocean is frequently very rough and there are drownings on a regular basis. No lifeguards. There is crime in Cabarete and as a matter of fact only a short time ago an elderly couple walking the beach were victims of a strong arm robbery.
Sosua on the other hand is an older town with winding streets and friendly people. In Sosua there are many Politur which is the tourist police. Prices in general are lower in Sosua. The beach in Sosua is on a bay and the waters are calm and clear. The beach is tree lined so you do not have to bake in the sun. Stay in Sosua and visit Cabarete, its only 15 minutes by car.