Cocotal

I have a couple of friends that live there and have never had a problem with theft or anything. I will say you need to visit for yourself and get your own impressions. Everyone giving advise is their own. Remember you will be the one living there.

lovemedo said:

Hi
could someone take the time to explain to me where to buy an apartment in a safe location in Cocotal?
1-2 bedrooms
In the $80000-$150000.00us dollar range

How does security work in cocotal, are there security personnel in jeeps or are they at the gates only?

I had heard dont buy near the fence. Are there any names of certain apartments that i should consider or watch for in the real estate listings. Are there areas i should absolutely not buy in (in cocotal)?

My main concern is safety from theft, home invasions

thanks

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There is a member here "RGM" send him a PM. He will answer your questions. He's been there for years.

RGM

Has not had any recent activity on Dr1.

Well mostly I just read the posts, they are very entertaining to me. I will try to be more active. Yes have lived in Cocatal for over 3 years and absolutely love it here. Would not dream of living anywhere else. I lived in Higuey for 4 1/2 years then a place here in B?varo called Olas de B?varo and by far Cocatal is the place to be

Security is at the front and back gates, however they have security guards posted along the fence areas. About every 100 yards along the fences. Try and stay away from those areas I do not live near the fences so have not had a problem I work in the USA for 5 months out of the year and just lock up and come back and everything still here including all the tires on my car

It is good to know about the security. And, other information from someone who lives there - RGM. I do not live there but have visited several times to look at a couple places to buy. So, the purpose was to evaluate the quality of the place. I see that it is quite big. And, there are several different distinctly different areas - some certainly better than others. There are apartments, condos, and other. There are areas with junk and trash visible. And, there are areas with Maseratis in the driveway. For these reasons, you should visit to see if there is an area you like. Also, it is a little far from the beach (for me). But, I am told residents have access to a private beach when they get there (Gabi Beach). I would ask more about this before I buy there. Also, conveniently located across the street from Palma Real shopping center if you find that interesting - high prices for tourists, but there is also a Plaza Lama there for food, electronics, etc. Overall I think it is a good location - if good access to the beach is provided. Near main street, so easy access to everything else along the street in both directions. Gua gua is cheap transportation.

Forgot to say there are houses also. And golf course.

near mainstreet depends where exactly in the large area your condo/house is located.
you need a golfcart to come around, specially when you want to use the beach access to Gabi Beach.
unless you live very close to the entrance, public transportation is a nogo, as you would need transportation from your place to the frontgate first. a Car is a must to come around the Bavaro Area, a GolfCart is the connection to the Gaby Beach.

Mike

MikeFisher said:

near mainstreet depends where exactly in the large area your condo/house is located.
you need a golfcart to come around, specially when you want to use the beach access to Gabi Beach.
unless you live very close to the entrance, public transportation is a nogo, as you would need transportation from your place to the frontgate first. a Car is a must to come around the Bavaro Area, a GolfCart is the connection to the Gaby Beach.

Mike

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Good point. The gate is near the main street. I do not yet have a very good idea how far the most distant part of Cocotal is from the front gate. Last time I was there (in October) we were driving around in a car near houses and that part seemed quite far from the gate. And yes, I have heard people say flat out, to live in Cocotal, you need a car. Or you say golf cart would work. Also, I know three local business owners who live there, the perception is that it is a sort of elite place to live. But, as I say parts don't look so good. For example, from outside you can see some badly stained concrete condo buildings from the highway that runs parallel. Not that big a deal in the DR, though : )

The Problem with Cocotal is in 2008 they opened the flood gates to Dominicans and now you have over 35% of those units rented by DOMS.. The Financial crisis brought cocotal to its knees during that period... You have one bedrooms with 5 and 6 renters in those units.. I would look elsewhere Cocotal has had its day.. Lastly, when you buy there you will own whatever you buy for the REST of YOUR LIFE...

It's my understanding the Cocotal OWNERS have access to the private beach, not renters.

Contango said:

The Problem with Cocotal is in 2008 they opened the flood gates to Dominicans and now you have over 35% of those units rented by DOMS.. The Financial crisis brought cocotal to its knees during that period... You have one bedrooms with 5 and 6 renters in those units.. I would look elsewhere Cocotal has had its day.. Lastly, when you buy there you will own whatever you buy for the REST of YOUR LIFE...

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well that is going to happen....the first time i went to santiago i was invited to a private house....i got there and there were maybe 12-16 people i turned around and went to hotel 10 days

and there is no private beach at all, nowhere in that whole Cortecito/Bavaro area. what they offer by suggerating "private Beach" is the Paradisus Palma Real/Melia CaribeTropical resort beach, which is a public beach front as usual at almost all resorts/hotels in the area. you can use their lounge chairs. what they name the Gaby Club private beach is set up back from the public beach a beacharea for the resort's club guests, as cocotal owners you have access to that usually closed off near beach area. dont await much of it, it is no biggy. i don't know if they give you AllInclusive status so you can consume at the resort beach, i doubt it. and from any side of Cocotal, to reach down to the beach, it is no distance which i would like to walk not even once, you def need a vehicle/GolfCart for such to come near the beach and park and then walk from there.
within Cocotal itself you can be a very good distance from the maingate, i find the whole bavaro area completely unsuitable if you do not have a car to come around for living here. renting for a week, no problem without vehicle, but to live here you need a car. Cocotal was high on the prestige list when they started, very exclusive, very expensive also on the rentals, that changed a lot during the last years, it leveled downwards towards the regular gated community level. it is not a place for beachlovers, tho, never meant to be.

Mike

Mike,

Given your post, what communities would you recommend at this time? It might be helpful if folks knew the better properties to presently search for condo/villa rentals.

The only real comparison in the area, not to far away is IBEROSTATE.. And they have a real private Beach that connects to all of the Iberostar Beach.. I wish we had bought there... Resort fully gated leave your doors and windows open and nice condos.. PM me if you want an introduction to the General Manager and by pass sales for best deals..

its not abou good or bad place, what i wrote was about the beach access.
Cocotal is not anything bad of a place, but it is NOT for the beachlovers, because you will not be near a beach to walk to.
Iberostate is of course a upper scale location, all within Punta Cana Resort & Club would be my first choice, perfect security 24/7, the ONLY real Private Beach on the dominican Eastcoast, appartments and villas available.
there are many condominiums tobe had in the El Cortecito Area, some are very close or even right at the beach, don't know about their availability for sales or their security things, as they are not one big gated community but many separately owned and guarded small residencies/properties, so each has their own security program running.

Mike

Iberostate is a large complex, a development extension of Iberostar Resort. I don't know first hand about their specific management, but in general the complexes managed by/and like a resort have high maintenance fees and are geared toward investment rentals. Many have their own rental system which you can place your unit into. The smaller complexes, (I own in one in el Cortecito), have their own management and are usually governed by a Board of fellow owners... this can be a good thing or a very bad thing. We are fortunate, but I've heard horror stories from friends who own in neighboring complexes.

When shopping, we considered a couple of apartments in Cocotal, but quickly eliminated them for the very reasons Mike mentions.. we are beach people. As an aside, one of our owners became dissatisfied with the neighbors, (unwarranted.. but whatever)... and swapped his unit in our complex on an even trade for a slightly larger unit in Cocotal. I don't know which area, though.

One comment about real estate listings.... even the most respected and highly regarded agencies have some "fuzzy" data in their listings. Don't rely completely on the details of the what you read. You MUST go and inspect the individual properties for yourself. A couple of times at differing times of day if possible.

Punta Cana Village is probably the best large, self contained property, with most if not all amenities there on site. It is also a large and varied property. There are members here who live there and can better comment on the details.

Cocotal totally safe.
There are guards everywhere, stationed and also have a bike patrol
Good place to buy is in Vila Birdie. 2bdrm in the usd$155,000 range
Grupo 2 - Bayan A for sale at $150,000 fully furnished. Email me if you need the seller phone number

lovemedo said:

Hi
could someone take the time to explain to me where to buy an apartment in a safe location in Cocotal?
1-2 bedrooms
In the $80000-$150000.00us dollar range

How does security work in cocotal, are there security personnel in jeeps or are they at the gates only?

I had heard dont buy near the fence. Are there any names of certain apartments that i should consider or watch for in the real estate listings. Are there areas i should absolutely not buy in (in cocotal)?

My main concern is safety from theft, home invasions

thanks

Click to expand...