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Living in las galeras
Hello everyone,
What are the ups and downs about living in Las Galeras?
The thought of hanging up my boots in the area near LG.......near Playa Rincon has crossed my mind several times when visiting there and LG.
The positives are: tranquility, majestic scenery, away from the crowd
The negatives are: a long way from where you can buy those things one wants in life (SD is a good 3 plus hour drive), not the true Dominican country lifestyle, it's very much a Francophile community and high electricity cost.
From a medical point of view, there is a decent clinic in Samana town that will evacuate you to SD if so required
Just back from a trip to the South West and the coastline south of Barahona has given me new ideas.
I find Las Galaras and Barahona to be very different. Barahona is a basic Dominican town, some small hotels and restaurants but no frills, no expats, and no beach. I consider Las Galaras a small fishing villiage with a number of expats, a few small hotels, and a place where you will find some tourists. I'm told the diving is good there and there is a good diving school in town. It is very close to Playa Rincon, one of the best beaches in the DR. Both are quiet and laid back and relatively isolated. I would opt for Las Galaras.
ah ok, and what do you think of barahona?
Very scenic. tranquil, pleasant friendly local communities not influenced by mass tourism, suspect land prices will be decent whereas in Samana peninsula they are IMO high, and if one chooses one of the smaller places down the coast you are still within half and hour drive of a reasonable sized city. I have also felt much more secure from crime when away from the major urban centres in this country............including in Samana Province generally. A small community of expats have relocated to the area but nothing like the numbers you find in Samana Province.
But it is off the beaten track for now and not likely to appeal to many who are new to this country.
Las Galeras is a nice place.....nice area......but it is at a remote end of the island and whilst this may suit some who are used to living in such locations, it could prove challenging for others.
One needs to spend time living in these places to gauge the lifestyle. Initial impressions can deceive.
Just to clarify my reference is to the coastline south of the town.
Google images of 'Barahona Coastline' are impressive as are Google images of 'Samana Coastline' 'Playa Rincon' 'Las Galleras'
End of the World
It's at the end of the peninsula, more or less at the end of a half-civilised world.
Decent shopping is more than 1.5 hours away (Super Pola, Las Terrenas). Same with health care (private clinics in Las Terrenas).
I was told by an American that the local police is most corrupt, as they feel unrestrained without any supervision from faraway superiors.
Certainly, the place is scenic, but again LT has a better choice of beaches and a much better infrastructure (shops, restaurants, caf?s, schools, pharmacies, bus services to SD and Stgo., etc.)
A place to hide maybe?
donP
P.S.:
Also see my post #16 in this thread:
http://dr1.com/forums/north-east-coast/149074-newbe-home-owner-questions-2.html
It's at the end of the peninsula, more or less at the end of a half-civilised world.
Decent shopping is more than 1.5 hours away (Super Pola, Las Terrenas). Same with health care (private clinics in Las Terrenas).
I was told by an American that the local police is most corrupt, as they feel unrestrained without any supervision from faraway superiors.
Certainly, the place is scenic, but again LT has a better choice of beaches and a much better infrastructure (shops, restaurants, caf?s, schools, pharmacies, bus services to SD and Stgo., etc.)
A place to hide maybe?
donP
P.S.:
Also see my post #16 in this thread:
http://dr1.com/forums/north-east-coast/149074-newbe-home-owner-questions-2.html
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and why Playa Rincon would be "one of the best" in DR ?
its nothing special, and the beaches in LT, Punta Cana etc. or even in Barahona or Pedernales province beat it
its nothing special, and the beaches in LT, Punta Cana etc. or even in Barahona or Pedernales province beat it
It's at the end of the peninsula, more or less at the end of a half-civilised world.
Decent shopping is more than 1.5 hours away (Super Pola, Las Terrenas). Same with health care (private clinics in Las Terrenas).
I was told by an American that the local police is most corrupt, as they feel unrestrained without any supervision from faraway superiors.
Certainly, the place is scenic, but again LT has a better choice of beaches and a much better infrastructure (shops, restaurants, caf?s, schools, pharmacies, bus services to SD and Stgo., etc.)
A place to hide maybe?
donP
P.S.:
Also see my post #16 in this thread:
http://dr1.com/forums/north-east-coast/149074-newbe-home-owner-questions-2.html
An Anglophile in Las Galleras would be a rarity I suspect, so one could take the view you would 'stand out from the crowd'.
Believe the clinic in Santa Barbara de Samana is part of the same organization that has the clinic on Duarte below the bridge in LT.
Whilst I like LT very much and enjoy those beaches and restaurants, having lived there for over 18 months in 3 different locations I prefer to think of it as a holiday destination or place for second or weekend home but not as retirement destination. IMO it has overgrown itself and suffers from inadequate infrastructure(roads, parking, sewers, water, drainage, garbage collection) with few options to make the situation better. Driving in town was always a pain especially in the messy part of town inland from the bridge where Duarte and Carmen meet and you have to go there to get to Super Pola which was a great addition. Add to that, the influx of rich Dominicans at weekends and holidays who enjoy making the maximum amount of noise possible to mark their presence. But everyone to their own opinion.
I was actually comparing LG and Barahona, not LT. I like LT too. It is not as quiet, is more touristy now, and has a much larger expat population, but it is a larger town and much more developed. I agree that the OP really should spend some time in the towns being considered before choosing either one. Btw, there are many who consider Playa Rincon one of the best in the DR and compared to anything in Barahona I would vote for Rincon hands down. However, compared to the beaches in LT, I'd vote for LT.
LT's Advantages
Well, I retired here about 20 years ago.
We live outside LT up in the hills and I would not want to live in town.
However, we like LT's infrastructure (people here like the stable electricity supply, which we, however, are not connected to) and find it very good compared to other places of the same or even larger size (like Nagua, SFdM, Saman? Town, etc.)
It's true, that on certain weekends and during this 'semana loca' things can get quite chaotic, but this is when we simply stay put on the 'finca'... :classic:
donP
Well, I retired here about 20 years ago.
We live outside LT up in the hills and I would not want to live in town.
However, we like LT's infrastructure (people here like the stable electricity supply, which we, however, are not connected to) and find it very good compared to other places of the same or even larger size (like Nagua, SFdM, Saman? Town, etc.)
It's true, that on certain weekends and during this 'semana loca' things can get quite chaotic, but this is when we simply stay put on the 'finca'... :classic:
donP
Must have been an idyllic village 20 years back.........and there are some great vistas up in those hills.
"...I was told by an American that the local police is most corrupt, as they feel unrestrained without any supervision from faraway superiors..."
Let's entertain at least the possibility that the cited American is an idiot.
As for this American, I have encountered no evidence of such corruption in twelve years of living in Las Galeras.
Let's entertain at least the possibility that the cited American is an idiot.
As for this American, I have encountered no evidence of such corruption in twelve years of living in Las Galeras.