POP to LT road trip

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
so i've decided on a little road trip with my best pal, nicknamed balloons. i drove us to LT first along the coast and then taking boulevard turistico. we hit the road last thursday, just days before danilo's rally through the area. i've been on that road before i remember enormous potholes but large stretches were being fixed that day which slowed us down. still, great views, great weather, nice trip.

but i forgot that gaspar hernandez is such a traffic sh*thole, so to speak. very narrow, lots of motos, carros publicos and - on that day - hundreds of trucks delivering materials to fix the tarmac. hell to cross, worse than cabarete. whoa. boulevard turistico was a dream drive but at 528 pesos it was a bit steep. it cost me about as much to pay the peaje as to buy petrol for the entire trip.

LT is super great. french spoken everywhere. mouth watering french pastry everywhere. eye candy everywhere. lots of good quality wimmin, slim, hot, young. and they were sunbathing topless and frolicking in the waves... :eek: :lick:

wait. i lost my train of thought... we stayed in the atlantic hotel on playa bonita. decent rooms, excellent service, clean, safe, quiet. the restaurant was on more expensive side but the food was nothing special, just ok.

coming back we were ahead of danilo's caravana which was kinda fun. i thought it will be hard to drive though crowds, decorations and general election mess but it was super easy. people were very happy (i suspect free rum was involved) and very helpful. we got danilo baseball caps too :)

and NC roads are freshly fixed now, i love elections! :cheeky::cheeky::cheeky:

balloons was snapping photoes left, right and centre so i will post a few shots here.

go to las terrenas where the grass is green and the girls are pretty!
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,479
731
113
When people have nicknames like that, they are usually referring a physical trait that stands out over others. You know like wingnut (large ears), Duracell (Ginger hair) etc....

Now balloons.......lemme guess......
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
Hotel Atlantic or Atlantis?

I had always heard the food was very good at Atlantis.... you say just 'OK'.
Wasn't that Mitterand's chef?
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Hotel Atlantic or Atlantis?

I had always heard the food was very good at Atlantis.... you say just 'OK'.
Wasn't that Mitterand's chef?

I had a very good meal there but it is on the higher price side. In the LT area hands down the best consistent quality, quantity and price is Navias. It is a German Restaurant about 1/8 of a mile on the left hand side, past the turn off for Playa Bonita, heading toward Coson. Another place that is always good is Luis' Restaurant on the beach in Coson. They usually have grilled fish, chicken, shrimp and lobster with papa fritas, beans and rice and salad. Recently had 3 1/2 lb. whole Snapper. Price for two including drinks was 1750 Pesos. In LT Casa Azul has the best pizza, La Yuca Caliente has great Italian and for upscale dinning try El Lugar, Tres Caravelles or Chez Sandro. All have great steaks.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
yeah, sorry, atlantis. we only had few things there. spaghetti and chicken were both swimming in extremely greasy sauce. beef carpaccio was kinda thickly cut and really nothing to write home about. overall meh: not bad but not worth the price tag.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
we did not even make it to LT properly. i drove into town but found it a bit stressful to get around. i was driving a new car which was bad enough but a new place made it even harder. narrow streets, no signs to tell what roads are one way, lots of cars and motos. shame because i heard good things about yuca caliente and wanted to try it out. maybe next time. :)
 

CG

Bronze
Sep 16, 2004
984
146
63
In LT the must goes are;
"Restaurant Luis" on playa Coson,
"Balconcito" out by Portillo,
"El Lugar",
"The Beach" Restaurant on playa Coson,
"La Yuca Caliente",
"Paco Mer" on the beach behind the cemetery,
"Navia's"

(not necessarily in that order)
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
[video=youtube_share;sitTFtfZqDU]https://youtu.be/sitTFtfZqDU[/video]

Memories.....

Stayed many times and the people who I worked with were close friends of Gerard the owner and chef. I guess I was lucky to enjoy when he was cooking in the kitchen often. They have some excellent dishes on the menu if you are adventurous.

It is a quaint hotel with a wide range of different rooms. But the location is superb just a short walk to Punta Bonita and around on to long and beautiful Playa Coson........and I nice walk to Restaurant Luis if you have the energy.......I guess passing the now adult only Wyndham may increase the probability of seeing bathers topless.

There were plans afoot to build a swimming pool and spa a year or so back. Has there been any progress?

I love the tranquility of Playa Bonita (albeit the 'olas' can be quite soothingly noisy) and the 3 months I rented an apartment right next to the Atlantis provide me with fond memories.

Good choice away from the LT traffic and weekend rowdiness on Playa Popi and Playa Las Ballenas.
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
no swimming pool or spa. i see the shore has deteriorated a bit.

The shoreline in that area always suffered and they built those stone walls but too often they get damaged at this time of year. One bonus is those not to missed photographs of palm trees overhanging the water as they succumb to the beach erosion.

Around the corner along Playa Coson beyond Sublime Samana very significant beach erosion takes place at the point by Villa Tabiki. That place has lost a lot of land and I wonder if their beach sala is still there?..........

https://www.google.com.do/maps/plac...0x8eaf8838def1b6f5:0xa6020f24060df7e0!6m1!1e1
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i was surprised that the ocean at playa coson was so calm and flat when on playa bonita the waves made it almost impossible to get into the water. is it always like that?
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
i was surprised that the ocean at playa coson was so calm and flat when on playa bonita the waves made it almost impossible to get into the water. is it always like that?

The far end of Playa Bonita behind the headland called Loma Bonita is always very calm and great for swimming......far end in direction of LT.

As for Playa Coson it is calm around the headland and all the way past the Nomad Villas up to Sublime Samana where the waves begin to kick in. Again great swimming.

Once you head around the point at Villa Tabaki you start getting waves again and past Rio Coson along the beach in front of Restaurant Luis it is good for surfing with good waves. The most exposed and wild part of that beach is the very far and that is a good beach walk away but well worth it. At this point the hills come down to the beach and with beach becoming cliffs. When the sea is calm it is absolutely sublime beach along it's length and crystal clear.

A long but very beautiful and varying beach. My daily jog for six months.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
we did not even make it to LT properly. i drove into town but found it a bit stressful to get around. i was driving a new car which was bad enough but a new place made it even harder. narrow streets, no signs to tell what roads are one way, lots of cars and motos. shame because i heard good things about yuca caliente and wanted to try it out. maybe next time. :)

Yuca is located on the beach directly accross the street from Peseo Plaza. You follow the one way all the way through LT and you come into the tourist zone. When you see Peseo Plaza on your left, make a hard left and the cemetery wall will be on your right. Go up the street a very short distance and park on your left. Yuca is right next to Casa Azul Restaurant. Yes, great Ilalian. The owner has been in the DR for 20 years and originally from Rome.
 

Rumble2005

Active member
Mar 18, 2006
388
40
28
I had a very good meal there but it is on the higher price side. In the LT area hands down the best consistent quality, quantity and price is Navias. It is a German Restaurant about 1/8 of a mile on the left hand side, past the turn off for Playa Bonita, heading toward Coson. Another place that is always good is Luis' Restaurant on the beach in Coson. They usually have grilled fish, chicken, shrimp and lobster with papa fritas, beans and rice and salad. Recently had 3 1/2 lb. whole Snapper. Price for two including drinks was 1750 Pesos. In LT Casa Azul has the best pizza, La Yuca Caliente has great Italian and for upscale dinning try El Lugar, Tres Caravelles or Chez Sandro. All have great steaks.

Totally agree on Navia. Outstanding value / quality / imported Bavarian beer etc. . Certainly not fine dining but outstanding food.
I must also pimp La Thallasa. It is two doors down from Alisei Hotel. It is somewhat newly re-opened and I really enjoyed it.
The new owners are from France (Marc / Vallerie) . The food was great , as was the service. Both owners greeted us on arrival and thanked us on depature. Last Thursday they brought in a Bachatta band and dancers. It was a most enjoyable evening of great food and music.