Casetas in Puerto Plata Malecon

elbronco718 · Mar 11, 2018

Long time lurker finally posting here.

Anyone have any info on the beachfront casetas on the malecon in puerto plata? Decided to look further into them in hopes of maybe acquiring one. any info would be appreciated.

drstock · Mar 11, 2018

A member on this site - I think it is BelgianMK - runs one. If I'm right you could try to contact him.

jstarebel · Mar 11, 2018

I like the casetas myself, but I don't frequent the ones where the cruise ship busses stop at. They're pricy and I don't like the vibe there. All of the others are fine, the people are all nice, and there are a couple with pretty good food. Its all very tranquillo. You just have to check them out.

BelgianMik · Mar 11, 2018

Yes, I have Tropical Bar (3 of the 4 corners from cassetta 3).
You want to aquire one? The only one I heard that might sell is Marisol (the front left at cassetta number 4). I don't think any of the others want to leave now. But if you wait 2 or 3 months, a lot will go out of business again. Then the low season starts again.

london777 · Mar 12, 2018

If I understand correctly, they are all on two-year leases from City Hall?

I asked about another issue in a previous post but no-one answered so I will ask again.

Most of the casetas do not charge ITBIS or service tax. One owner told me this was because they are regarded as beach properties. Another told me it is because they are owned by the city. Is either story true?

If so, why do one or two add these charges?

I am frequently on the Malecon. I see several that do minimal business. They cannot possibly be making a living wage, so I should think a few would sell at the right price.

elbronco718 · Mar 12, 2018

Man i love this website. So informative. Thank you so much for your response. I was under the impression that these casetas were for sale? I'm dominican but live in New York. I was born in Puerto Plata and every time I return i always spend a little time at these casetas and always leave happy. I've most likely frequented your caseta but who remembers after so many drinks.

I'll be out there for a month in April, maybe I can buy you a beer and pick your brain. I have a lot of family down there still and I know how things work and i'm not rich so I'll be trying to get the dominican price and not the gringo price.

Thanks again

BelgianMik · Mar 12, 2018

london777 said:
If I understand correctly, they are all on two-year leases from City Hall?

I asked about another issue in a previous post but no-one answered so I will ask again.

Most of the casetas do not charge ITBIS or service tax. One owner told me this was because they are regarded as beach properties. Another told me it is because they are owned by the city. Is either story true?

If so, why do one or two add these charges?

I am frequently on the Malecon. I see several that do minimal business. They cannot possibly be making a living wage, so I should think a few would sell at the right price.

No, not 2 year lease.
Because it is on the beach, you can never own it with a titulo, it is property from Guerra de marina.
So for every adjustment you have to ask permission at guerra de marina and tourism (for example to put a roof). Also they have to be all the same. You can't change the color, you can't break out the wooden floor and put tiles etc.
But the cassettas are sold and rented out etc. But you buy the permission to use that one. So if you want a cassetta, you have to buy it from the person who is in it now.

You have to pay a monthly tourism tax of 2000 pesos for one corner.
Small businesses (not only cassettas, but also colmados etc) don't charge itbis, because they are not registered as a company. This is only mandatory for bigger businesses.
But I know indeed one owner who has his cassetta registered as a company and he charges itbis, but that is because he had a big business before he had the cassetta and he registered everything under his old business.

elbronco718 · Mar 12, 2018

whats an average rate for 1 corner caseta? Sold or rented. I now see that acquiring 4 is damn near impossible

BelgianMik · Mar 12, 2018

elbronco718 said:
Man i love this website. So informative. Thank you so much for your response. I was under the impression that these casetas were for sale? I'm dominican but live in New York. I was born in Puerto Plata and every time I return i always spend a little time at these casetas and always leave happy. I've most likely frequented your caseta but who remembers after so many drinks.

I'll be out there for a month in April, maybe I can buy you a beer and pick your brain. I have a lot of family down there still and I know how things work and i'm not rich so I'll be trying to get the dominican price and not the gringo price.

Thanks again

If the owner wants to sell, they are for sale, but not a lot of them want to sell. Most people that you see in the cassettas are renting it from the owner.
But every now and then there is one for sale. Expecially in the summer, because after April, most of the cassettas don't have customers anymore until October/November.
And if one is for sale, they are gone immediately. So best thing to do is find out who is the owner from the cassetta and get into contact with them. That they can give you a call when they want to sell.
Cassettas 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 never going to sell I think. But with the others there is always a chance.

cobraboy · Mar 12, 2018

BelgianMik said:
If the owner wants to sell, they are for sale, but not a lot of them want to sell. Most people that you see in the cassettas are renting it from the owner.
But every now and then there is one for sale. Expecially in the summer, because after April, most of the cassettas don't have customers anymore until October/November.
And if one is for sale, they are gone immediately. So best thing to do is find out who is the owner from the cassetta and get into contact with them. That they can give you a call when they want to sell.
Cassettas 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 never going to sell I think. But with the others there is always a chance.

How much are they, and what is the general rent? Just curious...

BelgianMik · Mar 12, 2018

elbronco718 said:
whats an average rate for 1 corner caseta? Sold or rented. I now see that acquiring 4 is damn near impossible

The rent is 8000 to 9000 pesos (that includes the 2000 pesos for tourism).
To buy one it is normally around 600 000 for one in the front and around 450 000 for one in the back.
Yes, it is almost inpossible to have the 4, nobody has that for the moment. Some of us are trying to get the 4 for years.
I had the 4 open, but 3 of them are mine, the fourth I payed rent to the owner, she doesn't want to sell.
For example: carihuela has the 4 open, but only 3 are his, one is from a different owner and she rents it out to him, but doesn't want to sell. In cassetta 1 the dominican lady is trying to get the 4 for years, but the german guy doesn't want to sell, Big Lee has 3, the fourth doesn't want to sell, the dominican guy at nr 6 has 2, the other 2 don't want to sell, etc.

elbronco718 · Mar 12, 2018

BelgianMik said:
The rent is 8000 to 9000 pesos (that includes the 2000 pesos for tourism).
To buy one it is normally around 600 000 for one in the front and around 450 000 for one in the back.
Yes, it is almost inpossible to have the 4, nobody has that for the moment. Some of us are trying to get the 4 for years.
I had the 4 open, but 3 of them are mine, the fourth I payed rent to the owner, she doesn't want to sell.
For example: carihuela has the 4 open, but only 3 are his, one is from a different owner and she rents it out to him, but doesn't want to sell. In cassetta 1 the dominican lady is trying to get the 4 for years, but the german guy doesn't want to sell, Big Lee has 3, the fourth doesn't want to sell, the dominican guy at nr 6 has 2, the other 2 don't want to sell, etc.

You sir are the best. priceless information. so now that we know its going to be hard to get our hands on what, can you tell use what one of those casetas pulls in from dec to april :nervous:

BelgianMik · Mar 12, 2018

Depends which cassetta. Number 2 has the Canadian snowbirds, so they are full from November until March / April, then it gets quit, but they still make enough to get around.
One of the cassettes at nr 5 also has Canadian snowbirds and at nr 4 are the English who stay for the winter.
Then you have nr 1 Marola and the Dominican cassette behind big lee and cassetta 10 who have Dominicans, they have people all year long.
The Germans are at nr 1 at the right and with Hans at nr 9, when the germans come on holiday they are always busy.
Carihuela has the cruise ship tourists.
Etc etc.
Every cassetta is different

But there are a lot of cassettas who don't have regular customers, so they make just enough money to pay everything between November and April because you have a couple of snowbirds who don't have a regular spot and then after April they can't even make enough money to pay the bills.

The problem is that the tourists from Playa Dorado etc don't leave the hotel, so you don't have tourists in the cassettas.
A lot of Dominicans don't go to the cassettas because they have a bad name (place for gringos to pick up putas) and the ones who do already have their favorite places.
So you only have the gringos who live here and the gringos who come here on holiday in their own house or who rent an apartment, and most of them already have their favorite place for years and years, it is very hard to get them out of their favorite cassetta where they know everybody to visit another cassetta that they don't know.

london777 · Mar 13, 2018

Thanks, Belgian Mik, for taking the trouble to write one of the most interesting and informative sequences of posts I have read here.

chico bill · Mar 13, 2018

BelgianMik said:
Depends which cassetta. Number 2 has the Canadian snowbirds, so they are full from November until March / April, then it gets quit, but they still make enough to get around.
One of the cassettes at nr 5 also has Canadian snowbirds and at nr 4 are the English who stay for the winter.
Then you have nr 1 Marola and the Dominican cassette behind big lee and cassetta 10 who have Dominicans, they have people all year long.
The Germans are at nr 1 at the right and with Hans at nr 9, when the germans come on holiday they are always busy.
Carihuela has the cruise ship tourists.
Etc etc.
Every cassetta is different

But there are a lot of cassettas who don't have regular customers, so they make just enough money to pay everything between November and April because you have a couple of snowbirds who don't have a regular spot and then after April they can't even make enough money to pay the bills.

The problem is that the tourists from Playa Dorado etc don't leave the hotel, so you don't have tourists in the cassettas.
A lot of Dominicans don't go to the cassettas because they have a bad name (place for gringos to pick up putas) and the ones who do already have their favorite places.
So you only have the gringos who live here and the gringos who come here on holiday in their own house or who rent an apartment, and most of them already have their favorite place for years and years, it is very hard to get them out of their favorite cassetta where they know everybody to visit another cassetta that they don't know.

I go their for a quick lunch and a beer on my way to La Sirena. Maybe I am visiting the wrong (or right) Kiosk - but I have never seen or been approached by a hooker there. And I haven't seen them - but it's always daytime when I go.
Maybe I'm not their type, however I do get bothered by every fake watch, sun glass and CD hawker on the Malecon

BelgianMik · Mar 13, 2018

chico bill said:
I go their for a quick lunch and a beer on my way to La Sirena. Maybe I am visiting the wrong (or right) Kiosk - but I have never seen or been approached by a hooker there. And I haven't seen them - but it's always daytime when I go.
Maybe I'm not their type, however I do get bothered by every fake watch, sun glass and CD hawker on the Malecon

Yes,
It is not like that anymore. Before there were a lot of casssettas full with gringos looking for hookers, it has changed in most of the cassettas. Almost all of my clients for example are married or with the same girl for years, a lot of casssettas are now "normal" places to go to with your women or even children, but the problem is that a lot of Dominicans don t know that.
They never go in a cassetta because they heard that it is that kind of place.
I even have clients for many years who always come alone, without their wives, because otherwise she would get a bad name if Dominicans see her there.

torrock · Mar 31, 2018

Ah, it makes sense now.

I have a friend that went to one of the cassettas with a group of tourists, she asked not to have pics taken of her, and the owner ended up posting them online and she wasn't happy about it and won't return. Otherwise, she posts online all the time, so I never understood why she was bothered by it. Now I know.

the gorgon · Mar 31, 2018

BelgianMik said:
Depends which cassetta. Number 2 has the Canadian snowbirds, so they are full from November until March / April, then it gets quit, but they still make enough to get around.
One of the cassettes at nr 5 also has Canadian snowbirds and at nr 4 are the English who stay for the winter.
Then you have nr 1 Marola and the Dominican cassette behind big lee and cassetta 10 who have Dominicans, they have people all year long.
The Germans are at nr 1 at the right and with Hans at nr 9, when the germans come on holiday they are always busy.
Carihuela has the cruise ship tourists.
Etc etc.
Every cassetta is different

But there are a lot of cassettas who don't have regular customers, so they make just enough money to pay everything between November and April because you have a couple of snowbirds who don't have a regular spot and then after April they can't even make enough money to pay the bills.

The problem is that the tourists from Playa Dorado etc don't leave the hotel, so you don't have tourists in the cassettas.
A lot of Dominicans don't go to the cassettas because they have a bad name (place for gringos to pick up putas) and the ones who do already have their favorite places.
So you only have the gringos who live here and the gringos who come here on holiday in their own house or who rent an apartment, and most of them already have their favorite place for years and years, it is very hard to get them out of their favorite cassetta where they know everybody to visit another cassetta that they don't know.

another reason why many average Dominican women do not go to casetas in because there are foreigners who think every Dominican woman is a puta, and can be picked up. they just do not need the foolishness of having to rebuff guys all the time.

BelgianMik · Oct 22, 2018

If somebody is interested, there is a cassetta for rent available.
You can always come to my bar for more information.
It is not mine, but the one from my girlfriend.

dutch chica · Dec 8, 2018

I am interested, what cassetta is it and where about is it at the Malecon? Oh and how much is it...lol, I am dutch after all

Casetas in Puerto Plata Malecon

Member

Silver

Silver

Active member

Bronze

Member

Active member

Member

Active member

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist

Active member

Member

Active member

Bronze

Dogs Better than People

Active member

Member

Platinum

Active member

Newbie