my dive trip to Sosua, DR

jenpiel

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Nov 24, 2002
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Hola! I just wanted to share my experience from back in january - I've been meaning to write so the regulars on the site would get to hear a nice story.

So, we flew in to Puerto Plata from JFK and it only took 3.5 hours I think... quick! We were greeted by very nice people and driven to the Casa Marina Beach, which I would go back to today if I could! We stayed for 4 days which wasn't nearly enough time to take in all that Sosua has to offer. But I thought it was a perfect long-weekend getaway. Very affordable and entertaining and relaxing!!

My purpose for going was to scuba dive. The Casa Marina Beach has its own PADI certified diving facility called Aqua Center. The people there were so awesome! Lucas was my instructor who took very good care of us. They have a dog named Max who is their "mascot". We dove all around the area just by walking out from the beach. Once we took a boat just a few minutes away. The visibility was about 50 feet or so, and there were tons of fish and beautiful plants. it was the most incredible experience! The staff there was so helpful, as I had a hard time getting past the waves once and they pretty much pulled me in and out. (I'm a kind of small person so it was a challenge as the waves were huge - almost had to not go diving but I was getting certified so I had to try to get my 4 dives in before i left.) The days that it was calm I had no troubles at all. It was my first dive experience and I would love to go every day if I could.

Aside from diving, the hotel offers a lot of activities right there. Snorkeling, boat trips (which I didn't get to do but want to next time I go,) volleyball, the pools are very nice, nightly entertainment show for kids, a discotheque, hammocks near the water (very cool)...

The only down-side to the hotel was that it was impossible to get dinner reservations there. You have to book your meals pretty much before you arrive or you won't get to eat there (defeats the purpose of paying for an all-inclusive.)

One other problem we encountered were the stray dogs in the town. I said "hey puppy" to one after dinner and it would not leave me alone. I went in a store to hope it would go away but it waited for me! So we snuch out finally without it seeing us, but it was a little scary. Whatever you do, do not pay any attention to the dogs.

We ended up walking down the road to town where there were a few very good restaurants. It was nice to get to try the local atmopshere anyway. We felt safe the whole time. it did get annoying with all the vendors bugging us to come and "look for free" when after 3 days we had seen there stuff a few times already. (The town is small so you can't miss much after 1-2 nights of exploring.) We did take a trip to a casino which was a waste of time. it was about a half hour drive there. We would have had a better time just playing pool at the pool hall or other dance club in town. We had a great lunch between dives one day at Rocky's Pub, where I had some lime chicken which was out of this world! Yummy... I could have eaten that every day I was there.

Another thing, the Casa Marina Reef is connected to the Casa Marina Beach. I wish I would have known this because you can walk to town quickly if you go through the complex instead of walking all the way around. We figured this out the night before we left. The 2 hotels are pretty much the same. The outside of the Reef is beautifully done with nice walkways and flowers crawling up the side of the buildings which were maybe 4 floors high. There is also a jacuzzi that is built into the rocks sort of, so you're right on the bay there. So pretty. But the Beach was more or less a closer walk to the ocean and sort of like a big hotel with 4-5 floors of rooms. We had a room overlooking one of the pools which was perfect. Each room has a balcony I think, which was nice. All the rooms were carpet-free, I assume because of the sand that we tracked in. :) We had a fantastic time. I hope to go again very soon.

And if anyone would like more info or to see pictures from Sosua, email me and I'd be happy to share them. Sorry for the extended delay in my report.
 

jenpiel

New member
Nov 24, 2002
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an addition to my posting

and I just wanted to also add that the country as a whole was just beautiful to look at. I hope that the people who live there appreciate the beauty of the land and waters. It was so nice to look out at the mountain over the bay in Puerto Plata every day. It was such a tropical paradise... I'm sure the tourists have a nicer view of the country than the locals, but I am also sure that they have places they go to enjoy the land as well. I hope when we return that it is still not very developed and that the land remains as pretty as it was when we first landed...