I've never been to the D.R. before my recent trip. We stayed at the Hideaway Beach Resort, which is in-between Cabarete and Sosua.
Hideaway is not an all inclusive. It is an elegant, very private hotel/apartment resort on a lovely stretch of beach. If I ever fall in love again, this is where I will go for a very romantic interlude. For singles, it is a little too quiet, I think. The resort is very clean, and the staff for the most part are extemely helpful and friendly. The food is good (restaurant open three meals/day). It was odd that for such a lovely place, they strangely didn't have the most basic things in the kitchen such as a sponge or dish detergent. But the rest was great.
We took taxis into Cabarete and Sosua, but next time I will rent a car for more flexibility. Actually, I took a public taxi (can't remember the term in Spanish) from Sosua one day...for 20 pesos...about 30 people crammed into a van....what a hoot. It was fun and the price was right. A friend and I walked to Caberete one day from the resort...it was about an hour and a half walk on a path and then the beach. Very beautiful.
Cabarete and Sosua had lots of life during the day and night. Plenty of excellent restaurants for incredibly reasonable prices. Found, thanks to DR forum, a great jazz place the last night I was there (the Village Club). I loved watching the kite surfing during the day in Cabarete. AT night, all of the restaurants on ocean front put out their tables on the beach and it is simply charming either to walk along the beach and people watch, or to choose a restaurant for a meal on the beach.
First night there, a local took me to the Festival in Sosua, where there was a band set up outside playing Meringue and a huge crowd was gathered to listen, drink and dance. Great fun.
I found the people in both towns extemely friendly and helpful. They were very kind and patient with my meager spanish vocabulary. I would return to the area in a heart beat.
Hideaway is not an all inclusive. It is an elegant, very private hotel/apartment resort on a lovely stretch of beach. If I ever fall in love again, this is where I will go for a very romantic interlude. For singles, it is a little too quiet, I think. The resort is very clean, and the staff for the most part are extemely helpful and friendly. The food is good (restaurant open three meals/day). It was odd that for such a lovely place, they strangely didn't have the most basic things in the kitchen such as a sponge or dish detergent. But the rest was great.
We took taxis into Cabarete and Sosua, but next time I will rent a car for more flexibility. Actually, I took a public taxi (can't remember the term in Spanish) from Sosua one day...for 20 pesos...about 30 people crammed into a van....what a hoot. It was fun and the price was right. A friend and I walked to Caberete one day from the resort...it was about an hour and a half walk on a path and then the beach. Very beautiful.
Cabarete and Sosua had lots of life during the day and night. Plenty of excellent restaurants for incredibly reasonable prices. Found, thanks to DR forum, a great jazz place the last night I was there (the Village Club). I loved watching the kite surfing during the day in Cabarete. AT night, all of the restaurants on ocean front put out their tables on the beach and it is simply charming either to walk along the beach and people watch, or to choose a restaurant for a meal on the beach.
First night there, a local took me to the Festival in Sosua, where there was a band set up outside playing Meringue and a huge crowd was gathered to listen, drink and dance. Great fun.
I found the people in both towns extemely friendly and helpful. They were very kind and patient with my meager spanish vocabulary. I would return to the area in a heart beat.