The trip was for the week of March 31-April 7.
I have to say that our first day in DR kind of sucked. We couldn?t land on Puerto Plata because of a strike in the airport. We were force to land on Turks and Caicos airport. We were there for an hour until the workers at POP decided to go back to work. So our first day was already wasted.
We rented a car at the airport. We shouldn?t have because our hotel was really close to the strip, plus taxis were everywhere. But if you do have to rent make sure the tank is full or at least half the tank is. We were so hungry and tired to realize that the car we rented although bargained for $28 a day (They said its $38 a day usually), didn?t have enough gas. We met two cool guys on the plane who frequently go to DR and spoke the language. They were the one who haggled with the rental people for about 20 minutes. It works! Another thing, make sure you can speak some Spanish it really helps. One thing I would recommend learning is to say ?That?s ridiculous that?s too much!? hehe.
Since our car was low in gas, we had to stop at the closest gas station on the way to Cabarete from the airport. Please, avoid the shady, old and crusty Shell station we unfortunately had to get gas from. I swear I thought all gas stations looked like that, was I wrong. The young man who works there was probably plain evil or just dumb to tell me that the dollars over there at that particular location equals to 21 pesos! My bf argued with him with a piece of paper writing numbers to what the dollar correctly equals to in pesos. Of course the pesos at the time was 41 to one dollar and probably higher. But he knew that we were just foreigners who had dollars. I can speak some Spanish but this guy was just a jerk. So I was like okay this guy?s an idiot. Mind you we were really hungry and fed up with all the hassle just to get to this country. So we went on and on for about 30 minutes on this and suddenly I saw some dude walking around with a shotgun. Okay he didn?t look scary but he had a gun for crying out loud. I figured we should just go and give this guy the $60 dollars he said the gas cost. Okay it was also partly our fault for not being prepared. The thing was we should?ve changed some of our dollars to pesos at the airport. At the gas station, the amount of the gas was told to be around 1400 pesos on the meter. If we had the pesos we wouldn?t have been in this situation. Whew! Thank God that was the only bad experience we had. The rest was unbelievably great. In general, avoid shady places period.
Wow, Hotel El Magnifico was beautiful! I was so relieved and happy that they meant what they said in their website. I would definitely recommend this place. We stayed in the royal suite which to my surprise located on the ground floor with two amazing bathrooms plus we had Cable TV. It was steps away from the beach. The d?cor was modern and hip. Check it out: http://www.realadventures.com/mv/slideshow.mv?mLN=1025507 . Compared to other hotels I researched, I found this place to be perfect. It was pretty quiet compared to the hotels on the strip. We spent about $800 for a week including rental phone, safety box, beach towels and beverages in the hotel. It is not your typical hotel because it?s actually a condominium. There is no restaurant or room service but the grocery store is nearby and the kitchen has all the things you need if you decide to cook. The fridge has beverages including rum and of course Presidente which I learned to love even though I hated beer. There were fruits on the table as well when we arrived. For some, this is probably not a budget. Of course there are cheaper hotels nearby I would recommend going to www.activecabarete.com. My friends stayed in the standard room which is only about $4 cheaper than our room. They also had two bathrooms. I don?t know why but it?s great. The standard rooms are smaller but also well equipped however there are no TVs. Trust me for some people having TV in their room is quite important just ask my bf who can?t live without his TV even on vacation! Anyway, I absolutely love El Magnifico, not only the place itself but the people who work there including the four cute cats that occupy the garden and pool. It?s weird cos they drink the chlorine water in the pool!
The only disadvantage is you are not allowed to swim in front of the hotel. You will understand why. It?s rocky and the wave crash into each other, it?s very rough. The water is definitely alright if you walk a few hotels from Magnifico, to your right or if you prefer left. The beach is calmer towards your left in front of a small surf school called ?Take Off?. We met Basillio, the local young man, and his friends who work at the surf school. They were amazing kids that made our stay at Cabarete so much more interesting. They didn?t expect anything from us but our company. In return we bought toys for them and exchanged addresses when we left. Their Dad knew someone who gave us a bargain on horseback ride. We spent $20 each for a two hour ride. We rode around a village and saw how the locals live. Most of them just hang around outside their homes chatting. It was a long and slow ride. I got a little bored until we headed off to the beach. That?s when the horses started galloping! I got some bruises on my legs because I was stupid enough to wear shorts.
I have to say that motoconcho is my favorite transportation in Cabarete. For less than a dollar you can be anywhere in less time. I befriended a really nice motoconcho driver named Santo who was always by Janet?s Grocery. He was awesome cos he took me to a small animal farm where I saw a snake, alligators, turtles and an eagle! He even introduced me to his family and friends. It?s amazing how I felt really safe at Cabarete after what happened to us on our first day at Puerto Plata. I was brave enough to trust this gentleman to take me to another town by myself to see the other side of this place away from the usual: the beach the bars and restaurants.
I also learned to surf at Elcuentro through ?No WorK?. This is before we met the kids from ?Take Off?. I should?ve taken it from ?Take Off? because it?s cheaper. ?No Work? gave us a chance to meet Thomas though. I think he?s originally from France. He was a great teacher and I like his philosophy on surfing. My only concern with Elcuentro is the reef (I don?t know if they?re reefs but it?s something like that it was very rocky). Man they hurt! I would recommend wearing booties if you?re not use to this type of environment. I got some cuts and splinters. But it was worth it cos I learned to surf for $30 for three hours that includes the board and transportation plus drinking water.
In terms of restaurants let?s see if I could remember the places we went to. But the one next to Hotel Magnifico on the beach is pretty good but also expensive. There?s Las Brisas, breakfast there is alright and super cheap for $2.50 you can get omelet, fruits, bread, and tea. I recommend Pito for breakfast. They have awesome pancakes and they have breakfast until 4pm for those who like breakfast food like my bf. We went to Miro once for dinner it?s pretty good too and expensive. The place is like an art gallery, there are paintings everywhere. Lax has good banana choco frozen drink (I think it?s like $1) you have to try it and their Pina Collado is awesome. What I love about these restaurants is that they?re all on the beach! It?s really lovely. I heard other people complain about the locals selling stuff but if you politely say no they go away. I don?t think I was ever hassled except maybe by those braid ladies who insisted I braid my long hair.
Although I like the restaurants on the beach, I have to say that I absolutely loved this one Dominican Restaurant across the street from the beach. I forgot what?s it called but they have the best Dominican food for a reasonable price. Eating across the beach gives you the real feeling of the country. The street is always busy. It got quieter when we reached Semana Santa. It was too bad cos we weren?t allowed to dance. But I was lucky enough to experience the night life prior to holy week. I was kind of disappointed with the music at Bambu Bar. They played mostly reggae and techno. I was hoping to dance merengue. There is one bar that plays it I forgot the name though.
We left even before they banned the water sports. I wasn?t even sure if it was completely banned. But from what I heard as long as you have a board or the equipment you can do the sports. I guess the rentals close during this week. I also have to point out that I noticed that some of the people who visited the beach for the weekend left the beach dirty! I couldn?t believe it.
Oh also, like what most people on this forum suggested, bargain- bargain- bargain! I was such a fool to buy a pair of flip flops for 400 pesos! To find out in the grocery store it?s only 100 pesos. But of course you can get it cheaper. I learned to only buy stuff with prices on them. Most ATMs there don?t take Visa so make sure you bring some cash with you. When I went there a dollar go for 41.50 pesos. I don?t know now. Do your homework before you go. Motoconcho usually charge 20 pesos. Taxi from the airport cost about $20. If you need a cell phone, you can rent one for a week for $10, you have to buy the phone card. Also, make sure you bring good sunblock with you. I burned my back surfing..yay! I used nutrogena SPF 30 it?s supposed to be nonsticky but it doesn?t last long. Sunblocks at the pharmacies there are kinda expensive so don?t forget to bring yours. There were a few mosquitoes who managed to get into our room, so get a bottle of that too.
In terms of the weather?.GORGEOUS! It rained once when we were there and didn?t even notice.
I have to say that our first day in DR kind of sucked. We couldn?t land on Puerto Plata because of a strike in the airport. We were force to land on Turks and Caicos airport. We were there for an hour until the workers at POP decided to go back to work. So our first day was already wasted.
We rented a car at the airport. We shouldn?t have because our hotel was really close to the strip, plus taxis were everywhere. But if you do have to rent make sure the tank is full or at least half the tank is. We were so hungry and tired to realize that the car we rented although bargained for $28 a day (They said its $38 a day usually), didn?t have enough gas. We met two cool guys on the plane who frequently go to DR and spoke the language. They were the one who haggled with the rental people for about 20 minutes. It works! Another thing, make sure you can speak some Spanish it really helps. One thing I would recommend learning is to say ?That?s ridiculous that?s too much!? hehe.
Since our car was low in gas, we had to stop at the closest gas station on the way to Cabarete from the airport. Please, avoid the shady, old and crusty Shell station we unfortunately had to get gas from. I swear I thought all gas stations looked like that, was I wrong. The young man who works there was probably plain evil or just dumb to tell me that the dollars over there at that particular location equals to 21 pesos! My bf argued with him with a piece of paper writing numbers to what the dollar correctly equals to in pesos. Of course the pesos at the time was 41 to one dollar and probably higher. But he knew that we were just foreigners who had dollars. I can speak some Spanish but this guy was just a jerk. So I was like okay this guy?s an idiot. Mind you we were really hungry and fed up with all the hassle just to get to this country. So we went on and on for about 30 minutes on this and suddenly I saw some dude walking around with a shotgun. Okay he didn?t look scary but he had a gun for crying out loud. I figured we should just go and give this guy the $60 dollars he said the gas cost. Okay it was also partly our fault for not being prepared. The thing was we should?ve changed some of our dollars to pesos at the airport. At the gas station, the amount of the gas was told to be around 1400 pesos on the meter. If we had the pesos we wouldn?t have been in this situation. Whew! Thank God that was the only bad experience we had. The rest was unbelievably great. In general, avoid shady places period.
Wow, Hotel El Magnifico was beautiful! I was so relieved and happy that they meant what they said in their website. I would definitely recommend this place. We stayed in the royal suite which to my surprise located on the ground floor with two amazing bathrooms plus we had Cable TV. It was steps away from the beach. The d?cor was modern and hip. Check it out: http://www.realadventures.com/mv/slideshow.mv?mLN=1025507 . Compared to other hotels I researched, I found this place to be perfect. It was pretty quiet compared to the hotels on the strip. We spent about $800 for a week including rental phone, safety box, beach towels and beverages in the hotel. It is not your typical hotel because it?s actually a condominium. There is no restaurant or room service but the grocery store is nearby and the kitchen has all the things you need if you decide to cook. The fridge has beverages including rum and of course Presidente which I learned to love even though I hated beer. There were fruits on the table as well when we arrived. For some, this is probably not a budget. Of course there are cheaper hotels nearby I would recommend going to www.activecabarete.com. My friends stayed in the standard room which is only about $4 cheaper than our room. They also had two bathrooms. I don?t know why but it?s great. The standard rooms are smaller but also well equipped however there are no TVs. Trust me for some people having TV in their room is quite important just ask my bf who can?t live without his TV even on vacation! Anyway, I absolutely love El Magnifico, not only the place itself but the people who work there including the four cute cats that occupy the garden and pool. It?s weird cos they drink the chlorine water in the pool!
The only disadvantage is you are not allowed to swim in front of the hotel. You will understand why. It?s rocky and the wave crash into each other, it?s very rough. The water is definitely alright if you walk a few hotels from Magnifico, to your right or if you prefer left. The beach is calmer towards your left in front of a small surf school called ?Take Off?. We met Basillio, the local young man, and his friends who work at the surf school. They were amazing kids that made our stay at Cabarete so much more interesting. They didn?t expect anything from us but our company. In return we bought toys for them and exchanged addresses when we left. Their Dad knew someone who gave us a bargain on horseback ride. We spent $20 each for a two hour ride. We rode around a village and saw how the locals live. Most of them just hang around outside their homes chatting. It was a long and slow ride. I got a little bored until we headed off to the beach. That?s when the horses started galloping! I got some bruises on my legs because I was stupid enough to wear shorts.
I have to say that motoconcho is my favorite transportation in Cabarete. For less than a dollar you can be anywhere in less time. I befriended a really nice motoconcho driver named Santo who was always by Janet?s Grocery. He was awesome cos he took me to a small animal farm where I saw a snake, alligators, turtles and an eagle! He even introduced me to his family and friends. It?s amazing how I felt really safe at Cabarete after what happened to us on our first day at Puerto Plata. I was brave enough to trust this gentleman to take me to another town by myself to see the other side of this place away from the usual: the beach the bars and restaurants.
I also learned to surf at Elcuentro through ?No WorK?. This is before we met the kids from ?Take Off?. I should?ve taken it from ?Take Off? because it?s cheaper. ?No Work? gave us a chance to meet Thomas though. I think he?s originally from France. He was a great teacher and I like his philosophy on surfing. My only concern with Elcuentro is the reef (I don?t know if they?re reefs but it?s something like that it was very rocky). Man they hurt! I would recommend wearing booties if you?re not use to this type of environment. I got some cuts and splinters. But it was worth it cos I learned to surf for $30 for three hours that includes the board and transportation plus drinking water.
In terms of restaurants let?s see if I could remember the places we went to. But the one next to Hotel Magnifico on the beach is pretty good but also expensive. There?s Las Brisas, breakfast there is alright and super cheap for $2.50 you can get omelet, fruits, bread, and tea. I recommend Pito for breakfast. They have awesome pancakes and they have breakfast until 4pm for those who like breakfast food like my bf. We went to Miro once for dinner it?s pretty good too and expensive. The place is like an art gallery, there are paintings everywhere. Lax has good banana choco frozen drink (I think it?s like $1) you have to try it and their Pina Collado is awesome. What I love about these restaurants is that they?re all on the beach! It?s really lovely. I heard other people complain about the locals selling stuff but if you politely say no they go away. I don?t think I was ever hassled except maybe by those braid ladies who insisted I braid my long hair.
Although I like the restaurants on the beach, I have to say that I absolutely loved this one Dominican Restaurant across the street from the beach. I forgot what?s it called but they have the best Dominican food for a reasonable price. Eating across the beach gives you the real feeling of the country. The street is always busy. It got quieter when we reached Semana Santa. It was too bad cos we weren?t allowed to dance. But I was lucky enough to experience the night life prior to holy week. I was kind of disappointed with the music at Bambu Bar. They played mostly reggae and techno. I was hoping to dance merengue. There is one bar that plays it I forgot the name though.
We left even before they banned the water sports. I wasn?t even sure if it was completely banned. But from what I heard as long as you have a board or the equipment you can do the sports. I guess the rentals close during this week. I also have to point out that I noticed that some of the people who visited the beach for the weekend left the beach dirty! I couldn?t believe it.
Oh also, like what most people on this forum suggested, bargain- bargain- bargain! I was such a fool to buy a pair of flip flops for 400 pesos! To find out in the grocery store it?s only 100 pesos. But of course you can get it cheaper. I learned to only buy stuff with prices on them. Most ATMs there don?t take Visa so make sure you bring some cash with you. When I went there a dollar go for 41.50 pesos. I don?t know now. Do your homework before you go. Motoconcho usually charge 20 pesos. Taxi from the airport cost about $20. If you need a cell phone, you can rent one for a week for $10, you have to buy the phone card. Also, make sure you bring good sunblock with you. I burned my back surfing..yay! I used nutrogena SPF 30 it?s supposed to be nonsticky but it doesn?t last long. Sunblocks at the pharmacies there are kinda expensive so don?t forget to bring yours. There were a few mosquitoes who managed to get into our room, so get a bottle of that too.
In terms of the weather?.GORGEOUS! It rained once when we were there and didn?t even notice.
