SunCamp in Puerto Plata

I recently visited the Dominican Republic and stayed at a residence deep in the mountains near Puerto Plata. This has to have been the best experience of my life - a great place to stay with lots of fun activities - and the best thing of all!! It's Dominican!! Not holiday resort or sunbeds and tequilas that are shielded from the reality of Dominican life - you live in a small community - where real Dominicans get on with their everyday lives - and in there usual warm and open way welcome you into their lives and way of life. I made many friends there - from 80 year old ladies to little school boys who wanted to play football with you - and not only this - but it is very cheap compared to the prices Western tourists pay in the resorts. The suncamp residence is a complex of 15 appartments all built from scratch by a Canadian lady who bought a piece of inaccessible jungle some 17 years ago with a dream of converting it into a paradise for anyone who was brave enough to want to get away from the regimented holiday resorts. I met people from Sweden, America, France, Italy and China when I was there - a real international community of adventurers in that little paradise. And if you want to go to the beach - well one of the best in the country is just down the road. If you want to go the other way - you can grab a horse a ride up into the mountains to see many of the fantastic waterfalls that only the locals know about. If you want a real adventure holiday - to get away from the rat race and experience tropical life the way it really is - you can go easily if you go on the suncamp website!! Enjoy!!

Dear all,
first of all, I'm not a first timer and I know everybody that goes to stay at Diane's resort comes with different expectations and therefore ends up with a different opinion of the place. I went to stay with Diane and her Dominicans friends (just because they're black, that doesn't mean they're haitians, and what's wrong with the haitians anyway?) in 2002. Having just finished my studies, my intention was to live in the REAL Dominican Republic not in a 4 star beach resort which most of you seem to be looking for and try to get on the cheap. I did not expect paradise, I have lived in a third world country before and realized before going that a lot of Diane's words were a sales pitch but that did not bother me because I liked the independance and sense of humour of discovery which any first world stranger will feel when they find that they have to make a life for themselves away from the comforts of home.
I went looking for adventure and that's what I got, and adventure is not always air-conditionning and margaritas on balconies.

one more thing - I was able to get a lot of things done through Diane because she has a lot of contacts in the community, like bike repairs, find a doctor, plumber, cleaner, builder that would not try to scam you, I worked as an English teacher in a private school for 8 months, helped organise horse-back riding tours for tourists, and also taught several Haitians ENglish for free because they were too poor to pay me. At the end of the day I wanted to go there to live like a Dominican, not like a tourist - yes it was tough and there were moments when I felt like the sucker, but overall it was a lot of fun. You want to get all your home comforts and have a 5-star Caribbean experience cheaply, through a woman you meet OVER THE INTERNET- well let me tell you half the time you should be looking to get fleeced - stick to your multinational travel agencies if you want to believe every single thing they put in their brochure. I would like to see some of you lot go and set up your own business in a corrupt, impoverished nation like that and last more than 5 minutes. She may not be 100% trustworthy but believe me - I did a lot of business with a lot of Dominicans whilst there and they are much worse.