Hi, a friend and I (2 girls) are thinking of coming to one of the above for xmas for beautiful beaches, some nightlife (although not full-on every night) and to soak up the culture but we've been told we are going to get bored if we come for 2 weeks! I'm sure thats not true, we were looking at Boca Chica before reading some reviews that its a bit seedy so can anybody advise me on where best to go for what we are looking for?
thnxs!
Nikki
Cabarete and/or Sosua would be considered by most as better choices than Boca Chica.
There's not a chance of getting bored, unless you are a boring person. (this in no way reflects my opinion of you or your friend. It's is an observation I have made throughout my life, that those who have managed to find a way of being bored when others aren't, are boring people).
Cabarete and Sosua are 10 minutes apart (driving) and are quite different.
You have ample time of course to research which you might prefer, even if you are purchasing your tickets now, as they are both accessed by the POP airport, which is 10 minutes from Sosua, and another 10 to Cabarete.
Cabarete is a pretty town, in that it's more or less a 1 street town, that is lined with shops and restaurants, along the highway, and the backside is right on a beach that averages 100 feet of sand to the water.
At night, you can walk along there and choose where you would like to dine and party.
It has one of those tropical dream looks, as they string lights around palm trees, and it makes a soft glow, enough to light up your path, yet dark enough to clearly see the ocean.
The beach extends as far as the eye can see in both directions.
Cabarete's beach faces into the East, from where both the breeze and water currents come from, so it makes for an ideal windsurfing beach, and is widely known throughout the world as being one of the best.
The downside to that is that the water churns up the sand near the edge, so you have to go a certain distance to get into the clear water, at which point you may have windsurfers coming over the top of your head.
Of course, there are windsurfing hours, so there are times of the day when you can freely swim out as far as you like.
Sosua is much bigger than Cabarete and is more like a small town in appearance and layout.
There are 5 good swimming beaches, some facing into the North, and some into the West, which makes for less waves and easier swimming.
The main Sosua Bay beach in it's own way, is as pretty as Cabarete's beach.
Sosua is generally 25% to 50% cheaper for food and accommodations.
Both are excellent choices, so it may come down to the following factors.
If budget is a concern, then Sosua is the place to be.
There is a different ambience, as well.
As mentioned above, Cabarete is a windsurfing town (there is also kitesurfing at the western end of Cabarete, towards Sosua, and normal surfing halfway between the two), so if you are sporty types, and would like to mingle with other young sporty tourists, Cabarete would be your best bet.
Sosua has more of an intermingling aspect to it, where the tourists are more likely to mingle with the locals when they go out to party at night time.
They are so close to each other (6 miles apart) that travel to and fro is easy, cheap and fast.
You would average 15 minutes to get from one to the other on the public transport system, at a cost of less than 1 US dollar.
A lot of independant travelers will stay in Sosua hotels and visit Cabarete several times, either for the day, or for the evening activities.
The economic advantages of doing this are fairly substantial.
The main complaint about Cabarete is that it's so small that you can't sneeze without everyone knowing, although it has grown a lot in the last few years, and doesn't quite deserve that reputation.
Sosua offers a unique feature, as there is a large English speaking expat community, so if that sounds interesting to you, it may help in deciding which you would prefer.
If you do ever manage to get bored while you are in either of the two towns, let us know and we'll give you a long list of things to do that only Superman could get through in two weeks.
