DR-newbie

colorado · Sep 23, 2006

Hi all,....I have been lurking for some time now and finally made up my mind on where I want to go....well, sort off....

Still can't decide between Sosua and Cabarete. Read somewhere that Cabarete is more "local" per say and Sosua is more "tourist" oriented.
Also I still don't know if I got this right,...Sosua beach is more for snokeling, hence no waves and Cabarete has waves...???...
Since they have the windsurfing and kiting in Cabarete does that mean the winds are always strong?
We plan on going the end of December and was wondering how the winds/watertemp is around that time.
Any info would be great...
Thanks

Rocky · Sep 23, 2006

colorado said:
Hi all,....I have been lurking for some time now and finally made up my mind on where I want to go....well, sort off....

Still can't decide between Sosua and Cabarete. Read somewhere that Cabarete is more "local" per say and Sosua is more "tourist" oriented.
Also I still don't know if I got this right,...Sosua beach is more for snokeling, hence no waves and Cabarete has waves...???...
Since they have the windsurfing and kiting in Cabarete does that mean the winds are always strong?
We plan on going the end of December and was wondering how the winds/watertemp is around that time.
Any info would be great...
Thanks

They are different, but not in that way.
Cabarete is much smaller, almost a one street town, along the beach, whereas Sosua is more spread out.
Cabarete's beach faces into the East, from where the wind comes, so it is good for windsurfing, and attracts a younger sporty crowd, whereas Sosua is better for swimming, as it's beaches face into the North and the West.
Winter water temps are fine. The water never gets cold. It is a bit warmer in the summer, of course, but only by a few degrees.
Cabarete is 50% to 100% more expensive than Sosua, for food and accommodations, for some unknown reason.
Sosua has more reefs for diving and snorkeling.
The two are only 10 minutes apart by car, so it's easy to travel from one to the other by public transport.

colorado · Sep 23, 2006

Rocky said:
They are different, but not in that way.
Cabarete is much smaller, almost a one street town, along the beach, whereas Sosua is more spread out.

but everything is still in walking distance,...correct?....

Rocky said:
Cabarete's beach faces into the East, from where the wind comes, so it is good for windsurfing

So does it have waves big enough for body surfing or are the winds further out and the water breaks out there also?

Rocky said:
Cabarete is 50% to 100% more expensive than Sosua, for food and accommodations

Well, we are in our late 30's with 2 teenagers. Done the AI thingy in Mexico which was nice because of the water, sodas, and occational beer/cocktail but not the food.
If I want only "americanized" food while on vacation I could stay at home for cheaper.

Don't like to get dressed up in a tux and dress just to have a bite to eat for dinner neither....
I assume there is a bunch of restaurants in either town that serves a more international or local flare.
That's why we are looking into a B&B, or even villa rental, small but clean, close to the beach and in walking distance to restaurants.

thanks for the speedy reply btw.

Rocky · Sep 23, 2006

colorado said:
but everything is still in walking distance,...correct?....

Assuming you rent a hotel/condo/villa in town, yes.

colorado said:
So does it have waves big enough for body surfing or are the winds further out and the water breaks out there also?

It's not so much wavy as windy.
On a given day, there may be some boogy board type of waves.
There's a surf beach called "El Encuentro", halfway between Sosua and Cabarete

colorado said:
Well, we are in our late 30's with 2 teenagers. Done the AI thingy in Mexico which was nice because of the water, sodas, and occational beer/cocktail but not the food.
If I want only "americanized" food while on vacation I could stay at home for cheaper. Don't like to get dressed up in a tux and dress just to have a bite to eat for dinner neither....
I assume there is a bunch of restaurants in either town that serves a more international or local flare.
That's why we are looking into a B&B, or even villa rental, small but clean, close to the beach and in walking distance to restaurants.

If you want to be happy, you have to keep the kids happy, so Cabarete should be your choice.
They will love it.

Naufrago · Sep 24, 2006

colorado said:
So does it have waves big enough for body surfing or are the winds further out and the water breaks out there also?

Not an expert on the North Shore but, the one time we drove up for the day, I spent an incredible 3 hours swimming and body surfing the waves in Cabarete. It was by far the best body surfing I've ever enjoyed. The water temp was perfect, the waves, big, steady and fairly close to the shore, a great day at the beach.

Rocky · Sep 24, 2006

Naufrago said:
Not an expert on the North Shore but, the one time we drove up for the day, I spent an incredible 3 hours swimming and body surfing the waves in Cabarete. It was by far the best body surfing I've ever enjoyed. The water temp was perfect, the waves, big, steady and fairly close to the shore, a great day at the beach.

Some days it can be that way, even in Sosua, for that matter, but on the average, it's barely a boogie board beach.
Playa Grande is, but that's a bit far away.
As you move West towards Sosua, all the way to El Encuentro, you will find "wavier" beaches.

Robert · Sep 27, 2006

Take a look below at some of best Dominican Republic rentals offers!

http://www.dr1.com/rentals/

Search

Search

DR-newbie

colorado

New member

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus

colorado

New member

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus

Naufrago

New member

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus

Robert

Stay Frosty!