projects ?OCEAN ONE? and ?HARMONY" in Cabarete

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Franz

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Dec 30, 2006
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Some experiences and informations about the projects ?OCEAN ONE? and ?HARMONY? in Cabarete (Pelican Beach)

Preamble: Since 7 years we live in our beautifull Villa in ? Pelican Beach? in Cabarete.

First nearer intensiv experience with those proyects : One sunday (!) one the middle of the day steam-rollers began to condense the territory, the whole house was trembling (it?s not very small, only about 300 m2) . Next sunday same play!
The following sunday we tried to go to beach with our dogs, but a big truck made it impossible to leave the garden on a normal way. The request to move aside caused the threat to put us in prison an to kill our dogs. Nobodody was there to establish order!
What a very regardfull way to treat with people.

We, as direct neighbours have the right to see the constructionplanes, but even the lawyer where not successfull in that. But what is the problem to show us the plans, even everthing is o.k. whith the plans??? There is the most urgent suspicion, that the proportions of the buildings are not legal. It is very questionable if those houses will get a legal Title (TITULO in this contry most important). Our lawyer told us, the poeple will be owners for one day.

Do you think that a company how acts like this will really respect any person. Right in this country exists often only on paper, but who pays the most can by it. Thats some bad experiance form us.

Some owners off the projekt oceandream (developt by the same company) told us that these company acting like monsters. We cannot say they told wrong.

So if you already should have a contract with this company and you want to come here: Welcome to the Wild West in Caribian!!

Same situation with security: From the other proyects of this company it?s heard, that eventhough they garantue 24 hours security, they have many housebreaks.
 

Franz

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Dec 30, 2006
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I have never read the name of the company, nowhere, but the owner seem`s to be Georges Coutu.
 

ecarignan

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May be they should change the name of Cabarete with all its nice small hotels, condos, restaurants and bars to OceanCity with the overly developped and packed Ocean Dream and Ocean One.

Cabarete is loosing its charm and it's sad.
 

luz

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Sep 27, 2006
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Cabarete is looking better than before. I was walking on the beach this morning, Just gorgeous!
 

suzannel

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Franz, why all the negativism

The Ocean Dream project in my opinion was very beneficial to the Cabarete economy, and the Ocean One project will do the same.
The fact that you are putting questions forward on titles and making derogatory comments about the Developpers, shows that you know nothing about the Company and I think it is very wrong of you to post these types of comments on a public board without having facts.
The Developper of these projects has proven to be a very wise and competent developper and in my opinion he has done more for the development of Cabarete than the AI hotels, bringing serious investors to the region and consequently a better quality of life for those people he has given job opportunity to. Why should you be able to see construction plans??? since when have developpers had to justify themselves to neighbors as long as the plans have been reviewed and approved by authorities.
 

DavidZ

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Aug 29, 2005
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PLUS... The Ocean Dream/One projects....and almost all other new development in Cabarete is before...or after the town center...hasn't really affected the vibe of the beach, the bars, or the shops...blame that on the liquor curfew!
 

suzannel

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Where are you Franz?????

I noticed you were a 2nd time poster and you have not responded to our replies, therefore I deduct that you only got on to throw a line out and are not really that interested in reponses from informed posters.... What's wrong did you not get the bites you were expecting????
 

Denmay565

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Dec 6, 2005
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Suzannel is correct. This developer builds high end quality projects, markets the projects very well and completes them. He brings money and jobs to the area and is definitely an asset to the community.
 

George_F

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Hi Franz.
I just got back from Cabarete, I can see why your unhappy about the building work near to your home. The noise and dust were evident, also trucks blocking the area in general, near to your house.
I have been to Cabarete for 3 two week stays in the last year. I am now thinking about investing there, as the recent changes, in my opinion have been overall positive. This may not be to everyones taste but the growth is attracting new money into the area.
I have not detected much of a change in the town or beach areas atmosphere in the many visits I have made to Cabarete. Its one of the reasons that I keep coming back.
I hope the building work problems improve for you. I am certain the surrounding premises will look good when they are complete.

George.
 

Franz

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Dec 30, 2006
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@ suzannel:

I?m here. 9 Days I was left without answer, so that I thought, that nobody is interested anymore.

Why should you be able to see construction plans??? (Your quotation)

I?m wondering that it is necessary to explain you why they should show me the plans!
Laws exist , as every body knows, also as a protection of the inhabitants. In that special case that neighbours not be molested through to big or high buildings and that the value of the other nearby properties not will be reduced. To proof that is my right, it is something very normal and every serious company will agree without Problems.
If all is legal with the plans why then won?t they show them to us.?
I can tell you why: Now they started to construct in ?Ocean one? the forth level and its against the law Nr. 675 and Gaceta official Nr. 9398 (only 3 Level are allowed, with a maximum high of 11m). It looks that these building gets higher. How will they get the approbations and the titles for a construction against the law??? Without a title it`s not possible to sell the Condo in a legal way.

you know nothing about the Company (Your quotation)

If you look how this company works and treats the neighbours , then you know a lot of this company and its dignity. Do you really think they make a difference between neighbours and clients?? I not, because they know clients have a very small chance to win any prozess in the court of law . The system of law is so corrupt how nobody, not living here, can imagine. You can be happy if your own lawyer will be not corrupted by the other side. ( It happened two times to us and also to some friends of us.) And I?m 99,9% shure that it happened in this case also. When I noticed, that something was going on in that direction, I changed the lawyer , because it?s very strange if you cannot reach the lawyer anymore without having the smallest quarrel before. Such a behaviour is in many cases a positiv circumstantial evidence. This country is with fully right on place 99 in the corruption statistic of the world. (Tendency growing)
TI-Deutschland: Tabellarisches Ranking (link)

You can only suggest everybody in this country to choose very carefully the company you buy something from, because there are so many ?black sheep? here. If there are some problems, it will be very hard to get your money back. Be carefully also some of the writer are seller of projects, the want ?sell? you dreams, but the reality is much different!


Question to suzannel: Would you call a company that molests the neighbours 7 days a week and sometimes at night also, as serious company? Do`nt you think we have the ?right? for 1 day without noise??? For me is this a circumstantial evidence with how less respect this company acts against other people.


@ Dear Ecarignan

you are absolutely right. Throug this giant buildings Cabarete looses his charm.
?Many greetings from Miami Beach?. What a pity that not everybody thinks like you.

@ Georges Coutu

Build the buildings in line with the law and treats your neighbours with respect, then you will get no problems !! How your company act is realy the lowest level for a civilized person!
 

sunnyvillas

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Apr 29, 2003
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Hola to all,

Just got back from 2 + weeks stay at the Hideaway Beach and than Cabarete, and I must say it has grown quite a bit since last year. I do not mind the commercialism of the place as that's what a resort town suppose to be.

I know many of you , who live there on permanent basis might desagree, but what did you expect from a fast growing windsurfing paradise.

I think the prices to purchase anything went slightly crazy, but if 1 is willing to pay, there is always a seller and a buyer.

My only complaint was , it didn't stopraining for the entire 16 days days, but the day we left , the sun came out and it was gorgeous .

Till next time:)
 

gs606

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Jan 23, 2007
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Franz..how can you talk about being a good neighbor?

I would like everyone to know that I am an informed neighbor and wish to shed some light on this subject.
Franz is upset and I can understand. He had his private little villas surrounded by other people's empty land which he didn't have to buy. What a dream. But unfortunately, everyone has a right to build on their property and if he didn't want neighbors, he should have bought all the land around him. He was upset as soon as they started construction because his, lesser quality house was loosing titles from the ground compacting process. Maybe you should have hired Mr. Coutu to build your place, it might not be having problems then? Your house required a similar process to build. Did all your neighbors get mad at you and try to prevent you from getting your Caribbean Dream? Where you also not upset and tried to cause trouble when the Pelican was built? Did no trucks come to pour the cement for your house when it was built? Did you push it all in with a wheel barrel? I am starting to see a double standard here... Enough said.
On to being a good neighbor.... Did no one come and try to explain to you what was going on and try to explain they would try to effect you as little as possible? Did this person not spend several hours of their very valuable time to let you be heard? Did they not even speak your own language? What a nice gesture from Mr. Coutu I would say. This is not required of a neighbor. How good of a neighbor are you? Sounds like you have a bunch of legal problems? Does that come from being kind and loving to your neighbors? So if you want to be heard, I would leave the bad neighbor part out. Mr. Coutu has done more for Cabarete than anyone since the early 1980's.
As far as black sheep in development here, I want to know what other builder has built near the quality, class, and on time here in Cabarete ever other than Mr. Coutu? Look at some of the condominiums just east of town that have destroyed the beach. Look at all the condo's that are over 2 years behind leaving investors waiting to get there Caribbean dream. If you want to move to Cabarete and have the same or better quality of life as in the US, and want a builder that will make sure the project is managed way into the future, you really only have one choice, Mr. Coutu.
A friend of mine just wrote this to me today...."I always thought that Cabarete was lagging in any form of quality accommodations. Living in Ocean Dream makes you forget, it is still a 3rd world country out there, some people like that." How true. Hats off to you Mr. Coutu for all you have done to make my and hundreds of others Caribbean Dream come true.
In response to you saying this is hurting the value of your property. What did ocean front cost in Cabarete 8 years ago? It is about 5 times that now. From Mr. Coutu you will get better sewage, yes, dumping sewage in the bay is not approved anymore, better security (yes, villas gets robbed daily), better power if you choose, etc. The only thing you lose from this is maybe some of your views, which you have been actually borrowing for free all these years. How would you like it if another builder built there? Then you would have to worry about it never finishing and becoming ruins with homeless people living in them. Sounds like a good option doesn't it? Count your blessings and try to learn what it means to be a neighbor.
If anyone is interested in some of Mr. Coutu?s projects, I recently found a great new website with a bunch of info on them. It is cabareterealestate.
Thank you all for spending the time to hear me and my opinions. What a great freedom we enjoy.
 

luz

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Sep 27, 2006
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George Coutu

I met George Coutu for the first time yesterday and he's one of the nicest person I ever met in my life. I talked with him for about half and hour and he's a down to earth, very humble man and listens to you. He talks a lot about solidarity. I just can not believe what Franz is talking about. This man is deeply spiritual and people like this always have an ear for what people think. DR1 should close this thread, it just does not make sense what's going on here. If this person has an issue with the developper, he should not be doing this on a message board.
 

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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The Ocean Dream project in my opinion was very beneficial to the Cabarete economy, and the Ocean One project will do the same.
The fact that you are putting questions forward on titles and making derogatory comments about the Developpers, shows that you know nothing about the Company and I think it is very wrong of you to post these types of comments on a public board without having facts.
The Developper of these projects has proven to be a very wise and competent developper and in my opinion he has done more for the development of Cabarete than the AI hotels, bringing serious investors to the region and consequently a better quality of life for those people he has given job opportunity to. Why should you be able to see construction plans??? since when have developpers had to justify themselves to neighbors as long as the plans have been reviewed and approved by authorities.

I cant see any difference in the lifestyle of the Dominican people. Why dont these constructors/investors put some of their profits into a much needed hospitsl or school?? All I ever see on these sites are workers from Haiti!!!!
so where are all the improvements better quality of life for the locals you say
has occurred - Please

Cabarete has been destroyed. Many days you cant even get through because of the bottleneck of traffic and the fumes are horrendous. There has been no improvement for the Dominican people. There are many investors constructing new apartment blocks in a very small town that cant cope with it. There is a glut of them for sale and many are not selling.
Its becoming a concrete jungle - exactly what most of us came here to get away from. Tell me where exactly is the load of employment for the locals in apartment blocks???
 
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Franz

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Dec 30, 2006
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Ladybird you are totally right: Most of the workers are Haitianos (its also against the law then the law says that the most have to be Dominicans) and they work very hard 7 Days a week for around 3000 ? 4000 Peso a mounth, because Haitianos work for lesser money and then the profit is higher. How big is the difference to slaves?

@ Luz:

you can not believe what Franz is talking about. What you don?t believe???
- That the law only allows 3 Level? I `ve the law in a writen form, you can read it with your own eyes.
- That they build in Ocean one 4 Levels, come here and look.
- That they work also at Sunday: Ask our neighbours.
- Something else?

?Luz, its really fantastic you had the lucky chance to met yesterday the frist time one of the nicest person ever you met in your life. How a lucky chance you find also this thread and now you can tell all the people about this deeply spiritual man. Such lucky chances are really rare in the life?.
There are really rare lucky chances, but could it also be that you work for Mr. Coutu or you are a friend of him or you sell the condos for him??? I?m a realistic man and for me there are to many lucky chances!!!

@ gs606
You are an informed neighbour? I?m 99,9 % shure you are Armin, one of the seller of this project (no other have this spezial Infos). (for other persons to see the praise of G. Coutu in the right light)

To your visit to us:
In the 2 most important things you broke your word!!!
1. You told us we can see the plans
2. You told us you are something like a Partner of Communication for us if there any problems. When the frist problems came it was not able to speak with you and you don?t call us back.
So what can we believe of your words???

To your posting:
You write a lot, but not over the really important things. What about the legality of the constructions and the work at Sunday???
My house has a real fundament (if you know what that is) and not the Domminican cheapversion buttomplate as Ocean one or Harmony has. Have you seen the pictures of the washed away buttomplate of buildings in Puerto Rico by the last greater Hurrican, then you will see the difference! If that happened they can destroy Ocean one or Harmony completely, because its not able to repair! What do you understand about quality of constructions???
When I build my house the construction was stopped from Saturday 12 am until Monday 8 am. With G. Coutu we have no day without noise!!!The ?deeply spiritual? G. Coutu shold know what day Sunday is and that its not nessary to do the ground compacting process on Sunday!
With Harmony we loose the seaview 100%, it?s really nice of you G. Coutu, thank you very much!!
Do you really think we would go in the dependence to a man how acts like he? Never!!!
If you really understand a littlebit from real estate then you know that this project is hurting the value our property.

Is it very difficult to find its own ?great? home homepage???
 

luz

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Sep 27, 2006
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Answer!

?Luz, its really fantastic you had the lucky chance to met yesterday the frist time one of the nicest person ever you met in your life. How a lucky chance you find also this thread and now you can tell all the people about this deeply spiritual man. Such lucky chances are really rare in the life?.

Thank you, you're right, I'm very lucky in life and I owe it to God. Everything I have belongs to God. Mr Coutu is indeed a really nice person and I repeat a deeply spiritual man. I'm a businessman myself, evangelical and I can recognize some qualities in people. One of them is sharing, and it's the ultimate quality you can find in people. I saw this quality in him.

In business, you get paid for the services you deliver to others. You get paid for what you give. If you give little, you will get little. If you give a lot, you will receive a lot. Mr Coutu gave a lot and he receives a lot. It's a natural law of the Universe.

As for the villa, even if the project cuts a part of your view, it already gave a great value to your property. You should dwell on the positive side of what's happening and you will see that actually you're getting a benefit from the development of Cabarete. It might be hard to think about it right now, but try to think more about it today. Maybe one day you'll sell your house for US$2 million or more and you'll be happy to buy your own beachfront property. Think positive and you will attract more of positive things. Believe me, it works ! :bunny:

I speak creole fluently and I can get into some "deep" conversations with haitians. You can talk with any of them and they're happy to work in construction in the Dominican Republic. Of course since you're a foreigner when you talk to them, they might "complain", a way to ask you, "hey wanna share some dollars with me?" But if you really understand the culture like I do, you will see that they're really happy. Have you ever seen what life looks like in Haiti? In construction, the work is hard but it's a way out for them, this job feeds their families. Without this job, they would be in the streets and this would surely mean a less secure country or Cabarete. You want this to happen?

Of course the businessman has to make a profit and it's natural. It's been like this for thousands of years, you would not want to change this ? Right ? I won't even enter into the Sl...ry debate. I'm very informed about this issue but won't bring it here. The past is the past. I don't know how much the workers are really paid but I'm sure it's a fair wage...for a construction worker in the dominican republic.... Don't try to side with the haitians, most speak highly of the people they work for. By the way if you have too much money, you're free to give them or to their church some of your money. ;)

All this said, I think that the development of Cabarete, Sosua, Puerto Plata is an EXCELLENT thing for the Dominican Republic. I see that many more development sites are coming their way. The Dominican Republic will get many more construction sites and that is a very good thing for the country, more jobs, more money, better education, better security, better electricity!

Everybody have a great day ! ;)
 

red angel

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Jan 27, 2007
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I`m one of the direct neighbour also:

@ gs606 + luz:
7 days a week we are forced to live in construction noise, sometimes even at night. There is no day we can relax !!! Our life-style is totally destroyed. But for the ?deeply spiritual? Mr. Coutu its not interesting, he continues. Luz I do not believe what you are writing over Mr. Coutu !!!

?Las dunas? a little condohouse in the killed palmthree-wood was not destroyed when they built ?Ocean Dream? but the inhabitants where given notice to terminate living there with a space of time of 3 months, under others two young couples with brandnew born babys (only a few weeks old). They get no longer time to change the condo and they had a lot of problems to change! If you don?t believe ask Petra ,one of them! I know her personally and she told me her pain. Is this the acting of a ?deeply spiritual? man???
 

luz

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What advice should anybody take from somebody that choses the screen name : "Red Angel" ? I surely won't! How trustable are the opinion/sources of a "Red Angel" ? Screen names say a lot about somebody. Anybody can pretty much understand your everyday state of mind. Or maybe this is franz posting again under a different screen name? you only have one post ;) Maybe it's time to find a second or third screen name? Let's see if you have more imagination next time. ;)

If I understand well, you'd prefer ALL the workers, about 100 from what I saw, to be, right now, in the streets of Cabarete with no money to feed their wives, their babies? Let's assume that each of these workers has a family of 2 , we're talking of more than 300 persons that benefit from the construction. 300 young people, husbands, wives, kids, that can eat daily thanks to this construction. And you, from the balcony of your million dollar home, living in luxury, come and whine on a message board about some noise created by these poor workers, who are just trying to feed their young families. And you know well that the construction will be over soon. And that after the construction, you'll still be living in your million dollar home, drinking with your friends around a fine bottle of Cognac, while these poor workers will be in the streets looking for the next job to feed their families. What a loving and compassionate man you are. What a man of values you are. I'm truly impressed.

I say God Bless George Coutu for what he's doing for the community.

One day you'll see the Light, don't worry ;)
 
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