Hello.
I'm planning a trip for Aug 27th to Sept 2 for a fantasy football draft and various activities. We will probably be staying in Cabarete. I had a few questions regarding vacation rentals.
I have a few friends who go to med school in the DR, are vacation rentals open to allowing visitors?
How is the safety? Should I be concerned about getting robbed? We are a group of 4 men.
Thanks in advance for any info.
First, welcome to DR1!
Puerto Plata, Sosua and Cabarete are often thought of as one big vacation destination. Sometimes people call it the North Coast Complex, as no town is more than about a half-hour from any other town. So you don't really have to do the "Puerto Plata vs. Cabarete" analysis.
That said, and given your needs, I'd suggest you get a villa. They're nice, comfortable, affordable for small groups, have solid wi-fi, and are quite often "guest" friendly, although you should keep in mind that people actually live there, and show some discretion and respect.
Given your interests, I'd suggest Sosua. It's in between Puerto Plata and Cabarete, has a good number of decent restaurants, and is pretty much "ground zero" for the "working women" thing.
The villa complexes most often mentioned on here are residencial hispaniola and residencial casa linda. You can google both of them. You'll need cars or a driver, but that should be obvious with the number of people you have in your party.
The area is as safe as most touristy places in the caribbean, meaning you'll be just fine so long as you use normal common sense.
That means: don't pick any fights, leave the "bling" at home, RUN from anyone offering drugs, get your money exchanged at established cambios (don't trust the guys on the streets), don't drink tap water, when you have "guests" at the house, put your valuables away, etc.
Once you get tired of the "red light" scene in Sosua (which will probably happen very quickly), consider a few evenings in Cabarete. It's very nice, particularly at night.
If you ride motorcycles, there's some good runs in the area, and bikes can be rented in Cabarete for $18/day. Cabarete is world famous for its kitesurfing.
Puerto Plata offers the teleferico "ferry" up Mt. Isabel de Torres, which offers stunning views. There's great ATV and ziplining in the area as well.
My point is there's an awful lot of great "guy's trip" stuff to do on the North Coast in addition to chasing chicas. Take the opportunity and make the most of your vacation.
Be safe and have fun!