The new project at La Esplanada should be a substantial upgrade to the current hotel choices in Sos?a. Excluding the Gansevoort property the new Esplanada renovation will be the first AI in many years and provide a level of accommodations and services currently not available here in Sos?a.
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A lot of businesses closed in Sosua
The new project at La Esplanada should be a substantial upgrade to the current hotel choices in Sos?a. Excluding the Gansevoort property the new Esplanada renovation will be the first AI in many years and provide a level of accommodations and services currently not available here in Sos?a.
Neither the government nor any of the current investors have any plan to "target" retirees.
Actually I'm on the OUTSIDE. Outside of dr1. They only people I see mentioning retirees are here on dr1.
In ALL the city council meetings, ASOCOBAS meetings, neighborhood association meetings, etc. I have attended, there has been no mention at all of retirees.
And so it goes. Folly to think otherwise.
Any news on when the restricted hours of operation might be rescinded? Seems like much less interest in that by the general population than some who have insisted that it would cause massive uproars.
So retirees just come or not based upon the current situation. No real surprise there.
Any mention of tourists? And in particular is there a distinction between Dominican tourists from Santo Domingo or Santiago, who generally dislike Sosua, and tourists from outside the DR?
And of course, what will happen with those operating hours?
The girls have adjusted.....right now, things just start earlier. When sitting at Zoilos, its not unusual to see the girls strolling past at 5 pm now. The major complaints come from the patrons of certain expat bars around town.
It's a good start for any crowd living in Sos?a. This thread is about businesses closing in Sos?a and now the most substantial investment in the local economy in many years is underway and it appears the majority of dr1 members are quite critical of the venture.
It's unfortunate that the water situation is being put on the back burner for the locals. But, as long as the rich people are attended to...all is good.
The MAJOR complaints come from the OWNERS "of certain expat bars around town".
I'm surprised the ex-pat patrons are complaining. From what I see, they seem to start congregating around the outside tables of the ex-pat establishments on Pedro Clisante fairly early in the afternoon and most are gone by 10:00pm. Your "Zoilo" reference seems to substantiate that.
Just ask meems...
Any place whose claim to fame is excess consumption and high heels should at the very least have sidewalks as wide and smooth as an autobahn. Even without the high heels, one should be able to stumble from one end to the other without having to climb in and out of sink holes.
No one can agree on a fix. They have no money for a fix. There is no will to fix anything. Inertia is the norm and all that Sosua can manage. Project after project will start, stop, start again and then fail. Apart from the signs hanging above doorways, the Sosua of today is the same as the Sosua of 15 years ago. The town is not tourist friendly as evidenced by to lack of AI hotels which is what the bulk of tourists to the DR are looking for. The wealthy wouldn't be caught dead here. Some snowbirds continue to come for the company of the friendships made in years past and the parties at night. Without the red light trade, and now with the restricted party hours there will be no reason at all to come here. There is nothing of consequence to do. There are no Big Macs, the streets are dirty, smell of sewage, flood during heavy rains, there is nothing to buy and no where to go. The bathrooms on the main beach are not even up to the standards of a Pi$$oir in France.
Sosua knows how to emulate Sodom and Gomorrah and could probably pull that off. Sosua has not been anything else in a very long time and I doubt they have a realistic idea of how to be anything else. "They" will half-heatedly try I guess, but I don't see any indications that they have a hope in hell of succeeding. While never is a very long time, Sosua will never again be a promoted family tourist destination. The sooner the town accepts this the sooner the transformation into a tranquil retirement community can begin. At least sewers, running water, decent sidewalks and reliable electricity are a technical possibility. Yeah the locals who expect to be able to pester gringos to buy trinkets at every turn will be disappointed and ultimately displaced, that's just called progress. On the current course, after another 15 years and 4 local governments, I expect this conversation will be exactly the same.
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LOL The expats are complaining. Many, many start early and finish very late.....well, not anymore I suppose.
Zoilo is an afternoon spot, a beer or 2 before dinner....for me.
Rich people being attended to? Maybe you should talk to some of the residents of "Infiniti Blu", which I am sure you consider an "uber rich" condo complex. One of the more prominent dr1 posters has commented on how they went one year without water and several of the hotel OWNERS in Playa Chiquita are currently complaining how their hotels have been without water for many months.
Another one bites the dust?.......
.....or is it just a renovation?
Was out for my daily morning walk. A truck was parked on the (unfinished) sidewalk in front of the Winners Circle bar. The crew inside appeared to be gutting the place (ripping out the floor, etc.)
Anyone know what's going on there?
.....or is it just a renovation?
Was out for my daily morning walk. A truck was parked on the (unfinished) sidewalk in front of the Winners Circle bar. The crew inside appeared to be gutting the place (ripping out the floor, etc.)
Anyone know what's going on there?
Here's my personal problem with the new closing hours. I go out maybe once a week here. When I do, it's usually to watch a sporting event on a big screen in one of the bars. (And to people watch during the commercials).
Last Thursday night I wanted to watch the Jets-Bills game (NFL-American football). Game started at 8:30pm. In the 4th quarter, with a few minutes left in a close game, the bar closed because it was midnight. So I missed the ending (the Jets won 37-31).
It will be even worse for the games that start at 9pm.
So tonight, for Monday Night Football, I'll just stay home and watch it on my 32" flat screen (brought here in a suitcase - but hey, that's a whole nother thread!).
The "re-construction and re-thinking" of Sosua seems to be tottering along without a lot of forethought going into it.
I liken it to many backyard mechanics.
Anyone with a couple of wrenches and a big hammer can dismantle a complex machine (or business model) but the reconstruction needs skills that are not commonly found around these parts.
When one travels around the country it's difficult not to notice how much is unfinished,dismantled or broken.
Close to home is the sidewalk along PC which is a great case in point.It's falling apart before it's even completed.
I fear Sosua will fall into this 'not-quite done' category long before the spare parts arrive......
I walked by the Esplanade and nothing is happening at the moment..Status Quo.
(But someone has been cleaning up and repairing the old Rancho Tipico.Anyone got news on that?)
I liken it to many backyard mechanics.
Anyone with a couple of wrenches and a big hammer can dismantle a complex machine (or business model) but the reconstruction needs skills that are not commonly found around these parts.
When one travels around the country it's difficult not to notice how much is unfinished,dismantled or broken.
Close to home is the sidewalk along PC which is a great case in point.It's falling apart before it's even completed.
I fear Sosua will fall into this 'not-quite done' category long before the spare parts arrive......
I walked by the Esplanade and nothing is happening at the moment..Status Quo.
(But someone has been cleaning up and repairing the old Rancho Tipico.Anyone got news on that?)