Sosua will have a Hard Rock Café

NanSanPedro

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The comparison is that both ;places are overpriced for their market. Hard Rock Cafe doesn't sell just expensive burgers. Their entrées average $35 and more and that doesn't include 18% ITBIS and 10% ley. Their drinks, appetizers, and desserts are all very expensive. For the few locals that go there, it''ll be a once a year event. I doubt they';ll capture much of the typical Sosua tourist crowd either.
For this gringo, I enjoyed the cheeseburger I had in HRC Blue Mall very much. I won't go back because of the prices. Adding insult, I bought 2 HRC t shirts there, and neither fit us.
 

cavok

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Jun 16, 2014
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Cabarete
For this gringo, I enjoyed the cheeseburger I had in HRC Blue Mall very much. I won't go back because of the prices. Adding insult, I bought 2 HRC t shirts there, and neither fit us.
I have no doubt their cheeseburgers are very good. They look great. I went to HRC over 30 years ago and haven't been back. I don't plan on going to the one in Sosua either.
 

SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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Tourist trap plain and simple. You look at a guitar on the wall and help pay for it........
 
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NALs

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I did contact them to mention that calling it The Hard Rock Puerto Plata would be like calling a business in Albany NY The Hard Rock NY, instead of the Hard Rock Albany. I doubt they will correct the mistake.
Sosúa has an image problem… It’s the same why Sea Horse Ranch claims it’s in Caberete which technically it could be true except Cabarete is a part of Sosúa and SHR is closer to Sosúa town than to Cabarete town.
 
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cavok

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Sosúa has an image problem… It’s the same why Sea Horse Ranch claims it’s in Caberete which technically it could be true except Cabarete is a part of Sosúa and SHR is closer to Sosúa town than to Cabarete town.
Technically, I think Cabarete is in the municipio of Sosua which also includes El Batey, Charamicos, Sosua Abajo, and Maranatha,
 
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windeguy

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Sosúa has an image problem… It’s the same why Sea Horse Ranch claims it’s in Caberete which technically it could be true except Cabarete is a part of Sosúa and SHR is closer to Sosúa town than to Cabarete town.
Obviously the image problem of Sosua is what the DR govenment, Minister of Tourism, etc have been trying to correct for years without much success.
Recently the on line posting of Sexploits of the Spandexed in Sosua has been a big issue that roiled up the government.

Yes, Cabarete is in the municipality of Sosua while being in the province of Puerto Plata. Similar to the State, County and City system in the USA.

I have not been able to find a map on line that shows the boundaries of Cabarete, but I think the western edge is up to the area near that small bridge going west past Sosua Ocean Village near where a new yellow building has yet another Realtor in it. Close to where the new firehouse is taking an excruciating time to build. SOV probably could have named itself Cabarete Ocean Village. Maybe Freddy the mayor knows.

Despite all that, saying the new Hard Rock Cafe is in Puerto Plata will only cause confusion.
 
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Sosúa has an image problem… It’s the same why Sea Horse Ranch claims it’s in Caberete which technically it could be true except Cabarete is a part of Sosúa and SHR is closer to Sosúa town than to Cabarete town.
An image problem indeed. Not only has SHR mysteriously become Cabarete instead of Sosua, but Casa Linda now newly claims it's also in Cabarete. What's next, will Sosua Ocean Village claim Cabarete as it's new home?? Looks like Sosua is vanishing!
 
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windeguy

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An image problem indeed. Not only has SHR mysteriously become Cabarete instead of Sosua, but Casa Linda now newly claims it's also in Cabarete. What's next, will Sosua Ocean Village claim Cabarete as it's new home?? Looks like Sosua is vanishing!
I always thought all of those places were always in the town of Cabarete, but still can't find a government map to show that.

The town (of Sosua) is divided into three sectors: El Batey, which is the main tourist section and on the east side of the main beach (Playa Sosúa); Los Charamicos, on the west end of the beach; north of them, toward the airport, is Sosúa Abajo.[6]

None of the places mentioned are in any sector of the town of Sosua.
 
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jd426

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I'd like to go on the Record to say that this Location is a very Foolish Investment for Hard Rock ...there is no way this will be profitable .. Unless something else is being built in the Near Future like a Hotel , which we dont know about ? . But then the HRC would be inside that Hotel, so it still does not make any sense .
 

habi

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An image problem indeed. Not only has SHR mysteriously become Cabarete instead of Sosua, but Casa Linda now newly claims it's also in Cabarete. What's next, will Sosua Ocean Village claim Cabarete as it's new home?? Looks like Sosua is vanishing!
I know I am repeating myself but.... the change of jurisdiction goes back to Ilana in power. It had to do with garbage collection etc.
The jurisdiction of Cabarete begins from the little bridge by the car part place so yes all what is coming after going towards Cabarete is not only mysteriously or newly part of it it is since a long time part of it....
 
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windeguy

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I know I am repeating myself but.... the change of jurisdiction goes back to Ilana in power. It had to do with garbage collection etc.
The jurisdiction of Cabarete begins from the little bridge by the car part place so yes all what is coming after going towards Cabarete is not only mysteriously or newly part of it it is since a long time part of it....
Thanks Habi, that confirms how I undestood where border of Cabarete is, by the car parts place at the little bridge area, when I moved here in 2003, which I think is well before Ilana. And it made me wonder why they called it SOV instead of COV, etc.
 

Tom0910

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someone mentioned that the construction at Hard Rock had stopped but I have been by there every day this week and there are a bunch of workers working on it.
 
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I always thought all of those places were always in the town of Cabarete, but still can't find a government map to show that.

The town (of Sosua) is divided into three sectors: El Batey, which is the main tourist section and on the east side of the main beach (Playa Sosúa); Los Charamicos, on the west end of the beach; north of them, toward the airport, is Sosúa Abajo.[6]

None of the places mentioned are in any sector of the town of Sosua.
It's not a matter of technical jurisdiction or borderlines. It's a matter of marketing. In the last few years, the better developments are marketing there way out of Sosua into Cabarete. When SOV changes its name or starts marketing itself as Cabarete, you know the game is officially over.
 
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NALs

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An image problem indeed. Not only has SHR mysteriously become Cabarete instead of Sosua, but Casa Linda now newly claims it's also in Cabarete. What's next, will Sosua Ocean Village claim Cabarete as it's new home?? Looks like Sosua is vanishing!
That place can claim to be an extension of Florida! Not because it looks like a place in Florida (despite it does), but many of its signs are in English! One of the few places in the DR where the Stop signs say Stop! They should be bilingual at the very least, maybe get large stickers with all the words in the signs in Spanish and stick them above the current English words to every sign that has them. Forget about Cabarete, territory of Florida is more like it.

It’s incredible with how money hungry are many Dominican lawyers that none have sued any places that don’t have Spanish on their signs. Plenty of $$$ to be made with that.
 

Big

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I'd like to go on the Record to say that this Location is a very Foolish Investment for Hard Rock ...there is no way this will be profitable .. Unless something else is being built in the Near Future like a Hotel , which we dont know about ? . But then the HRC would be inside that Hotel, so it still does not make any sense .
It might be one of those patent infringement angles. There was a bar on P/C that had the waitresses dress up like hooters girls wearing orange shorts. It did not last long. It could be a marketing angle as well. Report it's a Hard Rock to stir up interest and ends up being another burger joint. Remember the false Ritz and Marriott scam.
 

CristoRey

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It might be one of those patent infringement angles. There was a bar on P/C that had the waitresses dress up like hooters girls wearing orange shorts. It did not last long. It could be a marketing angle as well. Report it's a Hard Rock to stir up interest and ends up being another burger joint. Remember the false Ritz and Marriott scam.
The Belgian fella Danny ran a bar downstairs Hotel Europa. I don't remember why he went back to Belgium. Bar had good service. He ran a tight ship.

I don't see anyone coming to Sosua for budget vacation paying HRC prices and the locals/ long-time expats definitely won't. I give them 5 years then the spot will be vacant/ another eyesore in the center of town.
 
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Seamonkey

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Oct 6, 2009
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I'd like to go on the Record to say that this Location is a very Foolish Investment for Hard Rock ...there is no way this will be profitable .. Unless something else is being built in the Near Future like a Hotel , which we dont know about ? . But then the HRC would be inside that Hotel, so it still does not make any sense .
It's a franchise purchase. Private, not corporate.
 
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windeguy

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That place can claim to be an extension of Florida! Not because it looks like a place in Florida (despite it does), but many of its signs are in English! One of the few places in the DR where the Stop signs say Stop! They should be bilingual at the very least, maybe get large stickers with all the words in the signs in Spanish and stick them above the current English words to every sign that has them. Forget about Cabarete, territory of Florida is more like it.

It’s incredible with how money hungry are many Dominican lawyers that none have sued any places that don’t have Spanish on their signs. Plenty of $$$ to be made with that.
Can they still sue of the road is private?

Getting back to what is Cabarete and what is Sosua, I suppose Willie and Freddy would know.
 

windeguy

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It might be one of those patent infringement angles. There was a bar on P/C that had the waitresses dress up like hooters girls wearing orange shorts. It did not last long. It could be a marketing angle as well. Report it's a Hard Rock to stir up interest and ends up being another burger joint. Remember the false Ritz and Marriott scam.
The Ritz Carlton Reserve was stopped by the environmental ministry after they started to build. Just like all the other plans for building at La Boca have been stopped in the past.

The Marriott on Caberete Beach is coming soon..
Or not. At this time I would say probably not, but you never know.

Another poster asked:

HRC? Hillary Rodham Clinton? No. Hard Rock Cafe...
 
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Seamonkey

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The Ritz Carlton Reserve was stopped by the environmental ministry after they started to build. Just like all the other plans for building at La Boca have been stopped in the past.

The Marriott on Caberete Beach is coming soon..
Or not. At this time I would say probably not, but you never know.

Another poster asked:

HRC? Hillary Rodham Clinton? No. Hard Rock Cafe...
The Marriott in Sosua is doing surprisingly well. Weekend occupation is steady, and they now have four restaurants and a full spa. Food is excellent.
 
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