The Victorian, Cabarete
I know this will be late for 3speed's visit to the Victorian, but I live there and can confirm a few things as of Apr 2011.
Janet's is open from 8am to 8pm daily, incl Saturdays and closes at noon on Sundays.
I've walked the road and the beach at night (I'm a guy) and feel safe, but moonlight is certainly helpful on the beach. The road at night is certainly safe (from "bandito's" as I suspect that is your concern), but you do have to be mindful of the traffic, including some moto conchos with no lights. The beach shoreline between town and The Victorian is very dynamic and there will be times when you could get wet by some of the condos/buildings close to the beach. Right now (April 2011), you can walk down the laneway just pass Janets to get to the beach, and walk from there to The Vic during high and low tides without getting wet. However, I couldn't do that and stay dry in January. Yes it is currently suitable for a four year old to walk with you, but it'll be a long walk for short legs. Around the point by Janets and the Sans Souci Hotel it is very difficult to pass along the shore. There is a sandy path above the rocks, but might be a bit tricky for older folk or young ones.
The beach near the Victorian is very usable, but often not for a four year old. There is a rock reef that parallels the shore, about 50 feet out, but older kids and adults can play in the waves between it and the shore. I usually go swimming a bit further east near and past the Ocean Manor. Sometimes you can go out for a couple of hundred metres in all sand, other times it could be a rocky bottom... again the beach, sand and currents are dynamic and ever changing so what was nice one week may not be the next. The waves are great and this past weekend there were adults and kids (8-12 years old), playing well out from the shore with a surf board and boogie boards in some great wave action in front of the Ocean Manor next door. We are totally exposed to the Atlantic so we do have more active waves here. This past summer during low tide, there were actually some great shallow areas here with a couple of inches of water that would have been perfect for little ones yonger than four. Again the sands always change so what is good one week, one month, one visit, etc. could be different the next time you are here.
The beach in Cabarete is actually very nice (you don't have to go all the way to Sosua) and yes a four year old would need to be closely supervised but could enjoy the surf near the shore. Again you need to be mindful of the wave action being different on any given day... so stay with your child. The beach further east along Cabarete Bay is fairly sheltered by the rocky point near the Sans Souci Hotel. As janbell mentioned it is a much better place for smaller tikes and todlers along Cabarete Bay.
Good suggestion by wakefrank to try La Boca restaurant and Bar at the Yasica River. It is operated by Wilson, a great guy who runs river tours complete with pig roasts, fish lunches and night time bon fires on the beach... excellent food and a great host. Right now the river does have a very long sheltered beach and a few small calm, shallow pools away from the ocean and is absolutely perfect for the smallest of kids with mom or dad nearby, of course. Yes La Boca is a 10 min ride or a hefty 5km walk along the beach from The Victorian. I usually jog it from, takes 30 minutes one way, but a walk depending on the speed could be a good hour or so one way (certainly not a good walk with little ones). Oh yes, a walk into town along the road is about 10min to Janets and another 7 minutes to Casanova's Restaurant downtown. I find that a beach walk just about doubles the time, but is much nicer. You can purchase fresh fruit along the way. We often buy them at E+E's a little shop about half way between Janets and here. There are several awesome local restaurants on the way into town. Marisco is one and is teamed up with Punto Frio Bar on the opposite side of the street. Order a 1/4 chicken diner at Marisco and they will deliver (yes, walk it across the street) to Punto Frio. You can have a 1/4 BBQ chicken diner, with rice and beans, plus a Presidente Grande for just over 200 pesos... about $5.50 US. Awesome food and a great oceanfront setting at Punto Frio. Don't go too late as the music might be a bit touch too loud. Two other good restaurants on the same side as Marisco... one is beside the police station and is set back from the street (very popular and difficult to get a table at lunchtime), the other is a few doors down (heading into town) and is right beside the street.
I have not been to Playa Caleton yet, but have also heard many good things about the beach and the food. Certainly a great recommendation by other posters.
Hope this helps understand more about The Victorian and our area of town. We do have some pictures of La Boca and other places on facebook... check victoriancabarete.
