Sosua: Advice and recommendations needed and much appreciated

Brand new to DR

New member
Jan 13, 2012
3
0
0
Good day Dear Members of DR1 forum: my name is Jennie, and i am brand new to DR, and was wondering if some of you would be kind to share some local knowledge with me. We will be staying in Sosua Ocean Village in March for 5 weeks, and after reading multiple posts by respectful members of this forum on various subjects, we had a few questions / concerns, and your responses will be very much appreciated.
  1. we will be mostly cooking at home, as i have a small kid. we are mostly fruits / veggies eaters (70% of daily diet), and i read that you have to be very careful with raw food in DR - are there any suggestions, like should i be using bottled water to wash the veggies and fruits, also somebody mentioned iodine - does this work?
  2. also, i understood that we will need transportation to go from SOV to the restaurants and groceries: we are not planning to rent a car, so that is why would you suggest any reliable driver, or you think we can just walk on the road and catch a ride, and approximately how much should the rate be? i would prefer just to use one driver for the 5 weeks, and negotiate the rate with him in advance probably. when i asked SOV how much will the transfer be organized by them, they have quoted $30 one way - and i think it is more than a regular rate...
  3. we also love fish - but i read that people are getting poisoned, are there any good places you could recommend to buy fresh fish, or restaurants that are consistently good?
  4. i was told that SOV has one small beach which is not so great, but also they have access to the neighborhood's beach which is nice and big, but we definitely want to go and explore more, what would be some of the suggestions?
  5. should we bring pesos, or US dollars, or using ATM is ok?
thank you very much all for responses, any info will be very helpful.
 

RV429

Bronze
Apr 3, 2011
1,574
1
36
New,
1. We cook with the water, never a problem. If you have a delicate stomach, use bottled, it's cheap at the supermarket. Raw veggies are fine, just wash them.
2. Your best bet in Sosua is Playero supermarket. Call a local taxi or call my bro Elias 809-842-5557 and make a deal, it should not be even close to $30. You could also walk to the road and catch a guagua or carito, very cheap.
3. We don't buy a lot of fish in Sosua so can't comment, I don't know of a good pescaderia. The poisoning notion is not something I put any faith into. There are many good restaurants in Sosua, you'll have an easy time finding them in El Batey.
4. Playa Sosua is the best beach by far, you can get there easily by guagua, carito or motoconcho.
5. You will need Pesos, that is the currency in the DR. ATM's that are connected to Banks are good and best used during the daytime in case there is a problem the bank is open to help. Let your bank know where you are going so they don't clamp a hold on the account. Don't listen to anyone that tells you to use dollars in Sosua, use pesos, period.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
They sell a product in Playero called Purrissima. Comes in a blue bottle. It is like a very concentrated clorox. I would suggest getting a bottle and putting a few drops in the water you are using to wash the vegetables. This is what my wife did for years.

$30 from SOV one way is way over priced. To go to Sosua or Cabarete, walk out to the highway and wait for a guagua (a van, often crowded) or publico (car with blue box on top during day and yellow, I think, after 6 pm. If going to Cabarete, cross highway and wait on other side. If going to Sosua, don't cross, just wait. Publico will cost no more than RD$25 per person, guagua no more than RD$20 each way. Best to have the change. When you go back to SOV you can take a taxi. Not sure about price, but around RD$300, which is less than US$10.

If you are going to need transportation a lot, and prefer taxi rather than using guaguas and publicos all the time, your idea to get a driver and negotiate a price is a good one.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
191
0
38
yahoomail.com
"Brand New",listen to "KEN",he is a long term,"FULL TIME" resident in Sosua.Ken's only "Agenda" on DR1 is to offer advice.That advice is always accurate/true/current!
I don't know if Ken makes "House Calls",but be sure to go see him when you arrive.
I also suggest sending private messages to Ken,if you have any personal questions,to avoid "Useless Chatter" from those who post,but really have no idea what they are talking about.
I live in Santo Domingo,but visit Sosua as often as I can.I love the "North Coast",you will too.
Enjoy your stay!
Cris Colon
 

southwardbound2

New member
Jun 5, 2008
472
0
0
I am not an expert, but can offer a couple of tidbits:

Motoconchos are very dangerous; ride at your own risk and remember medical care is iffy.

If you don't need a large grocery order, "Coastal" is very close to Hwy entrance at SOV. It is both a gasoline station and small grocery store. It's prices are not a lot more than Playero in Sosua. They have fresh fruit basics and some veg; nice fresh breads, staples, household stuff and booze. Also sometimes I find things there that Playero doesn't even carry! Perhaps they would even send a motoconcho driver with deliveries for very few pesos if you establish a bit of a relationship with them. Many of the clerks speak English there and are nice.

Water is cheap, cheap, in 5 gallon bottles for RD$30 or about US$0.75 (after you pay bottle deposit you just exchange) but that's pretty standard everywhere. It's so cheap, I just use it for cooking and washing produce.

Very, very near (also on the Hwy) is the German Butcher shop; I forget what it's called in German, I think there's an animal on their sign; but on North side of the road on the way to Sosua from SOV....brown nondescript building set back from the road a bit with parking in front. Excellent meats and sausages, potato salad, bacon; the younger woman speaks some English. They all speak German and Spanish; family business.

Have fun!
 

southwardbound2

New member
Jun 5, 2008
472
0
0
Oh, yeah, be sure you use bottled water for brushing your teeth too.

And agree you should pay in pesos, but Playero usually has a very competitive rate if you haven't got anything but USD. Just ask first. ATM's only give you pesos as far as I know, so probably won't be an issue for you.

Try the local yogurts.....in bottles so more like homemade.....fantastic! My favorite brands are Don Bululu and Sabaneta.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
The published tourist price for taxis from Sosua to Cabarete is US$15 for the taxi, not per person. However, if you have a regular, you can get it for less. The locals price is about RD$250.

Some resorts make it difficult for outside taxis to pick up so you will need to check on that at SOV. No problem on taxis bringing you back.

Re the guagua and publico charges in my eariler post, after 6 pm they increase by RD$5. They run all night, though there are fewer of them late at night.

The problem with fish is not that it isn't fresh, it is the risk of ciguatera caused by a toxin that does not harm the fish but does those who eat the meat of a fish carrying the toxin. Better you do a google search for information than my trying to brief you. There have also been some threads onf ciguatera that you can find by searching the dr1 archives.

Playero (the one on the highway) is like an American supermarket. It is large and well stocked. And recently they have been adding even more products. You should be able to find everything you need there.
 

Brand new to DR

New member
Jan 13, 2012
3
0
0
dear All, thank you very much for your replies, i already got a lot of useful information in just one day! have a wonderful warm day everyone in DR, i am in minus 20C today, and it's hard to believe there is heat somewhere there..:)
 

belgiank

Silver
Jun 13, 2009
3,251
103
0
I have eaten plenty of fresh fish here, and never had any problems. If you want good quality at fair prices, there is a guy who calls himself Johnny Pescador (yes, not very original... lol), and he will sell you whatever he caught that day. He sells to a lot of the smaller restaurants as well. I am sure that once you know him he will even deliver to you.

I had the number, but my BB died on me. Go to the Kiosko Beach restaurant and they will give you the number, no problem.

The guy delivers with a cooler on the back of his moto, and it is packed with ice.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
I have eaten plenty of fresh fish here, and never had any problems.

So have lots of other people. But not everyone who eats fish avoids ciguatera. Not all types of fish cause the illness and every fish of the types that do carry the toxin, or have enough in their system to cause the illness. Fish that feed on the reef and fish that eat the fish that feed on the reef are what cause the problem and big fish are more prone to make you sick than small fish because the big fish has more of the toxin in its system.

Brand new to DR, eat as much fish as you want, but first read about ciguatera and the symptoms so that if you feel you might have a problem you can seek medical attention quickly. If you get to a doctor within the window of time it can be easily treated. Doctors here know what to do. Chances are you won't get sick, but be prepared.
 

RV429

Bronze
Apr 3, 2011
1,574
1
36
Brand new, as you can see you'll get lots of varying advice but it's easy to spot those who know the score. Just keep your eyes and ears open and you'll do fine. Sosua has a lot more to offer than just poontang.
The German butcher is a good idea. Playero also has some good meats, not cheap though. As I said earlier we don't eat much fish as it is not easy to find and it is not cheap for the average Dominican, but yes as Ken said eat away, just be careful as to the source.