My biggest regret ...

ffritz · May 15, 2012

... is finding my parents a place in Terramar Estates/Sunset Valley Estates. Sosua instead of Costambar.

We're staying here for a couple of days ..... gunshots during the night & rowdy neighbours. The pro-capita crime rate here is much higher than Costambar too.

And you pay RIDICULOUS amounts of money to the administration for water & electric.

After this I'm SERIOUSLY CONCERNED for my parents' safety.

& of course they're stuck with their villa cos lot prices are 20c on the dollar nowadays so the owners can get rid of the last few properties.

OK ........ vent over ....

LindseyKaufman · May 15, 2012

Glad to know. I wondered how Terramar was doing these days. Hopefully, you rented for your parents instead of buying.

Wishing your parents good luck and for you, peace of mind.

Lindsey

tflea · May 15, 2012

I thought Terramar was pretty safe.....don't know 100%. Haven't heard of any
particular problems there. I do hear of plenty of problems in Costambar however,
yet mostly petty stuff.
Maybe the shots were from nearby Sosua Abajo or Charamicos?

In either case, Good luck!

dv8 · May 16, 2012

i live in costambar and i never really hear about any trouble. but then i am in a rather quiet part...

fritz, the problems in terramar may be due to upcoming elections, it makes people quite unsettled.

Expat-in-Cabarete · May 16, 2012

Where exactly is Terramar in Sosua?

wayne · May 16, 2012

ffritz would you care to elaborate on the problems. An example of electricity and water prices would be helpful and also what incidents have occurred recently.

ffritz · May 16, 2012

The shots sounded like they came from the woods above the project.

Wayne, in the last 4 nights we have stayed there we've heard gunshots on 3 of them, both my wife & I have difficulty sleeping when we stay there. Also when we stayed there one weekend there was a crazy guy driving his truck around until the early hours playing loud music. We contacted security, but they just shrugged & said "esta una fiesta".

For a 2 bed villa with a/c used sparingly & a pool figure US$800 a month, payable to the project management with NO other options for suppliers. By way of comparison, using city power & water etc US$200-300.

In closing, what scares the bejesus out of us when we're there is it's dead, less than 6 properties occupied at this time of year & very dark. We're no wimps, we run a restaurant & have run a bar, but it's freaky there at night.

I suppose if it's just a holiday home you're looking for you can live with that though.

ffritz · May 16, 2012

dv8 said:
i live in costambar and i never really hear about any trouble. but then i am in a rather quiet part...

fritz, the problems in terramar may be due to upcoming elections, it makes people quite unsettled.

Costambar is one of the safest places around! I regularly walk at night & feel alert but safe.
The last time we stayed there was November last year & these problems were the same then.

Jumbo · May 16, 2012

Past Los Cerros and before Sosua Abajo.

wayne · May 16, 2012

That is a ridiculous amount of money for electricity. What is the charge per kilowatt hour? As far as the gun shots it seems to be common around the area to hear shots all the time. I have stayed many times in other high end communities and have heard gun shots several times a night.

peteclaffey · May 16, 2012

Hi Ffritz as you know I have stayed in Costambar for long periods between 2006 -2010 , its a small place but in that short time I remember 5 murders , 3 of whome I knew , and one who was a very good friend to us all .

CoreyH · May 16, 2012

we lived there for a while and those prices are real. I think my hubbie said .50 per kilowatt hour and there's no other way to get power.

CoreyH · May 16, 2012

We did always feel safe there though. Having lived here for 2 years now (we live in La Mulata now, no problems), you just get used to the gunshots I guess. And it IS time for the elections which IS a huge deal down here.

LindseyKaufman · May 16, 2012

Are the gunshots coming from your own security in Terramar? When I first moved here, I lived in a neighborhood where I heard gunshots every night. I soon learned that the security guards would shoot their guns any time they saw or heard something just as warning shots. Eventually, I figured out whether I was hearing warning shots or the real thing just by the sounds of the shots. If there were 2 guns shooting, it sounds different than just a single shot or shots firing in a rhythm as someone is running, chasing someone away.....if that makes sense.

The best thing to do is to make friends with the security. And the next day, after hearing the shots, chat up the guards and ask what was going on in the night. They will tell you.

It might not be as bad as it sounds.

Just live smart. Be discreet. Watch your back. And enjoy what the country has to offer.

Lindsey

sylindr · May 16, 2012

Pete, you cannot in all seriousness tell me you ever felt unsafe her in costambar????? Sometimes there is indeed a story behind an occurrence.

frank12 · May 16, 2012

This might be a stupid question, but why not stay in a gated community where there are lots of security guards--I.E: Ocean Dream, Ocean One, Ocean Village, Millenium, Cabarete East, Sea Horse Ranch, etc.

I have never heard of one single hold up, gun shot, or murder in any of these places. Ever. These places are like Fort Knox. They're surrounded by security and you can walk into town with all of them except for Sea Horse Ranch and Ocean Village. They also all have garages for rent, beautiful swimming pools, and their own Generators, etc.

FRank

ffritz · May 16, 2012

Pete,
Since that terrible year when we all lost a good friend, security has been really tightened-up here in Costambar & there have been no murders in over 2 years.
Sylvia's right - nothing, however tragic, happens without a reason.

ffritz · May 16, 2012

wayne said:
That is a ridiculous amount of money for electricity. What is the charge per kilowatt hour? As far as the gun shots it seems to be common around the area to hear shots all the time. I have stayed many times in other high end communities and have heard gun shots several times a night.

That includes US$250 for maintenance fees & water too which I think is US$35-50.

So be aware, that even empty lots are liable for the maintenance fees of US$3,000 per year ...

peteclaffey · May 16, 2012

Actually after the last murder I did not feel comfortable there , but for the weather I would have been in my friends apartment with him when he was murdered at 8.00am , it was custom for me to travel from Santiago the night before , stay with him then 8.30 am we played golf , Im not sure I understand your comments about nothing happens without reason . none of those men deserved to die .

CocoBoy · May 16, 2012

ffritz said:
That includes US$250 for maintenance fees & water too which I think is US$35-50.

So be aware, that even empty lots are liable for the maintenance fees of US$3,000 per year ...

Why air this laundry publicly? Even if all of what you are saying is true(?) all you are doing is ill-effecting what ever chance your parents may have to sell and move on. Concerns about true safety, I feel are baseless. Expensive with respect to maintenance fees and utilities is correct. I can't help but feel that there may be an ulterior motive for your posts ffritz, especially if your parents may not be here while you're risking life and limb staying in their house. Also, how do they feel? After all, at this point it is their home, not yours... yet!

My biggest regret ...

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