Researching Possible Move to DR

Pablito Calvo

New member
Apr 24, 2013
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Hello all. My lifestyle seems to be quite different from that of most posters I've read here. I would be looking for a rural or small town situation where I can live cheap and grow a few vegitables. I have been care-free for 7 years, traveling by bicycle and public transport. I have been something of a 'snow bird' riding to warmer climates in the US (New Mexico and Arizona) for the winters and seek to move somewhere it never gets cold, hence may interest in DR.

I have read that DR is one of the best places for Americans and other foreigners to live in the Caribean. I do speak some Spanish and have done some cross-border aid work in Mexico during my snow-birding stays in southern NM. I don't need a job, but might be interested in doing volunteer work on a community level.

Any advice and/or recommendations for specific areas or locations that you think might suit me would be much appreciated.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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hmmm... check out constanza or jarabacoa maybe. those are cooler, central areas of the island. mountains, streams, nature and the best climate possible to grow vegetables and fruits.

if you prefer beaches i suggest samana penisula: calm, quiet and very beautiful.

all those locations are within 2-3 hour drive to SD if you need supplies, special goods or have to visit government offices.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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Most of the DR is rural so you need to decide what is important to you. If you want reasonable access to health care, good supermarkets and airports I suggest you look around Santiago. It is also excellent growing land in the areas around. If you go south west you have Jarabacoa, La Vega, or go even more inland to San Juan and San Jose de los Matos. The closer you get to Haiti the cheaper it is - Santiago Rodriguez province for example. Do you want mountains or near the sea? The other area might be Barahona and the south west. Stunning but further from medical facilities and international airports. PM me for more info. This is a big country so you need to be more specific on your requirements really.

Matilda
 

Pablito Calvo

New member
Apr 24, 2013
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Most of the DR is rural so you need to decide what is important to you. If you want reasonable access to health care, good supermarkets and airports I suggest you look around Santiago. It is also excellent growing land in the areas around. If you go south west you have Jarabacoa, La Vega, or go even more inland to San Juan and San Jose de los Matos. The closer you get to Haiti the cheaper it is - Santiago Rodriguez province for example. Do you want mountains or near the sea? The other area might be Barahona and the south west. Stunning but further from medical facilities and international airports. PM me for more info. This is a big country so you need to be more specific on your requirements really.

Matilda

Thanks for the reply, Matilda. Access to healthcare is not a biggie for me, I would prefer local markets over supermarkets, and I have no use for airports. In fact, I will be looking for one-way passage by boat for me and my bicycle. Near mountains would be fine, but not in them as steep terrain is not conducive to cycling. Easy riding distance to accessable beaches would be nice, like 10-20 km. Access to bus or other public transport into a city is important.

What is the northwest valley like? Say NW of Saniago de Los Caballeros toward Monte Cristi?
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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if you want an easy and relatively short ride to the beach then forget the mountains and anything in the centre of the island. focus more on samana penisula: samana itself, las terrenas or las galeras. or, if you prefer south: barahona and pedernales.

however, you will not be able to easily escape the city, most bigger towns have chain supermarkets already :)
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
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If you want to boat to the DR you may have to find a freighter going from Miami to Santo Domingo. You will find the DR is a lot different than Arizona or even Mexico. What you really need to do is come here for a minimum of 1-3 months and check out various parts of the country. No one can really honestly tell you what area you'll prefer. You can go on You Tube and check out videos shot around the DR. That will give you a good idea of terrain.

LTSteve
 

Pablito Calvo

New member
Apr 24, 2013
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if you want an easy and relatively short ride to the beach then forget the mountains and anything in the centre of the island. focus more on samana penisula: samana itself, las terrenas or las galeras. or, if you prefer south: barahona and pedernales.

however, you will not be able to easily escape the city, most bigger towns have chain supermarkets already :)

Samana Peninsula sounds nice. My concern with the south is it gets the brunt of the weather.
 

Pablito Calvo

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Apr 24, 2013
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Please explain this, I am very interested.

It's just that I don't fly, so boat (or ship) is the only alternative. Like LTSteve says, passage on freighters has become common. It is relatively pricy, though. There may be a possibility of finding passage on a smaller boat or yacht, if I ask arround. En la vida, todo es posible. (Anything is possible.)
 

Castellamonte

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Mar 3, 2005
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Cabrera
www.villa-castellamonte.com
You need to check out Cabrera. It is very rural in that its primary source of income is NOT tourism (it's more agricultural). There are a number of ex-pats here (US, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK, etc.) scattered throughout the hills and in town. Prices for small farms in the hills remain affordable for the time being. Check out Cabrera Dominican Republic | Discover Cabrera | Visit Cabrera for more information on the area.
 
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Pablito Calvo

New member
Apr 24, 2013
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You need to check out Cabrera. It is very rural in that its primary source of income is NOT tourism (it's more agricultural). There are a number of ex-pats here (US, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK, etc.) scattered throughout the hills and in town. Prices for small farms in the hills remain affordable for the time being. Check out Cabrera Dominican Republic | Discover Cabrera | Visit Cabrera for more information on the area.
Cabrera might just be what I'm looking for. Thanks for the tip.
 

flopsy

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Jul 6, 2010
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Cabrera might just be what I'm looking for. Thanks for the tip.

Has anybody got a rough idea of costs to travel via boat and do all travel agents here have info, we're talking about travelling with dogs, would they still have to be crated?
 

flopsy

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Jul 6, 2010
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Sorry forgot to ask, does anybody know what the conditions would be like on these freight boats, obviously know its not going to be a cruise ship lol