Places to dance bachata/salsa in Puerto Plata province

danytravel

New member
Sep 14, 2010
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Hello All,
Last time I was down there ( Cabarete/Puerto Plata) I could not find a decent place to dance/listen to bachata/ salsa. Pure ( ex La Copa) is now a house/dance club, any other place i know around the Puerto Plata area is playing hip hop or house ( or whatever). I mean, we are in Dr, is it possible that there are not any more places where you can dance bachata/ salsa with your lady?
Any advise would be greatly apreciated.
Thx
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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pure is the only place playing decent music. no bachata or salsa, great. that's because the place is decent, safe and expensive. bachata (less so salsa) is everywhere else. but the places are local: la canita, terazza caribe, disco next door to javillar, rancho tipico plus any larger car wash.
 

danytravel

New member
Sep 14, 2010
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pure is the only place playing decent music. no bachata or salsa, great. that's because the place is decent, safe and expensive. bachata (less so salsa) is everywhere else. but the places are local: la canita, terazza caribe, disco next door to javillar, rancho tipico plus any larger car wash.

Sorry i don't really agree with your " decent " idea about music/ clubs. A couple of years back La Copa ( now Pure) used to have a night or two a week with mostly latin music. Now is no longer the case. It seems crazy to me that other places do not play this kind of music. Ojo in Cabarete used to put on some latin songs too downstairs. Not last time i was there. I think it's pretty sad that the clubs are not playing the music that is part of the culture of the Dr. Obviously most of this is caused by the ignorance of the tourists that, to be happy,need the crap that is playing in their clubs.
 

Salsafan

Bronze
Aug 17, 2011
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Caballion: Large openair Bachata-Restaurant, 100% locals, nice feeling.
La Canita: the same qualities
Rancho Tipico: mainly Merenque
Generally not much salsa and normally the dominicans can't dance salsa, or if they do they have their own style.
 

Salsafan

Bronze
Aug 17, 2011
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They are all in the center of Puerto Plata, use the motoconchos (preferably the ones with yellow jacket).
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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Sorry i don't really agree with your " decent " idea about music/ clubs. (...) Not last time i was there. I think it's pretty sad that the clubs are not playing the music that is part of the culture of the Dr.

and i respectfully disagree with your views on music. i have been here 7 years an i grew to truly hate bachata/merengue/salsa from the bottom of my heart. this music is absolutely everywhere and it poisons this land with continuous deafening noise. i would be happy not to hear that crap ever again in my life.

however, i can pinpoint you places contaminating POP with this noise. salsafan already mentioned more detailed locations, there are also:
car wash between the hospital and jose luis supermarket
anther car wash next door to AMET on avenida colon
whatever bar (they change names with every owner and owners with every season) on the malecon, in a small plaza where chinese restuarant is
another car wash towards the end of manolo tavarez justo, opposite the big texaco station

all blast the same music. frankly i cannot make the difference between bachata, merengue and salsa, they all sound the same to me so i cannot say what music is played in those places. i have been told repeatedly that dominicans do not do much salsa so probably you will not find much of that.

good luck and have geriatric music fun.
 

london777

Bronze
Dec 22, 2005
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Hello All,
Last time I was down there (Cabarete/Puerto Plata) I could not find a decent place to dance/listen to bachata/salsa.
The sticking point here is your definition of "decent". I once took you to a place that played non-stop bachata/merengue/salsa/reggaeton in approx equal sessions, and you famously said that after going there that you "had lost the will to live".

I agree the place was (probably still is) a total sh1thole, but that is authentically Dominican. You cannot have it both ways!

Seriously, there are three or four dance-halls in Pto Pta that play loads of bachata/merengue/salsa that are a step or two up in class from that place, but don't expect First World amenities.
 
Oct 13, 2003
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The Orion Bar used ot be a decent place in POP... don't know if it is still in operation.. otherwise try the fiestas at:

1. Rancho Tipico (POP highway towards Cofresi)
2. New York Ranch (POP highway towards Sosua)
3. Monte Bar (Santiago)
4. La Bomba (Sabaneta; only if you don't mind a lot of Dominicans)

The Fiestas are marked on the road

The places mentioned by DV8 are all on par with no. 4

Btw what do you like for music DV8?
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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orion bar on calle kennedy, almost reaching avenida colon? i have never seen it open...

i guess i don't really like music, i could easily live being deaf as a rock (i think i am getting there after 7 years of exposure to DR nose levels). but i somewhat enjoy dembow and reggaeton (from local music) plus current pop hits (like lady gaga and such). i am a musical simpleton. i cal listen to some classical music without offending my ears but not to jazz, i am able to stomach mild rock but not old people crap like led zeppelin (did i get the name right?) or pink ffloyd.

i have musical preferences of uneducated chopo.
 
Oct 13, 2003
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orion bar on calle kennedy, almost reaching avenida colon? i have never seen it open...

i guess i don't really like music, i could easily live being deaf as a rock (i think i am getting there after 7 years of exposure to DR nose levels). but i somewhat enjoy dembow and reggaeton (from local music) plus current pop hits (like lady gaga and such). i am a musical simpleton. i cal listen to some classical music without offending my ears but not to jazz, i am able to stomach mild rock but not old people crap like led zeppelin (did i get the name right?) or pink ffloyd.

i have musical preferences of uneducated chopo.

I used to go there but that was a few years ago (hum, hum)...

After that we went to the infamous 'Azucar' then converted into 'Homerun' now closed :(

Many, many sweet memories lie on the road between GH and POP
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i only went to few local places, each time i had to be dragged out by force because i stared so much at fashion choices of the women there. unforgettable outfits. my biggest issue was the level of the noise, unbelievably loud. i cannot dance so all i could do was sit and stare and drink. not a particularly social attitude.
 
Oct 13, 2003
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i only went to few local places, each time i had to be dragged out by force because i stared so much at fashion choices of the women there. unforgettable outfits. my biggest issue was the level of the noise, unbelievably loud. i cannot dance so all i could do was sit and stare and drink. not a particularly social attitude.

Herein lies your problem with music. I love the rhythm and love to dance... I can say I'm fairly proficient :)
 
Feb 15, 2005
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Caballion: Large openair Bachata-Restaurant, 100% locals, nice feeling.
La Canita: the same qualities
Rancho Tipico: mainly Merenque
Generally not much salsa and normally the dominicans can't dance salsa, or if they do they have their own style.

I recently went to Rancho Tipico on a Saturday and it was empty, I was like what! However, Mambo to me is Salsa but NY Paladium style, not fast Merengue as it is now referred to, but I can flow to that too. Not too many Salseros in Puerto Plata although I heard of some in SD that could rock. But you are right, in the DR, they dance Salsa to a different kind of off beat.
 
Feb 15, 2005
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In STI and SDQ, you can find plenty of NY style ON2

[video=youtube_share;kAF2K85leyE]http://youtu.be/kAF2K85leyE[/video]

My understanding is that Jorjet is from Texas and Wander is from DR. He has trained with Osmar Perrones and the dance group Yamulee in the Bronx, New York. Yamulee is probably the top Salsa school in New York, which is saying alot, given others such as Eddie Torres School, Frankie Martinez's Abakua and others. The spread of On2 dancers globally has certainly spread no doubt. As I previously mentioned, in SD and Santiago there are great dancers but the OP's thread was asking about POP in particular and I haven't seen that there so much.

BTW, Yamulee is coordinating the annual 2014 Bachata/Salsa Congress in Juan Dolio, stay tune and check it out.

Yamulee Dance Co. | About Us
 

danytravel

New member
Sep 14, 2010
81
2
0
The sticking point here is your definition of "decent". I once took you to a place that played non-stop bachata/merengue/salsa/reggaeton in approx equal sessions, and you famously said that after going there that you "had lost the will to live".

I agree the place was (probably still is) a total sh1thole, but that is authentically Dominican. You cannot have it both ways!

Seriously, there are three or four dance-halls in Pto Pta that play loads of bachata/merengue/salsa that are a step or two up in class from that place, but don't expect First World amenities.

Exactly, you said it yourself, the place was a ****hole, and i am not really referring to the place, but the clients ( 3-4 depressed skunks and a couple of desperate guys , us) It's totally not true that you cannot have it both ways, somebody just said that Ojo has Thursday latin nights. Again last year i was at La Copa and it was a good place, that is why i was wondering if there were others since now La Copa changed the type of music played. Thx though...
 

danytravel

New member
Sep 14, 2010
81
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0
and i respectfully disagree with your views on music. i have been here 7 years an i grew to truly hate bachata/merengue/salsa from the bottom of my heart. this music is absolutely everywhere and it poisons this land with continuous deafening noise. i would be happy not to hear that crap ever again in my life.

however, i can pinpoint you places contaminating POP with this noise. salsafan already mentioned more detailed locations, there are also:
car wash between the hospital and jose luis supermarket
anther car wash next door to AMET on avenida colon
whatever bar (they change names with every owner and owners with every season) on the malecon, in a small plaza where chinese restuarant is
another car wash towards the end of manolo tavarez justo, opposite the big texaco station

all blast the same music. frankly i cannot make the difference between bachata, merengue and salsa, they all sound the same to me so i cannot say what music is played in those places. i have been told repeatedly that dominicans do not do much salsa so probably you will not find much of that.

good luck and have geriatric music fun.

Sorry, but you don't even know my view of music. I was asking about latin music because, when i am there, I enjoy dancing this type of music. When i listen to music, then it is a totally different story: from Rock to classical everything that is good music is what i like