Sosua News On Bars In Low Season

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Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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From today's Sosua News:


It is low season in Sos?a and that shows. During the day on the beach there are almost no tourists. Only in the weekend it is busy but it are mostly Dominican visitors from Santiago, La Vega and Puerto Plata. Also 'mi gente' (own people) from Santo Domingo come over for the weekend to enjoy a few days at the resort Casa Marina. Yet it is in the main street Pedro Clisante still busy every evening, for example the Rumba Bar and Willy's Bar are still popular entertainment places at night. Especially tourists from the USA are apparently the majority of the guests.

Many smaller bars have to close their doors temporarily. 'Winner's Circle Bar' opposite the merenguebar has temporarily closed its doors. Also 'City Lights' after the reopening which was unsuccessful (due to heavy rains the reopening was a dissapointment) again indefinitely closed its doors. Moreover, the 'Happy Bar' opposite PJ's restaurant, formerly so popular with Dominican music and dance lovers, provisionally maintains close after a little remodeling. We have to wait until October, as tourism picks up again. Sos?a is definitely ready, that's for sure!
 
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the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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Ken said:
From today's Sosua News:


It is low season in Sos?a and that shows. During the day on the beach there are almost no tourists. Only in the weekend it is busy but it are mostly Dominican visitors from Santiago, La Vega and Puerto Plata. Also 'mi gente' (own people) from Santo Domingo come over for the weekend to enjoy a few days at the resort Casa Marina. Yet it is in the main street Pedro Clisante still busy every evening, for example the Rumba Bar and Willy's Bar are still popular entertainment places at night. Especially tourists from the USA are apparently the majority of the guests.

Many smaller bars have to close their doors temporarily. 'Winner's Circle Bar' opposite the merenguebar has temporarily closed its doors. Also 'City Lights' after the reopening which was unsuccessful (due to heavy rains the reopening was a dissapointment) again indefinitely closed its doors. Moreover, the 'Happy Bar' opposite PJ's restaurant, formerly so popular with Dominican music and dance lovers, provisionally maintains close after a little remodeling. We have to wait until October, as tourism picks up again. Sos?a is definitely ready, that's for sure!
Click to expand...

poon tang has no low season. when everyone is dead, Blackbeards is still full.
 
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Expat13

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Jun 7, 2008
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JDJones said:
I have the experience. I had the one of the most successful bars on the west coast of Puerto Rico for 11 years. (In a country where a bar's life is measured in months, the one I had is still open, after 30 yrs.
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JD, everything seems to be located in the Naco, Piantini and Colonial Zone areas, which gets very congested and a young age demographic. The outskirts are growing i.e. where I now live in the El Millon area where currently nothing like this exists.
 
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tee

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Sep 14, 2007
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There is more to it than this. All bars have to produce necessary documents/permits in order to continue operations. They have been given 4 weeks to get this done or will be forced to close. Rex, the owner of The Pub, (formally Cuba Libre), closed down voluntairily to avoid any potential fines. Several other bar owners have done the same. The authorities are getting stricter by the day, could be a good thing but at the same time they have a habit of swooping in and creating major problems for all business owners and threatening to shut them down. Again, just as the massage parlors that were closed down, this has come from the minister of tourism....
 
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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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What does it take to open a bar in the DR?

Formerly: A bottle of rum and two glasses

Today: Please contact your lawyer for the proper papers, business license, employment information, safety documents, list of bribes needed to be paid.....
 
K

Kyle

Silver
Jun 2, 2006
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Included as of a week ago: no working girls held against their will.....
 
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Expat13

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Jun 7, 2008
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windeguy said:
What does it take to open a bar in the DR?

Formerly: A bottle of rum and two glasses

Today: Please contact your lawyer for the proper papers, business license, employment information, safety documents, list of bribes needed to be paid.....
Click to expand...

Yes, they try their best to implement the same laws and taxes as the good ol USA without any of the benefits or protections.... The things that Americans come here to get away from seem to be following slowly, without logic or reasoning.
 
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Seamonkey

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Oct 6, 2009
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tee said:
There is more to it than this. All bars have to produce necessary documents/permits in order to continue operations. They have been given 4 weeks to get this done or will be forced to close. Rex, the owner of The Pub, (formally Cuba Libre), closed down voluntairily to avoid any potential fines. Several other bar owners have done the same. The authorities are getting stricter by the day, could be a good thing but at the same time they have a habit of swooping in and creating major problems for all business owners and threatening to shut them down. Again, just as the massage parlors that were closed down, this has come from the minister of tourism....
Click to expand...

I'm super happy that Turismo is doing their job. Why should businesses be able to operate illegally, and with dirty kitchens when some of us responsible owners pay through the nose to have the proper papers, pay monthly taxes and keep our kitchen to North American standards.
 
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Lobo Tropical

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Aug 21, 2010
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Ken said:
From today's Sosua News:


It is low season in Sos?a and that shows. During the day on the beach there are almost no tourists. Only in the weekend it is busy but it are mostly Dominican visitors from Santiago, La Vega and Puerto Plata. Also 'mi gente' (own people) from Santo Domingo come over for the weekend to enjoy a few days at the resort Casa Marina. Yet it is in the main street Pedro Clisante still busy every evening, for example the Rumba Bar and Willy's Bar are still popular entertainment places at night. Especially tourists from the USA are apparently the majority of the guests.

Many smaller bars have to close their doors temporarily. 'Winner's Circle Bar' opposite the merenguebar has temporarily closed its doors. Also 'City Lights' after the reopening which was unsuccessful (due to heavy rains the reopening was a dissapointment) again indefinitely closed its doors. Moreover, the 'Happy Bar' opposite PJ's restaurant, formerly so popular with Dominican music and dance lovers, provisionally maintains close after a little remodeling. We have to wait until October, as tourism picks up again. Sos?a is definitely ready, that's for sure!
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound different from most other months of the year.
Fortunately the minister of tourism is stimulating local businesses with family tourism!

"The difference is too nice - Where ends the virtue or begins the vice".
Alexander Pope
 
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jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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Whats the winners circle bar - I never heard of it

city lights - it rained on opening night so they never opened again ? lol

some places just do no advertising whatsoever and expect customers to turn up , you wouldnt even be aware of the majority of bars as they have never made an effort to attract any customers
 
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wrecksum

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Sep 27, 2010
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There is so little actual profit in running a small hobby bar over here that all these "new" requirements, which have always existed but been overlooked until now, will now soak up even more, which one can try to pass on to the consumer or try to absorb by other cuts or a combination of both.

Many of us are quite happy to fulfill all of their requirements but the playing field is not a level one and obtaining all the docs (12 initially) in a reasonable period is daunting and costly.The confidence we have in the administrative system is not great also and the risk of molestation is always present, even with all the permits to hand.

On the bright side, business is extremely slow this time of the year so it's not too much of a loss to stay closed and get some maintenance done whilst waiting for the gears of government to grind slowly.
 
drstock

drstock

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Oct 29, 2010
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jrhartley said:
Whats the winners circle bar - I never heard of it

city lights - it rained on opening night so they never opened again ? lol

some places just do no advertising whatsoever and expect customers to turn up , you wouldnt even be aware of the majority of bars as they have never made an effort to attract any customers
Click to expand...

The Winners Circle is a "sports" bar on the corner opposite Classico's. It's right next to the "closed after one night due to rain" (LOL) City Lights, so the two may be connected.
 
K

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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wrecksum said:
Many of us are quite happy to fulfill all of their requirements but the playing field is not a level one and obtaining all the docs (12 initially) in a reasonable period is daunting and costly.The confidence we have in the administrative system is not great also and the risk of molestation is always present, even with all the permits to hand.
Click to expand...

I would think that enforcement of the laws and regulations would go a long way toward leveling the playing field.

I can certainly understand the feelings of responsible business owners like seamonkey who have had to compete with businesses who don't pay taxes, comply with the laws, or keep a clean kitchen.
 
K

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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drstock said:
The Winners Circle is a "sports" bar on the corner opposite Classico's. It's right next to the "closed after one night due to rain" (LOL) City Lights, so the two may be connected.
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Yes, it is on the corner opposite Classicos.

No, Winners Circle is not next to City Lights, unless drstock considers a block and a half separation as "next to".

What Winners Circle is next to is the X bar. City Lights is a block and a half away in the direction of Banco Santa Cruz.
 
drstock

drstock

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Oct 29, 2010
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Ken said:
Yes, it is on the corner opposite Classicos.

No, Winners Circle is not next to City Lights, unless drstock considers a block and a half separation as "next to".

What Winners Circle is next to is the X bar. City Lights is a block and a half away in the direction of Banco Santa Cruz.
Click to expand...

Sorry - my mistake. I WAS thinking of the X Bar.
 
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Eddy

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Jan 1, 2002
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windeguy said:
What does it take to open a bar in the DR?

Formerly: A bottle of rum and two glasses

Today: Please contact your lawyer for the proper papers, business license, employment information, safety documents, list of bribes needed to be paid.....
Click to expand...

Several years ago:
RNC Number
Residence - Cedula
Good Conduct Certificate here & home country
Bank account & letter from bank
2 letters of reference
Inspection by health Dept
Inspection by Tourism
Copy of title or lease

I am forgetting a few.
Eddy's was one of maybe 3 bars that had the permit.
THis happened during Hippolito's term
When LieOnel took over they dropped the whole plan.
 
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