Everything in Sosua Completely Dead?????????

Status
Not open for further replies.

cjewell

Bronze
Oct 11, 2004
1,160
0
0
I have only been home in Canada 2 weeks and am back in Sosua 3rd week of this month. My guy was telling me tonight that Sosua is DEAD. He was talking to a bar owner on the strip who said it is sooooo bad some businesses are wondering how they will make it into next month.

I mean I noticed after the road closure less foreigners and WAY more chica's on the street - but he said dead - like no one, no chica no nada??

Have things really declined that much in the past 2 weeks - can someone on the ground tell me plsss
 
May 29, 2006
10,265
200
0
It's the off season. I remember this time of year eight years ago when I was there and there were days when Rocky's would get maybe a dozen ex-pat customers all day(and zero tourists).
 

cjewell

Bronze
Oct 11, 2004
1,160
0
0
I know the high season/low season thing. I was told it is deaadddd like a ghost town :S

It was typical low season when I was there 2 weeks ago but I am talking like no one on the street.
 
May 29, 2006
10,265
200
0
All I can say is it's not a unique situation. Some places will close and go on vacation and some will try to tough it out. It's not worth the cost of getting there for the chicas from SD so they look for other places to go to. Go down to the beach and I bet a third or more of the casitas are shut down during the week. Sundays are better on the beach with Dominicans coming in on buses.

If you go back through the old posts from years back you can see other people declaring Sosua DOA about this time of year and blaming it on all kinds of reasons.
 

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
6,672
809
113
This is what the mayor's office is working toward.

I personally have never seen it this slow, any time of the year. My bar owner friends have commented the same to me.
 
May 29, 2006
10,265
200
0
But where are all the families?? I thought they were suppose to come to town in droves once they got the chicas off the street..
 

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
6,672
809
113
But where are all the families?? I thought they were suppose to come to town in droves once they got the chicas off the street..

Families and retirees do not stay out after 9 or 10....thus empty streets at night.

I was at Ted's bar on Monday night....I looked up and down Alejo Martinez....there were 3 motos across from Coco bar...not one other person. It was eerie. Dogs knocking all the garbage cans over, making a mess.

Teds bar was fun, expats friends...lots of laughs.
 

cjewell

Bronze
Oct 11, 2004
1,160
0
0
But where are all the families?? I thought they were suppose to come to town in droves once they got the chicas off the street..

K - so I wasn't looking to kick up the debate as to whether Sosua could be a destination for families. I have maintained that I think it is more of a destination moving forward for older married couples, young singles, young couples - families don't just mean small children and families aren't the be all and end all of tourism...

but with that said - and this one was simply #1 on Google Dominican Republic: Cruises to Puerto Plata in 14 Months but there are many others including one from Carnival itself - that the cruises will start coming into Maimon in December 2014.

What will this mean to Sosua? I think lots of tourists on booked day trips to the beach... but I don't think this will mean much in terms of business to the local businesses in the Batey unless they are dropped in Batey and then forced to walk down the strip to get to the beach.

I agree with the government taking measures to tidy things up a smidge... but I am not seeing how making it so dead that there is literally no one on the street, killing local businesses that are not brothels mascarading as discos is the way to go about it...
 

cjewell

Bronze
Oct 11, 2004
1,160
0
0
Families and retirees do not stay out after 9 or 10....thus empty streets at night.

I was at Ted's bar on Monday night....I looked up and down Alejo Martinez....there were 3 motos across from Coco bar...not one other person. It was eerie. Dogs knocking all the garbage cans over, making a mess.

Teds bar was fun, expats friends...lots of laughs.

That's what my guy was telling me - dead... like crickets chirping dead. Are any of the local businesses looking at forming some form of coalition to the mayor and see what they can do to ease the pain? Reading that back sounds kind of dumb... the government couldn't give 2 ****s about local business... :S
 

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
6,672
809
113
K - so I wasn't looking to kick up the debate as to whether Sosua could be a destination for families. I have maintained that I think it is more of a destination moving forward for older married couples, young singles, young couples - families don't just mean small children and families aren't the be all and end all of tourism...

but with that said - and this one was simply #1 on Google Dominican Republic: Cruises to Puerto Plata in 14 Months but there are many others including one from Carnival itself - that the cruises will start coming into Maimon in December 2014.

What will this mean to Sosua? I think lots of tourists on booked day trips to the beach... but I don't think this will mean much in terms of business to the local businesses in the Batey unless they are dropped in Batey and then forced to walk down the strip to get to the beach.

I agree with the government taking measures to tidy things up a smidge... but I am not seeing how making it so dead that there is literally no one on the street, killing local businesses that are not brothels mascarading as discos is the way to go about it...

You see, the town was built on the "entertainment" business. I have been coming here, and now living most of the year, for 15 years. In that time, it has always been this kind of town when it comes to night life. You eliminate this group, you will have a few very, very lean years coming up trying to develop a new tourist base.

I said it in another post. With the groups that are being wooed...families and retirees. There will be nary a person out after 10pm. The young couples will continue to go to Caberete...they are set up for them.

Could you imagine how slow it will be next year after the current group of men and women go back home with the sour taste of boredom and never come back. It will be devastating.

I could be wrong....the evidence says I am not.

Edit: I am very surprised that this kind of a slowdown was not expected by everyone that comes here on a regular basis. Once they start filling all those lovely jail cells they just built down near the old High Caribbean.....get ready for another dip. Add onto that the current confusion with the immigration. It's only going to get uglier.
 
Last edited:

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
6,672
809
113
On my previous post, I said the town was built on the entertainment business...not true but it has thrived on the entertainment business. My bad.
 

Pansy

Banned
Apr 14, 2009
80
8
0
As an earlier poster stated it is the time of the year when expats go on holiday. I am currently in England many friends and neighbours are visiting family etc. in Canada & the USA. We may not normally be out late at night, but when we are not on holiday we are using the restaurants, bars and shops during the day and early evening which all contributes to an atmosphere of activity and profits for the businesses.
Summer will pass, expats will return, shortly followed by the Snowbirds, and life will look up for all of the businesses.
 

drescape24

Bronze
Nov 2, 2011
1,918
0
36
The sky isn't falling! It the low season, execpt things to be slow if not very slow. I enjoyed it being slow, less people means less madness. Things will pick up in a couple of weeks.
If it makes everyone feel better Caberate was slower than Sosua!

drescape24
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
I arrived POP last Saturday... I thought both Sos and Cab looked bleak but considered it usual until the influx of Euros arrive a bit later.
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
113
Cabarete is not breaking any records either. Slow all over the North Coast.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
Businesses in Cabarete have not seen less business in over 10 years. It is not just Sosua, so you cannot blame this on any changes made in Sosua. You can blame it on Punta Cana getting many more tourists, lack of hotel space, expensive flights, and a bad world economy. Those changes are considered by many to be improvements, by the way. People looking for "entertainment" can still find it anywhere so those that want to "save Sosua" can still do so.
 

Seamonkey

Bronze
Oct 6, 2009
1,896
755
113
Business is much better this low season than in the previous years. I was out on the town on the weekend and it was far from being slow....no crickets chirpping at all. The closing of Pedro Clisante is a positive move as per the comments of all my customers. People need to stop being so negative and get a life.
 

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
6,672
809
113
Business is much better this low season than in the previous years. I was out on the town on the weekend and it was far from being slow....no crickets chirpping at all. The closing of Pedro Clisante is a positive move as per the comments of all my customers. People need to stop being so negative and get a life.

Good to hear one business owner with a positive outlook.
 

drescape24

Bronze
Nov 2, 2011
1,918
0
36
Business is much better this low season than in the previous years. I was out on the town on the weekend and it was far from being slow....no crickets chirpping at all. The closing of Pedro Clisante is a positive move as per the comments of all my customers. People need to stop being so negative and get a life.

There it is! From a person who is involved and lives in town full time.
I like the direction Sosua is talking. The reason any of us came to Sosua is still there to return to. No matter what you do at night.
Again the sky isn't falling. Relax and enjoy your stay.

drescape24
 

ramesses

Gold
Jun 17, 2005
6,672
809
113
There it is! From a person who is involved and lives in town full time.
I like the direction Sosua is talking. The reason any of us came to Sosua is still there to return to. No matter what you do at night.
Again the sky isn't falling. Relax and enjoy your stay.

drescape24

I guess I was mistaken.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.