Living in Samana...Can it be done?

wtf2001

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Aug 22, 2003
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We will be moving to DR in late spring of the coming year and our intention is to rent a home for a year while we evaluate permanent residency. Based on advice found here we have been thinking of renting in Sosua simply for the proximity of school for our son, grocery access, DSL access and general availability of many of the conveniences we have in North Florida.

That being said, we like the idea of finding a nice piece of property with an ocean view and building on the Samana coast.

My question is, how realistic is this idea? Electrical grid access? Should we plan on more self sufficiency? If we had plans for a 1800 - 2000 sqft house in hand, what would the construction costs range? Dig a Well? Satellite internet? Is DSL there? Septic system? How far would my 6 year old son have to go for education in an english or expat school? Are there plans for any of this infrastructure or is it going to create a rediculous commute to support a young family there?

Thanks!
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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yahoomail.com
How many times have you and your family visited the Dominican Republic?

Where did you visit,for how long,and in what accomodations? How do you plan to support your family.Do you speak fluent Spanish? What is your estimate of how much it will cost you to live here?If we know the answers to those ?s we can better answer your ?s! Cris Colon
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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You could probably do what you want in the Sosua or Cabarete area

But not in Saman?. That is for living the Margaritaville dream...

while there are decent schools for the local population-Saman? has a tradition of educating its young-there are probably no bi-lingual schools available.

Look at some of the education threads and you will see that the best schools are there in Sosua, Santiago or Santo Domingo, and out in La Romana.

think a bit about what you want for the kid...then make decisions.

HB
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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I would encourage you to consider Sosua or Cabarete. My wife and I lived in Samana from 1986 to 2000, and now live in Sosua. But still have ties there and often visit, having just returned this evening from a two day visit.

Life is much easier in Sosua/Cabarete. Supermarkets much better, medical services much better, opportunities to interact with other expats much better, and in the case of children, educational opportunities are much better.

For lots of reasons, development of the Samana area has lagged well behind that of the other tourist areas. And there is no reason to believe this is going to change significantly in the foreseeable future. Samana is a beautiful area and the residents are nice, friendly people. But to live the sort of life that I think would are interested in, then Sosua/Cabarete would be a much better choice.
 

oldhippy

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Jul 22, 2002
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I remember going to Las Terrenas before there was a grid. The goal was to be totally self suffcient energy wise....[using a generator, rechargable batteries, using the sun, wind, gravity, etc.]

To find good/reasonable prices for beachfront today...I bet you will still need to search for, and do it off the grid...or pay through the nose for it!

Do you have a pioneer spirit? Can you handle remote, rather than accessable?

Forget about commuting, as there is nothing really to commute to.

So unless you can see home schooling, or see the kids learning Spanish... pronto, and attending a local school...your dream is better planned when you don't need anything but what is there...a village life at best...with an occassional trip to the city.

With that said, here is a link to what stuff goes for there:

http://www.drparadise.com/sale_listings.htm