Hi Peter and Alex,
I just thought people might be interested in how our experiences and tastes in vacationing in the DR have changed over time. You don't have to go with a "package deal".
This will actually be our third trip to the Cabarete area, and our fifth to the DR. The first was to Samana in December of '98. We only went for one week and got back just in time for the big ice storm (we live in Ottawa, Canada). Neither of us could go to work for a week and we resolved never to go for less than two weeks again.
When we decided to go back in 2000, none of the tour companies seemed to be handling anything in Samana, so on the advice of our travel agent, we wound up in Punta Cana. Don't get me wrong, the beaches are amazing, but we started to become disillusioned with the AI situation. My husband likened it to a plantation and the tourists are the crop. Definitely a different experience from the one we had in Samana.
In 2001, we decided to try the Sosua/Cabarete are and stayed at the Coconut Palms. Definitely a more "homey" experience, but way far away from things. One thing I did like about it was that I could go down and swim in the pool at midnight and no one bothered me. None of this "the pool closes at 6:00" stuff.
We spent most of our time in Cabarete, pretty much right in front of Onno's. It rained a lot that time, so we spent a lot of time actually "in" Onno's. The rain was a bit disappointing, but if one doesn't have a lot of rain, one can't have the lush tropical vegetation that I so much enjoy, and anyway, a rainy day in the DR is better than a snowy day in Ottawa.
We had to skip 2002, but the call was drawing us, and we were back in February of 2003. This time we stayed at the Tropical Beach club. We loved it because we only had to walk down two flights of stairs, across the pool and we were on the beach. I also have to say that the staff was amazing, from the front desk staff to the maids to the security. Top notch in my opinion. The main draw back was the AI thing. It is very frustrating to pay for an AI and then look at all of the neat places on the beach to go and eat and drink etc. A mistake on my part.
This time we are staying at one of the villas of olas de oro, the one right on the beach, which should combine what we liked about the Coconut Palms and the Tropical Beach club. Hopefully I have got it all right this time
. One of these days I will get it right.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we are bringing a friend for the first week. He has recently gone through a divorce and we are looking forward to having lots of laughs at his expense. He is really a nice guy (and good looking, a body builder) and is just looking to have some fun and relaxation. I love bringing new people to the DR, because they cannot believe how nice it is.
Sorry for blithering on so much. Just looking forward so much to our next trip.
Rose
