North coast Living

judith30

New member
Jun 29, 2006
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I am moving to the DR next month and i was wondering if you could help me with chosing one of the North Coast cities and towns?
I'm wanting to live in an area with the least tourists as possible. I understand that Sosua is full of prostitutes and sleezy bars and after visiting Cabarete for myself i noticed it was filled with tourists and the like.
My child will be attending school in Puerto Plata so she will need to be able to catch some form of transport into the city, we also are wanting to live as close to the beach as possible but more importantly away for the tourists and resort type areas.
Does anyone have an idea of where we could look to rent or buy?
Thank You!
 

Charlielyn

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Jul 31, 2005
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Can your employer help you to get a home near where you will be working? Living in the DR can be very expensive, for most foreign people, as we like a good standard of living ie: flush toilets, electricity. The farther you get from Puerta Plata, the more difficult it is to have these. There is a good school in Costambar, which is close to PP.
 

skyblue

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Mar 20, 2006
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I am moving to the DR next month and i was wondering if you could help me with chosing one of the North Coast cities and towns?
I'm wanting to live in an area with the least tourists as possible. I understand that Sosua is full of prostitutes and sleezy bars and after visiting Cabarete for myself i noticed it was filled with tourists and the like.
My child will be attending school in Puerto Plata so she will need to be able to catch some form of transport into the city, we also are wanting to live as close to the beach as possible but more importantly away for the tourists and resort type areas.
Does anyone have an idea of where we could look to rent or buy?
Thank You!

do you have a car? Costambar is very nice and although there are toursit, it's very residential as the tourist that have come, have stayed! beach close by, and the entire area can be walked. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!1
 

mountainfrog

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Dec 8, 2003
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The Real Life

... Costambar ...there are tourists, it's very residential as the tourist that have come, have stayed!

From her earlier posts I gather that they want to stay away from tourists and experience the real Dominican life.
A social romantic approach so to speak... :bunny:

m'frog


___________________________
Everything goes its Caribbean way. :laugh:
 
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skyblue

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Mar 20, 2006
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From her earlier posts I gather that they want to stay away from tourists and experience the real Dominican life.
A social romantic approach so to speak... :bunny:

m'frog


___________________________
Everything goes its Caribbean way. :laugh:

sound like it huh, perhaps they want a place with a tin roof.
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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I have very young children and am moving from England to Sosua next month, purely initially because I have relatives living there. It does have prostitutes and sleazy bars, but I don't think it's unique in that respect! There are many expat families with children who live in the area and never come into contact with that side of things. I'm no expert on the DR but have learned a lot from people on this forum. I'm also planning to explore the country further when I arrive.

From your other posts I gather that you're financing yourself for a year and that you and your daughter are hoping to learn Spanish. I would've thought that your initial choice would be governed by how good your Spanish is at the moment. I understand why you'd want to live in a town that isn't touristy and experience the Dominican life, but if you can't speak Spanish at the moment then it could make your initial experience a hard one. It doesn't sound as if you have much experience of the DR. I would suggest that you come and live in an area where you initially have access to a bit of `expat support' and gradually `branch out' to other places when you've found your feet a bit. I'm no expert, it's just the way that I'm doing things because my Spanish isn't up to scratch.

Just as a matter of interest. Why the North Coast?
 

BushBaby

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Jan 1, 2002
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If you have not booked your flight yet why not take a two week "Package Tour" in one of the All Inclusives at Playa Dorada (or better still, Costa Dorada)? Then you can visit various places in that two week period & see what suits YOU best.

Puerto Plata is non touristy & has recently had a BIG extention to it's beache facilities. There are a number of areas where you could find fairly inexpensive apartments to live in. Whn you find one that suits you, only agree at first to a 3 month rental & extend that only when you are convinced the place is what you want for a year or two before buying!

We moved here from Buckinghamshire 14 years ago & have found it to be the best move we ever made. Puerto Plata is now our home & England is only somewhere we HAVE to visit once every 3 or 4 years!! There are some amusing articles around explaining the culture, planning problems & way of life here - if you want links to them let me know & I will forward them to you.

Judith
Any involvement with RayLeeds from this board? If not, let me know & I will let him know of your interest - he is due here shortly to live & may be able to give you a few pointers. Nice guy who plays a MEAN game of golf!!

Sharlene & Gary B
Where are you guys coming from in the UK? Mid life crises are not a bad thing Gary - I had one at age 45 & have not regretted my move over here at all. Mind you, I did not have children to worry about. Those who HAVE moved here with children at the same age as yours, seem to have had the kids settle in & integrate far better than the parents!! ~ Grahame.
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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. I would suggest that you come and live in an area where you initially have access to a bit of `expat support' and gradually `branch out' to other places when you've found your feet a bit.

Good advice but note 'a bit' of expat support. There are some areas where it would appear that there are more expats than locals.........!

If Judith is adventurous she may want to do it without expat support. When we moved here 14 years ago there weren't too many expats to turn to; don't think it ever did us any harm, just made the learning of some lessons somewhat rapid! As long as you have sufficient humility you can get along just fine with help from the indigenous population. And they will be very helpful.
 

vince1956

On Vacation!
May 24, 2006
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I am moving to the DR next month and i was wondering if you could help me with chosing one of the North Coast cities and towns?
I'm wanting to live in an area with the least tourists as possible. I understand that Sosua is full of prostitutes and sleezy bars and after visiting Cabarete for myself i noticed it was filled with tourists and the like.
My child will be attending school in Puerto Plata so she will need to be able to catch some form of transport into the city, we also are wanting to live as close to the beach as possible but more importantly away for the tourists and resort type areas.
Does anyone have an idea of where we could look to rent or buy?
Thank You!
Judith vist NAGUA its not a Tourist place there are nice school,s there my, step sons have moved to the UK from NAGUA they have been here 3 years all the best vince south wales
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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Better Advice

Good advice but note 'a bit' of expat support. There are some areas where it would appear that there are more expats than locals.........!

If Judith is adventurous she may want to do it without expat support. When we moved here 14 years ago there weren't too many expats to turn to; don't think it ever did us any harm, just made the learning of some lessons somewhat rapid! As long as you have sufficient humility you can get along just fine with help from the indigenous population. And they will be very helpful.

Lambada is absolutely right and has much more experience than myself. I wasn't suggesting that you immerse yourself completely in an expat community, just to be aware that there may be expats who are willing to lend an ear or a helping hand if should you need it. The danger with relying soley on an expat community is that it's easy to start hanging out with people you wouldn't even share a train seat with at home, just because you share the same nationality in a different country. That's not to say that you can't make friends with expats as well as locals, it just takes time and diligence to know who's who..... I think the suggestion of Puerto Plata as a place to start off was a good one, based on what I know and the fact that your daughter is going attend school there anyway.

My decision to move to Sosua was governed by my partner's parents and brother already living there. However, I definitely want to keep my options open to new places and experiences. I believe that `When in Rome...' so I don't want to bury myself in an expat community. I've travelled and backpacked in Java, Borneo, Peru, Venezuela, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, etc so I have experienced many unique and unorthodox situations. Guess I've just become a bit protective and over cautious since I had the kids.....

Dear Bushbaby. I live in Leigh on Sea in Essex (don't even go there with that Essex girl thing....). It's an upmarket seaside town with lots of London commuters, wine bars, expensive restaurants etc and is gradually disappearing up it's own orifice with its pretentiousness! That's why I need to get out.....don't want my girls thinking the key to life is a Prada handbag!

I really enjoy staying in touch with these forums.By being able to keep up with current news, plus pick up lots of advice and information from experienced residents, it's kept me motivated to make the move. So thank you everyone.:D :D :D
 

garyB

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Aug 20, 2006
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Sharlene & Gary B
Where are you guys coming from in the UK? Mid life crises are not a bad thing Gary - I had one at age 45 & have not regretted my move over here at all. Mind you, I did not have children to worry about. Those who HAVE moved here with children at the same age as yours, seem to have had the kids settle in & integrate far better than the parents!! ~ Grahame.

I am 38 and have lived in or around North London all my life. I want to be able to give my children the chance to play safely without worrying about anybody and everybody they speak to. I want to be able to know that they can go out and not worry that the next time i see them will not be in a hospital bed. I want them to be able to express themselves without having to bow to ridiculous Political Correctness. I want them to be able to spend there time swimming or horseriding instead of watching Cartoon Network all day long.
Unfortuntaly England is not a nice place to live anymore and we want something better. Personally i want to go as the beers cheaper.

Our plans are at a very early stage, it would take at least a year or so here with several more visits before we took the plunge but its starting to feel like the correct move.
 

sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
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If your child is attending school in Puerto Plata, places like Nagua (over 2 hours away) would not seem to be an option. Puerto Plata is much closer to being a "real" Dominican city than Sosua or Cabarete, and housing would be less expensive as well. Costumbar is right next door, to the West. I would think those would be the first 2 places you should look.