Holy week

First, realize that Breezes Puerto Plata is not in the city of Puerto Plata, but in Cabarete, which is in the Province of Puerto Plata. You are about 40 minutes from the city of Puerto Plata.
Send a PM to La Profe_1. She works with the Catholic Diocese in Puerto Plata. She can tell you which churches are more convenient to Breezes.

gettingmarriedinthedr said:

Hi Everybody

Iam going to Puerto Plata from April 1st till 8th, iam getting married on April 3rd. Just wandering my in laws are catholic and i think it would be a good experience to go to a church in the RD for Easter. Where is there a nice church to go to and does anybody know the times and dates of the services

As well Iam staying at Breezes Puerto plata and was wandering if i could get an honest locals opinin of this hotel.

I was wandering as well, i wanted to get the guest that are going to my wedding a thank you gift and i was thinking some coffee and Vanilla ( i heard that its some of the best vanilla friends have tasted) what is the best coffee to buy and where are the best places to buy this stuff. does anybody else have an opinin on what else i can buy my guest as a think you gift from the RD

thank you so much for your help

michelle:laugh:

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Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. The only Catholic Church that I know of in the area is in Sosua, San Antonio de Padua. I went to mass last time I was there, the english service(most of it is still in Spanish and you can actully follow along whatever language it is in) is 10:00am on Sunday. I am not sure how far the Breezes actually is from Puerto Plata, but there is a church there too, we saw it while sightseeing.

I think that the vanilla and coffee is a nice choice for gifts. I usually go to the Supermercado by the Police station and buy my vanilla, the dark because the light seems to go funny after a while. The prices are good and they have various sizes. The coffee prices to me were cheaper at the resort so I would shop around. I happen to like Cafe Bustelo, but I'm sure other brands are just as good, (can't happen to think of any though ,lol).

I hear that there is an Orange market where you can get coffee and a whole lot of other things very reasonable, so we will check that out next time.
Since your relatives are Catholic, I saw someone with a nice Ivory rosary also what about Holy medals form the DR?

Anyway I hoped that I helped in some small way.

Breezes

gettingmarriedinthedr said:

As well Iam staying at Breezes Puerto plata and was wandering if i could get an honest locals opinin of this hotel.

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If you want a true honest opinion about this hotel here goes.... Yuck!

Why? Just another all inclusive hotel with mediocre food, mediocre rooms and below par service. I don't for the life of me understand what the attraction is to the all inclusive holiday as there are so many small intimate properties on the north coast that are just as competitive.

I don't mean to be a downer, however if you're looking for something special for your wedding Breezes is about as special as going to Vegas for the night.

You can PM me if you'd like the name and information of a few intimate places in the area.

Jack

If you check with the front desk at The Breezes they will give you a schedule for church services in the area. There is a taxi stand right out in front of the lobby and any one of them will be happy to take you to a church in Sousa for $10.00 US.

Cafe Santo Domingo is the most popular coffee and can be bought in just about every Colmado, Supermarket, Liquor Store, etc. At the Playero Supermarket in Sosua and the Super Super liquor store, also in Sosua, they have some decent "gift packs" with coffee, cocoa, cigars, maybe vanilla as well...

avoid the organic cocoa box packaged in the gift sections. it is way too light and you will never get a choc flavor in whatever you use it in.

Buy the "Munne cocoa amarga para repostreria" it is similar to any dutch process (alkanalized) cocoa and ten times better than Hershey's or Nestle's. They usually have this in the baking section or near the powdered milk. I actually prefer the Munne to my old standby Droste's, which was $6 a 14 oz box when I left the US. A 1 lb package should cost you around RD40 or about US1.25.

If you want to buy vanilla, make sure you bring some Ziploc bags with you. the bottles are terribly cheap and flimsy, the caps can almost be flicked off. Tape the lids on. Pack them in individual ziplocs for the ride back, one is almost sure to come open. The 4 or 5oz bottle is RD8.50 at the Playero. I think the 16oz is RD25.

They also have some cheap flavoring extracts if you have anyone who is a baker- pineapple, raspberry, strawberry. These are prob 8 or 12oz bottles for RD17. I haven't tried these yet, but for the price, why not?

Enjoy!

Maggie6872 said:

avoid the organic cocoa box packaged in the gift sections. it is way too light and you will never get a choc flavor in whatever you use it in.

Buy the "Munne cocoa amarga para repostreria" it is similar to any dutch process (alkanalized) cocoa and ten times better than Hershey's or Nestle's. .

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You are right about that cocoa in the gift packs, it tastes like air (lol) and I almost used the whole bag before I realized that it was not going to taste any differently.

I will try the "Munne cocoa amarga para repostreria" next time I go.

no church info, but some tips

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Here's a list of things I thought of after reading your post:

1. You are not staying in Puerta Plata. Breezes is located midway between Sosua and Cabarete. Check out a map. Furthest west is Puerta Plate (the actual city), then the airport, then Sosua (the airport is only 5 minutes from Sosua), then Sosua, then Breezes (10 minutes from Sosua), then Cabarete (another 10 minutes from Breezes). Confusing, yes. Seriously, study a map.

2. Each town has something to offer. History in Puerta Plata, a gorgeous beach and lively nightlife in Sosua, and water sports and a younger vibe in Cabarete.

3. If you are already booked at Breezes, you'll need ways to escape the all-inclusiveness. There you'll find a decent hotel, OK beach and a great casino.
Generally OK though.

4. Think about getting your party out of the resort a couple of times. For a rehearsal dinner, The Waterfront in Sosua would be nice, maybe Casita Pappi's in Cabarete. There's an interesting place called the Blue Moon, Indian food, a bit of a drive though. Maybe a day in Cabarete? A day trip to Playa Grande (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world).

5. Gifts. Coffee, cigars, larimar jewelry, carved gourds, sarongs, Haitian artwork, rum, etc. My advice is to take a walk around Sosua for the best deals. Try to avoid the tourist shop at the resort.

6. An ideal day out. Load everyone up. Drive out to the Boca Bar, a cool little beach hut of a bar not far from Breezes. Fernando, the owner can treat everyone to ice-cold Presidente beers, rum and cokes, a delicious meal of grilled lobster and fish, rice and salad, all for a very decent price. All the while enjoying the great ocean breeze, a walk on the beach, bodysurfing, watching the kiteboarders practice, taking a boat up the river for a tour, etc. VERY tropical and casual.

7. Most importantly, take advice from anyone working at the resort with a grain of salt. They do not want to you to leave the property. They may tell you it is dangerous. Quite the contrary. If you are here, you need to get out and meet the warm and gracious people of the DR. Don't just hang with all of the drunk Europeans at the resort.

Good luck.

gettingmarriedinthedr said:

thank you so much for your help. The orange market is somewere around the playa dora complex (from what i heard) there is also a blue market past the orange market. I wonder if they have a red market (lol). Iam very excited to go to the DR, the months aren't going fast enough!!

michelle

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The Blue Markets (or Blue Huts) are no longer there since the beach re-constriuction.

The Orange Huts are still there but they are not Orange any longer, but rather in cement rooms with thatched roofs. All in a long row.

These can be found on the beach in the Playa Dorada beach, beside the hotel formely known as Playa Naco.

But you will be in Cabarete which as you were advised in a prvious post is about a 40 minute drive from this area. Just an FYI....in case you do go out looking for this area.

Happy Wedding! Felicidades.

Lisa