best place for expats on the North Coast #3

Nicely put ronks!
I'm not going to say it's the best place because, obviously, that's subjective but we settled in Sosua because it has good infrastructure, banks, clinics, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs etc. Many of the locals speak english which is a big help whilst you are learning spanish. There is beautiful scenery, the bay and the beaches. It is quite convenient for bigger cities ie Puerto Plata and Santiago and just 10 minutes from the airport. Over the five years that we've been here we have seen massive improvements in the roads and general appearance of the area.

I was asked last night in the bar why I'm always defending Costambar, well here's why.

Everything you need is within walking distance,
the beach is cleaner than most,
the town is reasonably safe to walk around in (safer than Huddersfield at any rate),
it is a multi-national, multi-cultural community (last week on my wifes' birthday we had 9 different nationalities in the bar),
the administration are marginally less incompetant than the national & regional governments,
IT'S HOME.

As regards the power plant pollution, try driving up "blue hill" in POP with your windows open!
The entry road is no hindrance to us - in fact I believe it should be left to its' own devices so the robbers can't make a quick getaway & the rif-raf stay out

Pssst Ron
That sounds like an Oscar acceptance speech m8 lol

Ron,
I was in Santiago from 2000-2003 and found it to be a nice place to live & work. Today when I visit I'm amazed by how much it's grown & how much more it offers in terms of entertainment, restaurants, etc. I can only imagine it is an even better place to live than when I was there.

When I was living there, I used to travel to Cabarete nearly every weekend & grew to love the town... and I've ultimately settled in Cabarete. It's small, quiet (unless you are near the discos), and has permanent residents from many countries. There are a few months of high season & a couple of crazy weekends (Semana Santa & New Years), but otherwise it's pretty tranquil. I enjoy the beach with the kites & windsurfing - not that I participate, but it's nice to see all the action on the water without noise created by boat motors, etc. It's also a great beach for walking. I've got my group of friends here now & never lacking for the chance to share a cup of coffee, lunch, dinner, or a night out.

Cabarete doesn't offer a wide variety if you need to do some shopping, though many things can be found - the selection is often not great. Proximity to Puerto Plata, and Santiago provide outlets when you really need to do a major shopping trip.

I don't think Cabarete is for everyone. It's about 1km long & with essentially no depth inland. If you're easily bored or looking for a lot of commercial variety in your day or night entertainment choices, it just doesn't exist. Also, if you're looking for employment opportunities, the selection is fairly limited. In addition one of the more expensive areas to live in.

Cabarete is not a paradise without problems. There's crime, though most is outside of the center of town... or encountered by those seeking drugs, prostitutes, etc.

As for some other north coast areas:
Sosua for me is for a trip to the supermarket tor maybe lunch with friends. The beach is nice, but too crowded for me on the weekends. I don't like the ambiance on Pedro Clisante at night & it's not much better during the day. Perhaps there are some options away from the 'meat market' scene, but I've not really searched for them.

Puerto Plata I like. It's like a little Santiago to me. A real Dominican city with most people leading normal lives not related to the tourist industry. I can imagine it's a nice place to live.

Las Terrenas/Samana... is a beautiful area. I've not spent enough time out there to have a feel for what daily life might be like.

Anyhow, that's my take on "best places for expats" on the north coast. The ups/downs/challenges of daily life wherever one may choose is a whole other can of worms.

For what it's worth, I'll add that Monte Cristi is nice, but very limited in options & isolated by location.

Ultimately, I think anyone's happiness hinges more on their family & friends they manage to make as opposed to exactly where one lives.

CFA123 said:

Puerto Plata I like. It's like a little Santiago to me. A real Dominican city with most people leading normal lives not related to the tourist industry. I can imagine it's a nice place to live........Ultimately, I think anyone's happiness hinges more on their family & friends they manage to make as opposed to exactly where one lives.

Click to expand...

Yes it is a nice place to live. As well as the shopping opportunities (but not as many as Santiago) there are cultural opportunities: art, photography exhibitions, sculpture, poetry readings, book presentations etc at the Casa de Cultura & Arte 48 (old Court House). The more upscale residential areas are Bayardo & Torre Alta, closely followed by Urbanizacion Atlantica, & the areas behind Marapica, and some opposite Playa Dorada like El Doral.

I wouldn't recommend it for new expats with no Spanish and no friends or contacts already living in the area (for those, Costambar might be easier or Sosua or Cabarete). Most of the expats living in the town itself (& there are fewer than Sosua or Cabarete) have been here quite a while, know the ropes and don't have 'dramas' :cheeky: & perhaps more importantly, referring to CFA's point above, already have their friendship groups which in the main are Dominican and not expat. As Hillbilly pointed out on a previous thread, the circle of established Dominican families of PP can be difficult to break into for a newcomer. But for expats who have already proved they are staying, those families are most welcoming.

There have been, over the years, a number of 'expat' bars. Some of them don't last all that long but Sam's, near the centre, has been here as long as I can remember. Commerce in the town generally has taken a visable hit in the last few months, with some long established shops closing down, like Fine Gift Centre on 12 de Julio plus other smaller places. Thus driving around town is very easy these days, because all the vehicles seem to be parked up and there is no congestion. However, that is, of course, bad for business owners.

It might be the sort of place you move to, after you have spent time in Sosua and have had enough of the 'tourist' focus. Cabrera & Gasper Hernandez likewise, although they are smaller and much quieter. But all three places offer 'normal' family life. You can find that in Sosua as well of course, but it won't be the first thing which strikes the newcomer particularly if they have not yet learned how to scratch beneath the surface of an area.

As a country, the DR is great for expats who are realistically happy with themselves. For those running from something or other (either internal or external) it is NOT a good place, neither PP, Sosua, Cabarete, Cabrera...........anywhere.

Ronks,

You need to do some research on this forums a little more. DR is not a place to try and do things on the cheap, that is for sure. I grew to dislike the DR from my years there- but the North Coast is much better than Santo DOmingo. Ever look into Costa Rica? I am looking at property there now. Infrastructure is better, crime is less. Locals have decency.

Of course the usual suspects on here will attack me and tell you that coming to the DR "is the greatest thing" while ignoring a disfunctional country that is dangerous for ex-pat residents(but not so much for tourists). Just why in your retirement years does someone want to deal with the constant stress of the DR? Is it worth the beaches? Let me hear your rational perhaps...

49erman said:

Ronks,

Ever look into Costa Rica? I am looking at property there now. Infrastructure is better, crime is less. Locals have decency.

Click to expand...

49erman; Ever read Alan Weisbecker's book 'Can't you get along with anybody?' I suggest you do before investing in Costa Rica because the locals are so much better than the DR.

Don't want to rain on your parade, but nowhere is perfect :knockedou

49erman said:

Just why in your retirement years does someone want to deal with the constant stress of the DR?

Click to expand...

I fully appreciate that you probably had constant stress in the DR, 49erman, but you can't assume that that is true of everyone. My life has minimal stress - in fact after I adjusted to living here, I took on additional challenges to keep the mind active and to provide some stress . You need to distinguish between stress and distress - some of the former can make for creativity; it's the latter which isn't good. Look at ronks previous posts: he has been visiting for a number of years and has looked at different areas i.e. is doing his homework. Plus he's a giver not a taker and is unfailingly polite and courteous. That eliminates much of the stress for starters. I say good luck to him whatever he decides .

After living in the Dr for 3 years, I have no stress with this country whatsoever , now the only stress I have is dealing with people from outside the country!

Go Figure!

bring him back

Bye bye Steve,

It's kind of disingenuous patting your self on the back like that using a sock puppet - isn't it!

Gregg
Mod.

This is helpful, thanks. There are sufficient conversations on why you should not live in the DR and when I need that info I know where to find it. However having made my decision to live there (eyes wide open) what is most helpful is to hear about the choices of places, people's real life experiences. Please keep this conversation going as it is very helpful.

A good many expats go to the north coast because of the availability of services and facilities. If not immediately available in a specific north coast town, public transit makes it very easy to commute to Puerto Plata, Sosua and Santiago. That's why there are more expats on the north coast and they don't have to buy a vehicle if one isn't working or managing a business.

I Lived in Rio San Juan and Cabrera

I lived in Rio San Juan full time for six month and then just outside of Rio San Juan for another year. I've now lived full time in Cabrera for a year. Here is my take on things:

I feel like Rio San Juan has lost a lot of its tourist and draw over the last year and a half but then many other places have also. There is a fairly large French population, several hundred, with most living in private communities in the mountains just outside of Rio San Juan. You will find three busy French owned restaurants and bars currently operating in the central part of town near gri gri laguna; Cafe de Paris, Estrella and the new one I can't remember the name but it was Spanish owned and now a French guy opened it who just closed his place here in Cabrera call Orchidia. When I go to Rio on any weeknight I feel like the place dead compared to Cabrera on a weeknight. Rio San Juan also tends to me more expensive than Cabrera. I always find better prices on food and clothing here that Rio, but not on rent. I often hear local complain about Rio not having any work and being over priced. I tend to agree. The main hotel in Rio, Casa Blanca I think, is very run down and many complain about it even thought the view is wonderful

On any given night in Cabrera you will see people in the streets, at the park and walking around in general. It just seems there's a lot more activity. I believe this could possibly be due to more money being on the street than in Rio. Cabrera has a very high end community called Orchid Bay. They have several multi-million dollar villas and employ a fair number of locals to work at them. The have a couple excellent pizza places, Chori Pan being my favorite, and Rosse's. On almost any night you will find Chori Pan full of gringos and tourist. Great food at a cheap price and always consistent, a rare thing in this part of the world. Hotel La Catalina is a beautiful place just outside of Cabrera and employs around 40 locals.Cabrera just seems like a notch up in most aspects from Rio San Juan, to me anyway.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific question.

SD

chori pan

Wow, I loved that place!

I am no expert on living in the DR. Cabrera was my home for a mere two months. I found it isolated for a single lady. I had a hard time adjusting to the constant invites from married guys, too. However it is a vibrant, bustling place in many ways, as the other person said, there is energy there. You will want to travel to other places just for the variety of food and shopping. I went to Nagua and to San Francisco de macoris.

If you are a man you'll have a much different take on it than myself.