Sosua

korejdk,
i live nearby but generally avoid sosua. playero maybe once a month to pick up a few things & maybe lunch once a month with someone in sosua. the beach is nice, but i find the vendors very annoying, and the beach is overcrowded on weekends. the ambiance at night in what i know to be the main area of town is of no interest to me.

with that said, and in all seriousness... tell me what i'm missing that i might enjoy.

korejdk said:

So CFA, my believe is that everything is related to one's perception about the environment.

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Exactly, some like it some don't. It's not about bashing, or men or women it's about each owns perception, preferences and standards.
I live in POP... it's not paradise, but I would need to get paid a lot to live in Sosua. Even when I bank there, do some business there, buy my Wurst at any of the 3 German butchers and prefer Moser's bread. If it wasn't for "my" girls going to school there, I would be seen much less often than I currently am (which is several times a week but only until sundown).
Yes, the beach is nice, and I can handle the vendors too. But there are other things I don't feel great about on that beach and a lot has to do with the type of foreigners "hanging" around there and their "activities" and behavior.
Is it only a red light district along the Clisante strip and only at night? Well, I beg to differ. The lot lizards seem to be roaming the area from Charamicos to most of El Batey, day and night. One can ignore them and their "activities", but it is quite obvious. Prostitution is not just a 5 minute activity, it also reflects upon the society... families crumble, kids grow up with false ideas and values, etc.
Growth? Well, define growth, since you mentioned the word economy in the same sentence. But that's not just a Sosua issue, maybe not even just a DR issue either.

So, that's my perception of it and you the OP, may not agree, but it is not intended to be bashing just because your opinion and perception being different.

... J-D.

Everyone hates Sosua but I bet if they cleaned it up and changed the entire town to make it a 'family' destination, it would be the same people complaining about the good ole days and how great Sosua was.

korejdk said:

JD, you have my respect based on your previous posts - my post regarding Sosua is based merely on my visits so are not based on one's living "there" experience, however it does trully reflect my experiences in Sosua...I noticed that chicas on calle PC judge you by you bodywalk ( or whatever but they do ) before they decide if you're game...They can "smell" a newbie yet they never bother a resident.
I just adore Sosua period. On my last trip I got the grippe, so for the last two days of my trip I just sat under an umbrella sippin' lemonade with a cin of brugal but I was most happy...

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Thanks for the nice comment, Korejdk.
I am glad you enjoyed your vacation. I think most are, including those whom you may suspect of bashing the town you have come to love so much. It's not that people want to run the town into the mud with words, it's that most would like to see a safer, more attractive, "cleaner" Sosua (and other the like towns) which could attract more vacationers to enjoy the beauty of the land and sea over that of the local girls and boys (I am in no way implying that YOU are coming here for all the wrong reasons, btw).
I have seldom observed working girls to actively incommode tourist besides being quite obviously visible. The "working" boys however, can act a bit less discreetly.
The girls, consciously or not, do have a certain antenna to tell potential customers apart from people they have no chances with, resident or not. Actually, at times, they can even show a certain respect for those who will not be seen in "those" bars or having a history of trading "novias".
Still, you will certainly understand that some vacationers who come here on the promise of a quite vacation on a Caribbean beach with kids and the grandma, may come to recent these girls and boys mere existence.

I for one, am more concerned about the type of foreigners this side of the "our" tourist industry attracts, vacationers and "residents" alike, and the impact the whole sex "industry" has had on local families and their often work related accidental offspring and it's future. This without mentioning again, corrupt "law", pimps, bums, drug peddlers and consumers and all the related delinquency.

Thanks! ... J-D.

korejdk,
i appreciate your effort to educate me (really). i'd like to add some places in sosua as options but pool halls don't do it for me; as someone that lives here very many $40-$50 snorkel trips would break the bank pretty quickly; not sure what you mean about the place at the exit of Cabarete where water is flowing.

Sosua during the day isn't so bad. It's potentially a phenomenal place. Nice beach and large enough to offer a variety of dining options and bars... but in my opinion, not a place to live or visit often until there's no longer the feeling that you're either in or need to pass through a red light district or dangerous area to enjoy yourself in the evenings. It just seems to cater to those looking for that type of entertainment.

I'll give you a few places that I have been to and didn't find so bad in Sosua at night. Ruby's, Sosua Ocean Village restaurant, Parada el Choco, and Hideaway Bar when they have their latin dance nights.

I have been into Classico's, Seacrets, La Puntilla de Pier Giorgio, La Roca, Eddy's, etc, etc... but depending on the type establishment either found the ambiance wasn't something I wanted or the food quality not good enough to return.

If anyone can add to the list of good places to try... I'm all ears.

It all depends

On the way you wish to live. Been in Sosua since 1983 and wouldn'd live in Puerto Plata (yuk) Santiago or Sto. Dgo. even if they gave me free rent. Just do my business, don't hang out in hooker bars. My friends are professional business people (Dominican and others). If I go out at night, no one hastles me, everyone is friendly and respectfull. Sometimes I wonder if there is another Sosua. People who travel here once or twice a year are nowhere near qualified to give advice.

i think the problem here is relationships and bonds. i'm a regular traveler to sosua but i have dominican friends there now (barrio types and professional types). so what kind of vacation i have depends on me.
i think most people tend to do the same old thing everytime they visit. and for God's sake learn spanish !! it opens doors......

We have been living in the Sosua area for 3.5 years now and still enjoy the place.
Yes the beach can be crowded especially on weekends, but that to some extent is part of the charm. No the vendors do not bother us with their food and wares after one "no gracias" and in fact the shrimp guy (you would have to hold a gun to my head to eat a shrimp that has been in the sun all day) will even sit for a minute with us under the umbrella to cool off. If anything sometimes the tourists can be obnoxious on the beach. Yes there are some girls "trowling" but for the most part they are on the strip along the bars looking for old fat men with big fat wallets
There are plenty of places for a good meal at night. Some are La Rocha (yes we got here especially for ribs on Friday's bbq), La Bache (sp), Cafe Cubano (great after dinner place for coffees and dessert), Orchidee (our favorite good food, cheap price place), Bologna's and others. I have never seen a "working girl" apporach a patron in any of these places and in fact pretty much stay on one side of the street infront of Cllassicos, El Flow, Fat Herman's etc). Never been a hassle for us.
There is a very large and vibrant "expat" community in the Susua area and more moving in every day.

Bob K

This is crazy talk....Ive never been propostioned in Sosua, someone touched my arm a couple of times to let me know they were there,(hardly hard core ) but you just walk on.....if you look interested people will approach. However I have been propostioned in Cabarete and had drugs offered to me there on the beach

jrhartley said:

This is crazy talk....Ive never been propostioned in Sosua, someone touched my arm a couple of times to let me know they were there,(hardly hard core ) but you just walk on.....if you look interested people will approach. However I have been propostioned in Cabarete and had drugs offered to me there on the beach

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Pig...well said and I totally agree....i even respect the girls in this matter cause me as a woman myself would never could do the work these poor girls do to survive....Chapeau with respect...
Coralia

Hi All,
I think those of you that have read my comments on the other posts will already know my views about Sosua and I shan't waste your time (and mine) by repeating them.
My wife, step-son & I are there at least three times a year and feel we must be visiting a different town when I compare our experiences to those posted by some.
Perhaps, because I'm not constantly looking for the bad points of the town, I don't see them - as an example, have many posters been to Playa Caleton on a weekend and found it quiet and free of locals.. or any North Coast beach that is tourist based - to name just one "bad thing"?
However, I do thank all posters for their honest comments however much I feel some of them are misguided and are uploaded merely to provoke a response, rather than to inform. I have gained a valuable insight into the way things work in the Dominican Republic since I joined DR1 & have used the information posted to make many informed choices - including the one to purchase an apartment in Sosua rather than Cabarete or Costambar or Puerto Plata.
I continue looking forward to reading posts from well informed & un-biased ex-pats whose wealth of knowledge & experience I intend to absorb, so I can learn from their mistakes & hopefully prevent me from repeating them myself.
Tropical Regards
Reidy

On friday night I went with a group of friends, as usual, to the Waterfront restaurant at 6pm for their happy hour and to watch the sun set across the bay behind the mountain. Stunning views, nice atmosphere. This week we decided that we would eat at Baileys, had great food and great service. There were some gringos in Baileys with Dominican girls, could have been wives or girlfriends or even hookers, they didn't bother us and we didn't bother them. This has been how we spend friday nights for years. A few beers and then go to eat at one of many restaurants that Sosua has.
We don't often have to go past the girly bars but it's no big deal if we do, can be quite amusing!
We've lived in Sosua for 5 years and have had no problems. We have a GREAT group of friends here. If you move to Sosua and your husbandwife suddenly starts playing around, I don't think that's the town's fault!
I've known Eddy since we arrived here and agree 100% with his comments!

It is probably the best place in the world for Haitian hookers, but not much else. To defend the place, the beach is nice and I never felt like I was in any danger. Ever.

49erman said:

It is probably the best place in the world for Haitian hookers, but not much else. To defend the place, the beach is nice and I never felt like I was in any danger. Ever.

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How did you know the hookers were Haitian; if you don't mind me asking?
Tropical Regards
Reidy

After continuously pestuously asking us to buy them a beer or a cigarette, it came up in conversation.

49erman said:

After continuously pestuously asking us to buy them a beer or a cigarette, it came up in conversation.

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Okeydokey - is that every time you walked around Sosua or one time when you had a "bad day" there; if you don't mind me asking?
I must be blessed, or ugly, because they don't seem to bother me aranoid:
Tropical Regards
Reidy

one only makes eye-contact if one is interested- this is how people get bothered,by seeming interested when they arent- I think its called playing games,then they complain about the attention