Cabarete vs. Las Terrenas

Joemama said:

Hi - I posted in the Samana forum, but seem to be getting a lot of feedback from people that are biased towards Las Terrenas. We are a group of friends looking to rent a house in the DR. Some of us surf, others of us enjoy fishing, snorkeling, hanging out at the beach.

It appears that Cabarete is more convenient and has more surf. But is it too much of a party atmosphere? And do people really just go for surf?

I've heard Las Terrenas is not that different. There is Las Galeras 1.5 hours away fwhich is supposed to be more laid back with empty beaches and good snorkeling, but no waves.

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there is a surf beach about 2 miles west of cabarete back towards the airport. i dont remember exactly where it was as my friend was the one that did the surfing. there was a guy that rented surfboards there. from what i remember there was a handwriten sign that is easy to miss if your not paying attention. Sosua beach is excellent for snorkeling, no waves. cabarete the water is to rough for snorkeling but the atmosphere is kind of relaxed, not really a party place.
las terenas is not a place to surf , i dont know about snorkeling but i would imagine its nice. Its very peaceful and there arent many people on the beach. they have ok villas in las terenas but they arent as new as one you would find near cabarete. if i was chosing i would pick cabarete. just stay out of Sosua at night if your trying to avoid party scene.

swiggy said:

there is a surf beach about 2 miles west of cabarete back towards the airport. i dont remember exactly where it was as my friend was the one that did the surfing. there was a guy that rented surfboards there. from what i remember there was a handwriten sign that is easy to miss if your not paying attention. Sosua beach is excellent for snorkeling, no waves. cabarete the water is to rough for snorkeling but the atmosphere is kind of relaxed, not really a party place.
las terenas is not a place to surf , i dont know about snorkeling but i would imagine its nice. Its very peaceful and there arent many people on the beach. they have ok villas in las terenas but they arent as new as one you would find near cabarete. if i was chosing i would pick cabarete. just stay out of Sosua at night if your trying to avoid party scene.

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Encuentro is the name of the beach you are talking about. It is about 3 KM out of Cabarete heading towards Sosua. You can find a lot of info on it by using the search function.

Cabarete for sure

Guys, definitely better surfing in and around Cabarete; you have several breaks to choose from, it's a no-brainer. Las Galeras has one unreliable peak in comparison. Check WindGURU: Dominican Republic - Cabarete for waves.

Las Terrenas and Las Galeras are beautiful, but for convenience, variety of restaurants, bars and activities, and surfing, you are definitely better off in Cabarete. Las Galeras is not 1.5 hours from Las Terrenas (it's closer), but neither place is anything like Cabarete. The fishing is better there than in Cabarete and there are several incredible secluded-type beaches on the Samana Peninsula that you won't find in Cabarete...but there are a few within 30-60 minute drive, and there is some Charter fishing available nearby. LT and LG are probably better for snorkeling, but Sosua Bay has decent snorkeling and is only a few minutes away from Cabarete.

You can rent a villa/house right at Surf Beach (Playa Encuentro) and be 5 minutes to the center of Cabarete or Sosua in the opposite direction. Or you can rent a villa just outside Cabarete or Sosua, be closer to the bigger "hangout" beaches and restaurants/bars and whoever wants to surf can be at Encuentro in a few minutes.

Neither Sosua nor Cabarete have much of a daytime party scene, but at night Cabarete Beach turns into a world-class party destination. Sosua has a completely different vibe at night...plenty has been written about that here on DR1. During the day, Cabarete Beach is much mellower and quieter than Sosua Beach, but both are awesome for spending the day in the sun and water, and having a few drinks and/or food...

There are about a dozen places at Encuentro that rent boards and gear...and offer lessons. There are also places in Cabarete that offer equipment, lodging, lessons, and rides to Encuentro every morning...

Checkout: Cabarete - Dominican Republic - by Active Cabarete

swiggy said:

cabarete the water is to rough for snorkeling but the atmosphere is kind of relaxed, not really a party place.

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I disagree with you. Cabarete is RAVE capital of the DR. Every weekend they have events on the main strip. I know this because when I go to the DR I head to Cabarete for the parties. Also, because my friends/family are always talking to me about this or that event in Cabarete.

El Tigre said:

I disagree with you. Cabarete is RAVE capital of the DR. Every weekend they have events on the main strip. I know this because when I go to the DR I head to Cabarete for the parties. Also, because my friends/family are always talking to me about this or that event in Cabarete.

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Raves in Cabarete main street every weekend? Don't think so. Maybe your weekends here surround major holidays when occasionally there's some electronica DJ with a stage/tent on the beach. But that's far from the norm.

On the beach (main street) at night after 10pm you'll find Lax (laid back casual), Jose O'Shays (sports bar/irish pub with live music with guy playing guitar), Bambu & Onno's with reggaeton/international dance music, VoyVoy (laid back bar with occasional live soft rock band or reggae), jazz night at Pomodoro, and jazz night at Pelican Bar.

There's the Jazz Festival one weekend per year & a timeshare group brought in a U2 tribute band one night.

There may be some rave-like scenes at some after parties, but they're not in downtown Cabarete. "Rave or rave party is a term first used in the 1980s and 90s to describe dance parties (often all-night events) with fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties DJs and other performers play electronic dance music, including house, trance, techno and jungle". Nah, not main street Cabarete sort of thing except on rare, rare occasions.

Anyhow, Cabarete's as laid back as you want it to be.