For beach lovers, it may be time to seek out a new island!

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
This expression simply is not true.
It it is like the saying: "Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps".
What if you don't have any boots.

The topic of the thread is related to "Beach Renovations"

The informal vendors being pushed off the beaches where "renovations" are being performed did not create their own problems.
When the DRGOV says move. You make your court play and if you lose you pack your things. It has nothing to do with your own actions.
I guess my question is about the vendors. I’ll use the two beaches closest to our home as examples.

Playa Palenque has several restaurants on the beach, most have been there for decades. They’re block buildings, some indoor/outdoor, some with all tables on the sand with umbrellas.

Playa Najayo has several block built restaurants too, but it also has a bunch of wooden frituras on the beach, many in the 60M setback.

Now I don’t consider them the same. The longtime restaurants are very different to me from the newer frituras. Are they talking about removing EVERYONE and starting over? Some owners on both beaches claim they have titles for their properties, I’m not sure about that, but I know some of them for about 45 years.
 

Ecoman1949

Born to Ride.
Oct 17, 2015
2,809
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I don’t frequent the beaches in tourist areas. In fact, I’ve never been to Sosúa Beach. I spend my time on remote beaches or less touristy beaches like La Isabella or Luperon beach. The current government initiative to civilize certain beach’s won’t affect my DR lifestyle and what’s happening at Sosúa beach certainly won’t impact my day to day DR activities.

The novelty of ” hot“ new beaches in the tourist towns (PC excepted) wears off over time anyway and the locals eventually end up reclaiming their beaches. Good on them! How much political effort has been wasted on reinventing Cabarete and Sosúa? Money and effort that could have been expended on more pressing matters.

I don’t have any reason to seek out new beaches in other countries. I can always find a nice out of the way beach anywhere in the DR and hang with the locals.
 

MariaRubia

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2019
2,309
3,089
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Folks like that are easily recognizable and stand out like a sore thumb.

I work in the hotel industry and can say that 99% of the time terrible reviews are to do with money. There is always another side to the story. Quite often a guest wants to bring back someone who is underage, the hotel stops them, the guest gets mad and then finds every little problem and takes photos and posts a bad review. Or someone arrives at the property and has used a fraudulent credit card to reserve but then says everything is terrible and wants a refund in cash. I would say that maybe 1 in 100 guests tries to blackmail hotels with a bad review these days.

If a guest has a truly bad experience, ie the AC doesn't work, there is no hot water, they hate the food, any decent hotel will know about this and manage it before check-out. Maybe give them an upgrade, a free bottle of wine, a free night, something to keep them happy.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,970
113
I guess my question is about the vendors. I’ll use the two beaches closest to our home as examples.

Playa Palenque has several restaurants on the beach, most have been there for decades. They’re block buildings, some indoor/outdoor, some with all tables on the sand with umbrellas.

Playa Najayo has several block built restaurants too, but it also has a bunch of wooden frituras on the beach, many in the 60M setback.

Now I don’t consider them the same. The longtime restaurants are very different to me from the newer frituras. Are they talking about removing EVERYONE and starting over? Some owners on both beaches claim they have titles for their properties, I’m not sure about that, but I know some of them for about 45 years.
If anyone built within the 60 meter public land area, they are at EXTREME Risk of being removed at any point in time. As those in Sosua will eventually see who never thought anything would happen, but now are facing reality.

I fully expect anyone in violation are targets in the governments plan for renovations. How fair would it be to let some violators on other beaches stay within that 60 meters while those at Encuentro were removed and those in Sosua will be removed

Any squatters that are on other people's land are also at risk, depending upon how wall land owners can avoid any squatters right' s issues. But that is not likely a part of the government's plans.
 

PJT

Silver
Jan 8, 2002
3,568
305
83
The government reinventing the beaches has an obvious and good agenda of cleaning them up. However, at what cost? Restructuring restaurants, policing informal vendors or expelling them is part of the formula? The fallout of the agenda drives up the costs of beach businesses, ie: rents, (mafia fees?), parking fees, fees/permits on safari companies, and ect; all of which is passed on to the beach visitors. It is driving some of the economically challenged public away from a rare day's enjoyment of the beach waters and sands that may include a rice, fish, cold beer, and tostones meal at a restaurant. There are many Dominicans who will say the government should interfere less, only make sure the beaches and their facilities are clean, order is kept, and there are adequate beach/water safety measures. Less for some is more enjoyment.
 
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Yourmaninvegas

Well-known member
Feb 16, 2016
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Macao, Las Galeras, Miches​

Macao has always been the people beach in Punta Cana. But now the DRGOV is sticking its nose into the area.
Whenever I goto an area specifically for beach going, I ask people who live there: "Where do the local people go to the beach?"
That is how I discovered Macao.
It is far away from the tourist beaches of Punta Cana.
There is a small section right as you enter the beach where adventuresome tourist hang out.
But as you continue driving and go off road you get to the (seems to be hated by the DRGOV) group of informal vendors who treat you like you just arrived at a Ritz Carton or the Signature at MGM.
You pull up and they meet you at your vehicle to open the door for you.
They tell you where they are going to park your vehicle and ask if you have things you want to unload and carry to the beach.
They ask you where you want to be and point to the different options that you have.
They escort you to the spot you pick and then get you set up with whatever chairs or other items you seek.
You need ice...they got that...you need something they don't have...they are calling the local colmado for you and having it delivered.
The food served was excellent.
And there were hardly anyone one there because local people working in the tourist industry...they all don't have that "one day" everybody is free and they have their chance to goto the beach.
No improvements are needed at Playa Macao.
It was was the best overall beach experience I had ever had until I went to Playa Playita in Las Galeras.

Those who think that the focus of DRGOV is only on tourist beaches (in my opinion) don't really understand what is going on here. They are targeting the best beaches, often the beaches only known by the locals to "upgrade" them and market them to the general touristic public.

This is what is being called progress. It is anti small business. Most understand how things work here. And if new building are being built for the government those spaces are going to be allocated based on political patronage. We are not talking about commercial development where you roll up and show you are credit worthy and sign a contract to rent the space based on the money you have agreed to pay.

🇩🇴 : The country is currently for sale to the highest bidder. And let me know what you need. I'll fix it up for ya.