Lifestyle development in Cabarete

[cavok]

So is it full speed ahead again on both sides of the road for Lifestyles?

It sure looked that way yesterday. They are now framing out what looks like foundations on the beachside property.

The building immediately adjacent to their property(part of Cabarete Morning Breeze?)also looks like they are adding a 4th floor. There's another small condo just east of Cabarete East Condos that is 4 stories high and a building is going up in the Callejon that has 5 floors.

 

[Ecoman1949]

It sure looked that way yesterday. They are now framing out what looks like foundations on the beachside property.

The building immediately adjacent to their property(part of Cabarete Morning Breeze?)also looks like they are adding a 4th floor. There's another small condo just east of Cabarete East Condos that is 4 stories high and a building is going up in the Callejon that has 5 floors.

Maybe all signs the 2008 recession is now past? Factor in the now defunct Cuba Obama initiative, and tourism in the DR could really be on an upswing. Maybe property values will follow.

 

[CFA123]

Also the Robert Trent Jones 18 hole golf course is just a short drive up the road in RSJ.

Eco, the course at Playa Grande is closed. They managed to kill off all the grass after all of the renovations. I don't think it will open again in near future.

Also, did/do/will Lifestyles' clients have access? The course is now supposedly private under current ownership as far as I know.

The rest of what you say I agree with.

 

[southern]

Lifestyles will not have an occupancy problem. The beach at a Cofresi is not all that great and the beach at Cabarete is fantastic. Also the Robert Trent Jones 18 hole golf course is just a short drive up the road in RSJ. The beauty about Lifestyles Cabarete is you can easily escape, check out local bars and shops on the strip and mingle with the locals. Not so at Cofresi where they put the fear of God in you and tell you how dangerous it is outside the resort.

Ok, I hope you're correct, time shares usually attract the budget travelers like AI's. Hope its a go.

 

[Ecoman1949]

Eco, the course at Playa Grande is closed. They managed to kill off all the grass after all of the renovations. I don't think it will open again in near future.

Also, did/do/will Lifestyles' clients have access? The course is now supposedly private under current ownership as far as I know.

The rest of what you say I agree with.

 Wow! That's a big loss. On the plus side Lifestyle clients in Cabarete can still access the RTJ course in Playa Dorada without going through the hairy scary drive from Cofresi to PD. The one in Costambar is not the same caliber. Was in Costambar last week. A lot of road construction/destruction going on. Lots of massive holes and no one around filling them. The beachfront area is looking very tired too. Could use a facelift for the coming season. Friends of mine lucked out last winter and rented a new condo adjacent to the beach. Really well run by US owner married to a DR lady. They were so pleased they reserved it for next winter. Prior to that they were staying in a poorly managed run down condo just up the road from the new one. The more time I spend there, the more I like Costambar. Good police presence and plenty of expats.

 

[cavok]

I hear Lifestyles charges extra for food and drinks. Is that mandatory, or can you decline and eat/drink wherever you want?

 

[william webster]

Eco, the course at Playa Grande is closed. They managed to kill off all the grass after all of the renovations. I don't think it will open again in near future.

Also, did/do/will Lifestyles' clients have access? The course is now supposedly private under current ownership as far as I know.

The rest of what you say I agree with.

CFA
The killing is deliberate....

The former owners (with shallow pockets) were having trouble making ends meet and fired the Superintendent --
after spending about $12M on drainage, irrigation, grass, etc.

I told them.... You can kiss the course good bye..... and the $12M
Oh no... they say --- Guy from Punta Cana will come monthly to look after it.

Needless to say they knew squat about golf courses... and the project tanked.

The recent kill is for new grass - again-------- sod this time.... 50A of sod.

Trucked from The Faldo course in Cap Cana.... Roco Ki... I think
Some course in rec'ship......bank sold the sod.

Irony is , that stripped soil will regrow better grass in a few months.

Bank has brains.... don't let the course deteriorate.... it's the asset

 

[chico bill]

CFA
The killing is deliberate....

The former owners (with shallow pockets) were having trouble making ends meet and fired the Superintendent --
after spending about $12M on drainage, irrigation, grass, etc.

I told them.... You can kiss the course good bye..... and the $12M
Oh no... they say --- Guy from Punta Cana will come monthly to look after it.

Needless to say they knew squat about golf courses... and the project tanked.

The recent kill is for new grass - again-------- sod this time.... 50A of sod.

Trucked from The Faldo course in Cap Cana.... Roco Ki... I think
Some course in rec'ship......bank sold the sod.

Irony is , that stripped soil will regrow better grass in a few months.

Bank has brains.... don't let the course deteriorate.... it's the asset

I was impressed with Playa Grande 10 years ago when I went a round there for $75, but then you didn't have to stay there, but had to pay a caddie also.
It is supposed to reopen sometime in 2017 maybe near end of the year. If they opened it to the public it's worth the drive from Sosua to play. I lived in Puerto Rico for years and saw several courses price themselves so high no one played, so they couldn't maintain the course. If you have 6 foursomes per hour At $75 each that's about $15,000 per day + pro shop purchases. If you are a resort only and you get four foursomes at $150 then that probably works but seldom do foursomes travel together. And DR residents who play would bring tourists who come to visit them from elsewhere.
I think only Punta Cana has reasonably priced golf courses which partner with some condos.

 

[Expat13]

I was impressed with Playa Grande 10 years ago when I went a round there for $75, but then you didn't have to stay there, but had to pay a caddie also.
It is supposed to reopen sometime in 2017 maybe near end of the year. If they opened it to the public it's worth the drive from Sosua to play. I lived in Puerto Rico for years and saw several courses price themselves so high no one played, so they couldn't maintain the course. If you have 6 foursomes per hour At $75 each that's about $15,000 per day + pro shop purchases. If you are a resort only and you get four foursomes at $150 then that probably works but seldom do foursomes travel together. And DR residents who play would bring tourists who come to visit them from elsewhere.
I think only Punta Cana has reasonably priced golf courses which partner with some condos.

Like Playa Dorada Golf. Not the greatest course but still over a $100 usd a round once add mandatory cart n caddie. It's sad, not much different than many businesses here, customers go down and prices stay the same or go higher until things get run down.

 

[Ecoman1949]

I hear Lifestyles charges extra for food and drinks. Is that mandatory, or can you decline and eat/drink wherever you want?

 Stayed at Presidential Suites a few years ago and sat through the spiel on membership. Then the AI was optional and not that expensive. I hear it's hellishly expensive now. They had one area in Cofresi equipped with kitchenettes for snow birds and a area close by for their long term vehicle parking. I don't know if any of this still exists because they have restructured everything and a separate company flogs the memberships now. I was surprised to see Lifestyle reps sitting in the lobby of my resort trying to get clients interested in memberships. They told me about the new membership system. If they keep adding new places like Cabarete they might sell more memberships. Marco knows how to grease the wheels to get things done. The legend of Marco starts with his buying the old Cofresi complex from a guy who borrowed money from the Russians, and had to get out of town quickly to avoid lead poisoning because he could not pay the money back. Marco pumped a fortune in Lifestyles and, despite a few ups and downs, seems to be doing well financially and has good connections to the current government. He doesnt pay resort staff well, and a lot of staff in the membership section work on commission. Lifestyles is a registered offshore corporation and that's where his revenue goes. How much gets pumped back into the DR economy is anybody's guess.

 

[william webster]

at this point, it's private.... no public play in sight from where I sit.

Money is always a factor for golf courses.
They are rarely profitable... sort of 'loss leaders' to sell the adjoining house sites.
Breaking even is good news.

 

[cavok]

In DR1 Daily News today. Pretty much what I figured. Approval for contruction on that beachside parcel had to go all the way to the top at Medio Ambiente. It did and Lifestyles has all the required permits and approvals:

6. Domínguez Brito: Lifestyle Holidays in Cabarete is in compliance

Environment Minister Francisco Domínguez Brito says that the Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort under construction on Cabarete Beach has abided with environmental regulations. Domínguez Brito said that the Ministry has authorized all the permits and has given the project the corresponding follow-up.

"The Ministry of Environment has no misgivings because the project has complied with all the established requirements that were reviewed by more than 20 technicians and some things were discarded,” he explained. He said the project is in compliance with Environmental Law 64-00.

 

[Expat13]

 Wow! That's a big loss. On the plus side Lifestyle clients in Cabarete can still access the RTJ course in Playa Dorada without going through the hairy scary drive from Cofresi to PD. The one in Costambar is not the same caliber. Was in Costambar last week. A lot of road construction/destruction going on. Lots of massive holes and no one around filling them. The beachfront area is looking very tired too. Could use a facelift for the coming season. Friends of mine lucked out last winter and rented a new condo adjacent to the beach. Really well run by US owner married to a DR lady. They were so pleased they reserved it for next winter. Prior to that they were staying in a poorly managed run down condo just up the road from the new one. The more time I spend there, the more I like Costambar. Good police presence and plenty of expats.

Curious what was meant by the "]the hairy scary drive from Cofresi to PD"

 

[william webster]

Viva la costa norte. !!!.....

merge this with Upgrade thread

 

[Conchman]

Curious what was meant by the "]the hairy scary drive from Cofresi to PD"

Maybe for newbies that drive is scary. I was scared driving in Puerto Plata the first few weeks, now its completely normal. Its amazing how the mind and body can adapt.

 

[windeguy]

In DR1 Daily News today. Pretty much what I figured. Approval for contruction on that beachside parcel had to go all the way to the top at Medio Ambiente. It did and Lifestyles has all the required permits and approvals:

6. Domínguez Brito: Lifestyle Holidays in Cabarete is in compliance

Environment Minister Francisco Domínguez Brito says that the Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort under construction on Cabarete Beach has abided with environmental regulations. Domínguez Brito said that the Ministry has authorized all the permits and has given the project the corresponding follow-up.

"The Ministry of Environment has no misgivings because the project has complied with all the established requirements that were reviewed by more than 20 technicians and some things were discarded,” he explained. He said the project is in compliance with Environmental Law 64-00.

I would have bet money that money would equal compliance! The DR government does not fail to be consistent.

 

[Ecoman1949]

Curious what was meant by the "]the hairy scary drive from Cofresi to PD"

first couple of times I drove through Puerto Plata to get to a Luperon, I was rattled by the traffic congestion, motors whizzing in and out of the lanes and lack of regard for traffic signals. That was 10 years ago. Used to it now and I divert to the Malecon street to avoid most of the madness. For a Lifestyle client used to driving in Canada or the US, a first run through Puerto Plata will be a harrowing experience.

 

[cavok]

I would have bet money that money would equal compliance! The DR government does not fail to be consistent.

I'll bet that the fact that the adjoing buildings as well as all the other bars, restaurants, and stores on that side of the road in Cabarete are built within the 60 meter setback helped make it fairly easy to get approval for such a small parcel. If it had been located somewhere along an open stretch of coastline, I think it would have been a different story.

 

[windeguy]

I'll bet that the fact that the adjoing buildings as well as all the other bars, restaurants, and stores on that side of the road in Cabarete are built within the 60 meter setback helped make it fairly easy to get approval for such a small parcel. If it had been located somewhere along an open stretch of coastline, I think it would have been a different story.

I agree with the construction on the coast side of the road. The height of the buildings on the non-ocean side of the road is where the $$$$ were likely substantially higher to "gain" compliance.

 

[cavok]

I agree with the construction on the coast side of the road. The height of the buildings on the non-ocean side of the road is where the $$$$ were likely substantially higher to "gain" compliance.

Unfortunate that it was approved for 5 stories. Maybe it won't look so bad when the scaffolding is removed and it is finished(?).