Give it time...
I moved here a while back with my wife and our young daughter. I too have moved around quite a lot and have now decided to try and make this a permanent thing. At first, you go "WOW"... however, as the truth hits you, its more like "What the s f**k"! BUT... if you give it time and be patient (very patient at times), things slowly fall into place. You should be aware though that somethings never will fall into place. In that case you find alternatives or workarounds... As long as you come here with an open mind & heart things should work out fine. (Hard $$ will also make life easier if you have it)
Some thoughts and reflections from my side:
Spanish! If you don't speak it, life will most probably be VERY hard.
Be careful when renting or buying a place to live in. Many things look great but can cause severe head and heart aches at times. exampleas are:
Planta full, that in fact is "planta-who knows-when-the-f**k-it-will-be-on-again".
If a generator is out of budget, get an "inversor". That so far is the best investment I've done.
Water pumps that don't work due to lack of electricity. For families that have several kids this could be all hell. Hell in this case would be,
-Many people using a WC that can't be flushed...
-Piles of unwashed clothes
-lack of general hygine causing heat rashes in places that really hurt
Back to the word patient. Things take time here. For me, in most cases, this is part of the charm of living here. However at times this can really get on ones nerves.
If something breaks down at home and you need a handy man, be patient. He will come, even though it is not at the agreed time or even in some cases the agreed day BUT...eventually your problem will be solved.
Living here is not all, palm trees, presidente beers, brugal and AI resorts. It is so much more. All in all, I do not regret a single moment that we moved here.
I am however walking around with an open mind & heart and at times am "forced" to use some hard $$ to solve things... when I run out of patience!...
Good luck!!
Solituna