New Travel Blog for the Deep South of DR

[hazrae]

Hello DR1 members!

First of all, a BIG thank you for all of the information you have provided me over the years. I've lived in DR for the last 7 years, and DR1 has been the most helpful resource for me for so many of my inquiries.

My husband and I live in Barahona and recently we teamed up with some friends who also have moved down south to start a travel blog. Cliff & Cove is a resource for anyone who wants to travel (in person or vicariously) to "El Sur Profundo". The longer we are here, the more hidden treasures we find. We also have noticed there was a serious lack of information about how to get to those places, updated information, suggested venues, etc. We are striving to bridge the gap!

Check out our blog and subscribe if you would like to get updates about new posts. Read our up-to-date blogs about popular spots such as Bahia de las Aguilas and Villa Miriam. We look forward to sharing more information about the south so you can plan your next trip here with confidence!

Places we plan on blogging about soon: Mata de Maiz, Polo; Laguna Olveido; Lago Enriquillo; Ocoa Bay (including the winery); La Caobita, Azua, Las Salinas, Bani and so much more! Stay tuned!!

 

[keepcoming]

I checked the website which is nice. As it is a rather lesser-known traveled area it would be nice to hear from anyone who has traveled in this area. I am very interested in traveling to this area, Something different.

 

[bob saunders]

We usually take the teacher through the south at the end of the school year. One of our teachers is from Barahona. Villa Miriam is definitely nice and well worth the 300 pesos.​

 

[JD Jones]

Hello DR1 members!

First of all, a BIG thank you for all of the information you have provided me over the years. I've lived in DR for the last 7 years, and DR1 has been the most helpful resource for me for so many of my inquiries.

My husband and I live in Barahona and recently we teamed up with some friends who also have moved down south to start a travel blog. Cliff & Cove is a resource for anyone who wants to travel (in person or vicariously) to "El Sur Profundo". The longer we are here, the more hidden treasures we find. We also have noticed there was a serious lack of information about how to get to those places, updated information, suggested venues, etc. We are striving to bridge the gap!

Check out our blog and subscribe if you would like to get updates about new posts. Read our up-to-date blogs about popular spots such as Bahia de las Aguilas and Villa Miriam. We look forward to sharing more information about the south so you can plan your next trip here with confidence!

Places we plan on blogging about soon: Mata de Maiz, Polo; Laguna Olveido; Lago Enriquillo; Ocoa Bay (including the winery); La Caobita, Azua, Las Salinas, Bani and so much more! Stay tuned!!

Great site, but please consider changing the font of your headers. It is virtually unreadable.

 

[hazrae]

We usually take the teacher through the south at the end of the school year. One of our teachers is from Barahona. Villa Miriam is definitely nice and well worth the 300 pesos.​

It certainly is! Villa Miriam is a must see if you are going to be in the south.

 

[hazrae]

Great site, but please consider changing the font of your headers. It is virtually unreadable.

Thank you for the feedback! We will certainly look into the font. We want the information to be clear.

 

[mountainannie]

Very glad to see this website and all the improvements that have been made to visiting the South and Pedernales in particular...
I loved going there -
A couple of things
There is (used to be) another hotel in Pedernales that actually has a hotel w/ a swimming pool and is where the folks from StoDom who are divers go for trips out to Isla Beata.., might be worth investigating if there is anyway to hook up with groups going? Even for snorkeling trips?
As for Glamping -- it is going to be JUST WICKED HOT at any time... and I would really really really want to get some reviews of those places before advertising them...
As for the Villas - lots of these "villas" are owned by foreigners and the money for reservations never touches the ground in the DR - the most that happens is that a couple of Dominicans are paid to clean the place..
If you do not have the webpage in Spanish/French/German - then you are unlikely to attract any EU visitors who are more likely (imho) to be more adventuresome than most American/UK/Canadians
Are there car rentals in Baharona? Has the airline started flights? It takes about 5 hours by car as I recall...

Your webpage makes me wonder how much time you have actually spent there,.. don't mean to be mean -- just .. that is what I see -- lots of "affiliate links" but no mention of the solo trips to pine forest --or really why to go Bahia -- and - if the Glamping tents are near the restaurant - they are not really on the beach-- which is a ways away....

But keep at it...

 

[Kipling333]

Very nice web site . I would like to see some information about the condition of the roads around Lake Enriquillo and what transport is available to go there. I wonder if the lake is still expanding. I agree what Mountainannie wrote but although the reservation money for some villas may be paid in another country , at least the food and drinks are purchased in the DR.

 

[hazrae]

Very glad to see this website and all the improvements that have been made to visiting the South and Pedernales in particular...
I loved going there -
A couple of things
There is (used to be) another hotel in Pedernales that actually has a hotel w/ a swimming pool and is where the folks from StoDom who are divers go for trips out to Isla Beata.., might be worth investigating if there is anyway to hook up with groups going? Even for snorkeling trips?
As for Glamping -- it is going to be JUST WICKED HOT at any time... and I would really really really want to get some reviews of those places before advertising them...
As for the Villas - lots of these "villas" are owned by foreigners and the money for reservations never touches the ground in the DR - the most that happens is that a couple of Dominicans are paid to clean the place..
If you do not have the webpage in Spanish/French/German - then you are unlikely to attract any EU visitors who are more likely (imho) to be more adventuresome than most American/UK/Canadians
Are there car rentals in Baharona? Has the airline started flights? It takes about 5 hours by car as I recall...

Your webpage makes me wonder how much time you have actually spent there,.. don't mean to be mean -- just .. that is what I see -- lots of "affiliate links" but no mention of the solo trips to pine forest --or really why to go Bahia -- and - if the Glamping tents are near the restaurant - they are not really on the beach-- which is a ways away....

But keep at it...

Hi mountainannie!

Thank you so much for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated. As you know, attracting followers to a new blog can be challenging. We feel that the information that we provide is valuable since we are “on the ground” and there are very few resources in one place for travel to the south.

If you want to check out more of our background at Cliff and Cove, you can go to our about us page. I have lived in the south of DR for almost eight years now. ( time does fly! )

Let me know the name of the Pedernales hotel you are referencing, we’d love to check it out on our next visit. We have some good friends that live in Pedernales that actually teach diving and go to Isla Beata. It’s on our bucket list to visit that island for sure! You are also going to have to tell me about Pine Forest. I haven’t heard much about that.

We have been to Bahia de las Aguilas many times. You are not wrong, glamping can be hot, especially in the summer months. Generally, we like to go in February. At night with the fan in the tent, it can be very pleasant. That's why we advised on our post NOT to plan a trip in the summer and NOT during holidays. (Hot and crowded!🔥) We have been to both Ecolodge Cueva de las Aguilas and Eco Del Mar. They are both directly on the beach of Cabo Rojo/Playa de la Cueva and each has a restaurant on site. Both glamping sites provide transportation directly to Bahia de las Aguilas. It’s illegal to camp directly on the beach at Bahia since it is protected as a national park. I'm not sure if you saw this post about why Bahia de las Aguilas is an amazing place to visit.

The villas that are highlighted in Pedernales are in fact owned by a local Dominican female entrepreneur. She is an advocate for tourism but also the preservation of the area’s natural wonders.

Good questions about Barahona! There are no reputable car rental companies in Barahona…unfortunately. We have used rental services before, but from experience, we would not recommend them. It's preferable to rent a car in Santo Domingo.

As far as flights, there are no international flights that come into Barahona or Pedernales. Just recently, however, flights from Santo Domingo to Pedernales just became available. A small plane from Joaquín Balaguer airport in Santo Domingo flies to Cabo Rojo Aerodrome in Pedernales for $50 each way which only takes 30 minutes!!! We hope to share more info on that in an upcoming post.

The only affiliate links that we are currently using on our site are for Amazon. Any links leading the reader to book a stay or for more info is simply there as a resource. We know how overwhelming planning a trip can be, and we want to help make that process as easy as possible. We want people to come to check out all of the wonderful things the southwest of DR has to offer!

Thanks for the feedback on site languages! It’s our goal to have the site available in Spanish soon. As for the other languages, the Google translate feature for browsers may have to suffice for now.

Let us know if you have any more specific questions about the south, we can either point you in the right direction or add it to our list for future posts. Thanks for reading our blog!

 

[hazrae]

Very nice web site . I would like to see some information about the condition of the roads around Lake Enriquillo and what transport is available to go there. I wonder if the lake is still expanding. I agree what Mountainannie wrote but although the reservation money for some villas may be paid in another country , at least the food and drinks are purchased in the DR.

Hi there!

Thank you for stopping by our blog!

That is an excellent question. We are planning on a trip to Lake Enriquillo soon and will let you know what the conditions of the roads leading there are. Driving is probably you best bet on a visit, or doing a paid excursion with a local company. Even if you get there via public transportation, getting back will be an issue. We will certainly look into that for you though!

Make sure to subscribe to our blog to get notifications about new posts. Have a great day!

 

[mountainannie]

Hi mountainannie!

Thank you so much for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated. As you know, attracting followers to a new blog can be challenging. We feel that the information that we provide is valuable since we are “on the ground” and there are very few resources in one place for travel to the south.

If you want to check out more of our background at Cliff and Cove, you can go to our about us page. I have lived in the south of DR for almost eight years now. ( time does fly! )

Let me know the name of the Pedernales hotel you are referencing, we’d love to check it out on our next visit. We have some good friends that live in Pedernales that actually teach diving and go to Isla Beata. It’s on our bucket list to visit that island for sure! You are also going to have to tell me about Pine Forest. I haven’t heard much about that.

We have been to Bahia de las Aguilas many times. You are not wrong, glamping can be hot, especially in the summer months. Generally, we like to go in February. At night with the fan in the tent, it can be very pleasant. That's why we advised on our post NOT to plan a trip in the summer and NOT during holidays. (Hot and crowded!🔥) We have been to both Ecolodge Cueva de las Aguilas and Eco Del Mar. They are both directly on the beach of Cabo Rojo/Playa de la Cueva and each has a restaurant on site. Both glamping sites provide transportation directly to Bahia de las Aguilas. It’s illegal to camp directly on the beach at Bahia since it is protected as a national park. I'm not sure if you saw this post about why Bahia de las Aguilas is an amazing place to visit.

The villas that are highlighted in Pedernales are in fact owned by a local Dominican female entrepreneur. She is an advocate for tourism but also the preservation of the area’s natural wonders.

Good questions about Barahona! There are no reputable car rental companies in Barahona…unfortunately. We have used rental services before, but from experience, we would not recommend them. It's preferable to rent a car in Santo Domingo.

As far as flights, there are no international flights that come into Barahona or Pedernales. Just recently, however, flights from Santo Domingo to Pedernales just became available. A small plane from Joaquín Balaguer airport in Santo Domingo flies to Cabo Rojo Aerodrome in Pedernales for $50 each way which only takes 30 minutes!!! We hope to share more info on that in an upcoming post.

The only affiliate links that we are currently using on our site are for Amazon. Any links leading the reader to book a stay or for more info is simply there as a resource. We know how overwhelming planning a trip can be, and we want to help make that process as easy as possible. We want people to come to check out all of the wonderful things the southwest of DR has to offer!

Thanks for the feedback on site languages! It’s our goal to have the site available in Spanish soon. As for the other languages, the Google translate feature for browsers may have to suffice for now.

Let us know if you have any more specific questions about the south, we can either point you in the right direction or add it to our list for future posts. Thanks for reading our blog!

hard for me to imagine that you have lived there for 8 years and do not know about the pine forest
I only visited
but I think I know more about the area than you do
try going out and about on the backs of motoconchos with back packs for a couple of weeks
and then advertise in Las Terrenas in the French Guide - Petite Fute.
Get onto the Lonely Planet Forums
Show pictures of the actual TOWN and Areas
I think that you really might live in Dallas

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

hard for me to imagine that you have lived there for 8 years and do not know about the pine forest
I only visited
but I think I know more about the area than you do
try going out and about on the backs of motoconchos with back packs for a couple of weeks
and then advertise in Las Terrenas in the French Guide - Petite Fute.
Get onto the Lonely Planet Forums
Show pictures of the actual TOWN and Areas
I think that you really might live in Dallas

Not sure why you are trying to be so mean to the nice folks who created Cliff and Cove. Cliff and Cove is well written and full of good info. Have you got a bee in your bonnet because they are reporting on the wrong side of the border?

 

[bob saunders]

hard for me to imagine that you have lived there for 8 years and do not know about the pine forest
I only visited
but I think I know more about the area than you do
try going out and about on the backs of motoconchos with back packs for a couple of weeks
and then advertise in Las Terrenas in the French Guide - Petite Fute.
Get onto the Lonely Planet Forums
Show pictures of the actual TOWN and Areas
I think that you really might live in Dallas

lot of snark there. I have been in that area a few times on tours and visiting friends in Barahona. I have never heard of " the pine forest" There is the Sierra de Bahoruco national park, there is the Balneario la Plaza, and yes there are plenty of pine trees in the Bahoruco mountains. Certainly, the Blog can offer more information, but it is a good start, so keep up the good work and ignore bitter old people that are trying to stay relevant.

 

[Big]

back packs and moto conchos lmao, too funny!! I didn't work and invest my entire life to travel on the back of a moto with a backpack. I mean how would I pack my high thread count sheets and truffle oil.

 

[mountainannie]

back packs and moto conchos lmao, too funny!! I didn't work and invest my entire life to travel on the back of a moto with a backpack. I mean how would I pack my high thread count sheets and truffle oil.

but if I were thinking about writing a travel blog and earning $$$ from affiliate links? and promoting "ecotourism" and saying I had lived there for 8 years? I would have done the leg work...
I love that area. Would love it to be promoted
there are gorgeous places to stay - gorgeous towns all the way along the road
sweet little hotels
places to have lunch
places to put your feet in the water

perhaps the most beautiful part of the entire DR

someone ought to write a guide
someone who actually loves the place enough to visit it

 

[mountainannie]

lot of snark there. I have been in that area a few times on tours and visiting friends in Barahona. I have never heard of " the pine forest" There is the Sierra de Bahoruco national park, there is the Balneario la Plaza, and yes there are plenty of pine trees in the Bahoruco mountains. Certainly, the Blog can offer more information, but it is a good start, so keep up the good work and ignore bitter old people that are trying to stay relevant

"Bitter old people trying to stay relevant" is hardly the way I would describe myself, Bob
The OP posted and asked for feedback
I have evidently spent more time there than they have

I will ageee that I am old
And had the OP not said that they "lived" in the SW for 8 years I would not have been so harsh

Throwing up a web page is not a high art,,, but to include no pictures of the area? No maps? No side trips? No mention of the gorgeous drive from Sto Dom? Nor the gorgeous little town of Paraiso? ..... simply does not pass the test.

Ask me for feedback - you get it.

Not bitter. Still relevant.
And evidently someone who has visited Pedernales more than anyone else on this board,

 

[bob saunders]

"Bitter old people trying to stay relevant" is hardly the way I would describe myself, Bob
The OP posted and asked for feedback
I have evidently spent more time there than they have

I will ageee that I am old
And had the OP not said that they "lived" in the SW for 8 years I would not have been so harsh

Throwing up a web page is not a high art,,, but to include no pictures of the area? No maps? No side trips? No mention of the gorgeous drive from Sto Dom? Nor the gorgeous little town of Paraiso? ..... simply does not pass the test.

Ask me for feedback - you get it.

Not bitter. Still relevant.
And evidently someone who has visited Pedernales more than anyone else on this board,

Living in Barahona is not the same as living in Pedernales. Their blog is more about the Barahona area and not Pedernales. Should they mention and give more information about the surrounding area, probably but they will get there. What is relevant to you wouldn't necessarily to relevant to others, wouldn't you agree.

 

[hazrae]

Dallas sounds like a lovely place, but I’ve never been there.

My husband and I have lived in the south of DR for 8 years. I’ve also lived in Santo Domingo and the Cibao. However, we haven’t had this blog from the beginning of our time here, we came to the country for other interests. We started this blog with friends at the beginning of this year.

Living in the south, we began to see just how many treasures there are (many, I admit, we haven’t even discovered for ourselves yet). As we did more research, we found there was a lack of current information available for travelers, especially in English.

As we all know, many people looking for a vacation or adventure go to the common tourist spots. Don’t get me wrong, we love Las Terrenas and Sosua as much as the next guy. But we wanted to provide a resource for people interested in “el Sur profundo”. And there began, Cliff and Cove! Whether you want to explore the south on the back of a moto or sleeping in your high thread count sheets, there is something for everyone here!

Maybe you haven’t had a chance to explore all of our posts, but we have written about where to stay, what to eat, and some of the MANY highlights of the Deep South. We have also had bio posts about a local young man who is spending his life helping his community in San Rafael and the story of the owner of Villa Miriam.

Since blogging isn’t our job or even what drives us, it is something we are having fun with and hope it provides value to our readers. If you are not a fan, we respect that and we hope that you respect us.

 

[mountainannie]

Living in Barahona is not the same as living in Pedernales. Their blog is more about the Barahona area and not Pedernales. Should they mention and give more information about the surrounding area, probably but they will get there. What is relevant to you wouldn't necessarily to relevant to others, wouldn't you agree.

Seemed to me the blog was promoting tourism - as in Bahia des Aguiles
which is Pedernales

Baharona?? there is a great restaurant and good bus service

sure - they should keep going
just do a better job at it

 

[bob saunders]

Seemed to me the blog was promoting tourism - as in Bahia des Aguiles
which is Pedernales

Baharona?? there is a great restaurant and good bus service

sure - they should keep going
just do a better job at it

Bahia de las Aguilas is not Pedernales.