President Abinader launches Punta Bergantín

[Dolores]

On Wednesday, 21 August 2024, President Luis Abinader was in Puerto Plata to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Punta Bergantín public access and the start of construction of a Hyatt Zilara hotel. Punta Bergantin is located to the east of Costa Dorada with easy access from the main north coast highway. Once again, President Abinader brushes aside difficulties and pushes for stronger public private alliances.

The Presidency reports that the Hyatt Zilara will be the flagship of a broader tourism development effort designed to position the area as a premier destination for both local and international visitors. This ambitious project, spearheaded by the government bank BanReservas with a US$150 million loan, includes the construction of 2,000 hotel rooms, 600 residential units and an academic campus, in a first phase.

“Today marks the beginning of a...

Continue reading...

 

[windeguy]

When can I watch the first Vin Diesel "Gone In Femtoseconds" movie that is produced just down the road from me?

I hope we have the water and electricity to sustain such development. We just went 5 days without water from CORRAPPLATA.

 

[JD Jones]

When can I watch the first Vin Diesel "Gone In Femtoseconds" movie that is produced just down the road from me?

I hope we have the water and electricity to sustain such development. We just went 5 days without water from CORRAPPLATA.

You need to get the app from Greg Volt.

I watched Daredevil and wolverine and Furiosa (at a friends house, ahem) before it came out in theaters.

I'm waiting for Reagan now.

 

[windeguy]

You need to get the app from Greg Volt.

I watched Daredevil and wolverine and Furiosa (at a friends house, ahem) before it came out in theaters.

I'm waiting for Reagan now.

No I really don't . What I have is better than that and cost only $200 USD for life. Thousands of channels and movies and more.

Not that Greg's option isn't good for most, I am sure it is. Does it ever have issues?

Now back to the long term consruction of Playa Bergantin, water and electricity issues along with more traffic lights on Route 5....

 

[windeguy]

 

[Gordonpsl]

Yes I’m also wondering about building up the infrastructure there to accommodate all this new development. Also am a customer of Greg lol

 

[MariaRubia]

I do wonder how a Hyatt Zilara is going to work on the north coast. Is anyone going to pay $600 a night there? Yes I know they have some expensive hotels already, but Puerto Plata doesn't have the volume of flights it needs to generate the volume of punters to fill a hotel of that size, and let's face it nobody is going to go from Punta Cana to Puerto Plata by road unless they are desperate.

When I am seeing how empty most of the hotels are right now (yes I know it's the depth of low season), how Jetblue is struggling financially and may well have to pull a lot of routes, and the prices some packages are being sold it, I just can't make the math work to see how a Hyatt Zilara charging $600 a room in Puerto Plata is going to make it.

 

[Gordonpsl]

Perhaps their hoping with the supposed Movie Studio as well as amenities like the Golf Course it will draw interest, but yes that price point is high for that area.

 

[windeguy]

MariaRubia, I think the idea is to build the area around the resorts up to a level that the 1%'rs will be attracted to it.
I think that is a high risk, but the hotels seem to have bought into the plan. I guess that kind of thing has happened in Punta Cana?
Rememeber that the DR is all about AI resorts and Cruise Ports. That has been the focus for years. Recall that construction was started on an
equally high end hotel in Cabarete at La Boca, but the environmental ministry shut that down after ground had been broken. Mangrove issues.

The largest amount of work so far in the area is actually across route 5 and up the hill from the go kart area where a new housing development is being built west of Star Hills. Bergantin Arriba, I think is the name. Private developments indepdendent of Bergantin, but could take advantage of the new golf course, for example. This is going to take years and another street light or two on route 5.

 

[Gordonpsl]

Has anyone seen the Developer plans for Bergantin Arriba?

 

[Glenn Burke]

This guy still has no idea how to hold a shovel properly.

 

[MariaRubia]

MariaRubia, I think the idea is to build the area around the resorts up to a level that the 1%'rs will be attracted to it.
I think that is a high risk, but the hotels seem to have bought into the plan. I guess that kind of thing has happened in Punta Cana?
Rememeber that the DR is all about AI resorts and Cruise Ports. That has been the focus for years. Recall that construction was started on an
equally high end hotel in Cabarete at La Boca, but the environmental ministry shut that down after ground had been broken. Mangrove issues.

The largest amount of work so far in the area is actually across route 5 and up the hill from the go kart area where a new housing development is being built west of Star Hills. Bergantin Arriba, I think is the name. Private developments indepdendent of Bergantin, but could take advantage of the new golf course, for example. This is going to take years and another street light or two on route 5.

The problem with the north coast is, and has always been, how to get there. The airport has hardly any flights and it's too far from Santo Domingo to attract people to go for the weekend. Punta Cana has so many planes landing, those planes always fly full so year-round they have millions of visitors. It's a numbers game. A tiny percentage will pay top end prices, they'll probably wonder why they did when they experience "fab" Dominican service. The vast majority will go for cheap pile-it-high all-inclusive and won't bitch because they got sun, sea, sand and it was relatively cheap.

I read some reviews on the Hyatt Zilara's in Cap Cana, I had really wanted to go there but then I read that you have to get up early to secure a sun-bed, you have to line up to get a drink, and to be honest the rooms look pretty average. For US$ 600 a night this lady does not line up for drinks. I can just imagine the same-old service, not having everything available, "no es mi culpa". It's the national culture, I just don't see how Dominican service will ever get up to $600 a night levels.

 

[windeguy]

The problem with the north coast is, and has always been, how to get there. The airport has hardly any flights and it's too far from Santo Domingo to attract people to go for the weekend.

Not true at all with respect to always. When I moved to the DR in 2002, Punta Cana was a tourism non-issue and Puerto Plata was the tourist area for the DR. It was after Punta Cana developed that POP lost the majority of its flights. POP absolutely sucks now. So, now we have far fewer tourists and far more full time expats and snowbirds with most condos and villas aimed at them.. With the contstruction of these new resorts at Bergantin, the government and the resort owners are hoping more flights can be added back to POP airport. If the AMBAR highway is built, those in Santiago could get to Bergantin in under 1 hour.

NOTE; The Ritz Carlton Reserve at La Boca in Cabarete was canceled by the envirnmental ministry or it would already be open.

NOTE: Have you noticed the places where Michael Jordan stays when in the north coast at the golf course they bought exclusively for their clients: AMANARA

Amanera · Auto. 5. Carretera, Carretera, Rio San Juan 33300, Dominican Republic

★★★★★ · Hotel

www.google.com

That is what the Playa Bergantin hoteliers with exorbitant pricing hope they can attract. It might not work.

Hope that clarifies past and present realities.

Punta Cana has so many planes landing, those planes always fly full so year-round they have millions of visitors. It's a numbers game. A tiny percentage will pay top end prices, they'll probably wonder why they did when they experience "fab" Dominican service. The vast majority will go for cheap pile-it-high all-inclusive and won't bitch because they got sun, sea, sand and it was relatively cheap.

Agree fully on that. It is a time tested business model that I take no part in personally. I have never been to Punta Cana and have little interest in making that drive from my home. But obviously Punta Cana decimated north coast tourism in Puerto Plata Province. Las Terrenas has that French connection, so it has a differen set of parameters that keep it going. Investors hope Bergantin will have that niche connection with the 1 and 2 %rs.

I read some reviews on the Hyatt Zilara's in Cap Cana, I had really wanted to go there but then I read that you have to get up early to secure a sun-bed, you have to line up to get a drink, and to be honest the rooms look pretty average. For US$ 600 a night this lady does not line up for drinks. I can just imagine the same-old service, not having everything available, "no es mi culpa". It's the national culture, I just don't see how Dominican service will ever get up to $600 a night levels.

I will never ever stay anywhere for half that price a night., but Bergantin hopes others will. Is it a gamble? For sure.