Puerto Plata - What's there?

[XanaduRanch]

Do you work at being that naive or does it just come naturally?

Please post anything about saftey that has some basis in fact. It's welcome. Read the previous posts. But repeating heresay you'll find carries little weight with anyone here. If you want private beaches with no one around there's a great one at Sabeneta, Playa Boca de Yasica. A few more people , but less crowded, cleaner, and with less folks? Cabarete. Lots of people to mingle with and converse with, good music, food, drinks? Sosua. It's all there choose what you like.

But Sosua is not dirty, and not dangerous, except maybe in comparison with Singapore. that's one big reason your posts here are being attacked. They just seem to be out-of-touch with reality. So, if you want anyone to listen to you, posts some facts man. Otherwise it's just your opinion - and everyone is taking that for EXACTLY what it's worth.

 

[Robert]

And everyone says "mingle with the locals", but I guess they mean mingle with the locals in the protected zone...
I don't worry about mingling with the locals in any zone out in the smaller towns.

Can you please tell me what parts of Sosua are within the "protected zone"?

As for the trash on the beach, I'll take some pictures next time I go, though I doubt the forum will post them.

Email them to robert@dr1.com and I will post them.

I've decided I'm not going to name the hotel I stay at. You people are a bit too sensitive about "how nice" Sosua is, and I don't want anyone harrassing this very nice Dominican lady for being protective of her guests.

Of course you have, yawn!

I think sometimes people forget the type of audience we have on DR1.
When you post something, you better have some facts or at least some common sense to back up your post.

The people on this board represent the most worldly and knowledgeable group of people that exists in the DR. The pool of knowledge here is exceptional!

It's a pity we couldn't form our own political party
We would clean up.... maybe not is Sosua...

 

[keithrogan]

>>>>Can you please tell me what parts of Sosua are within the "protected zone"?<<<<

Ask Tor above, he (apparently) lives there and advises not to cross the main road without being in a taxi. It's just weird that when a visitor expresses the same thought, most of you link arms and deny it all... Bizarre!

The hotel is the Tropix, a block or two beyond the main road opposite the beach and the little nightclub zone. Sylvie (the owner) was very kind, and the hotel is nice, clean, quiet and modestly priced. I plan on staying there again on my arrival and departure from DR - but I still will take a cab back to the hotel if I'm out late at night. There's a reason all those yards in the area have a guy standing outside all night with a Mossberg shotgun!

Keith

 

[XanaduRanch]

There's a reason all those yards in the area have a guy standing outside all night with a Mossberg shotgun!

Yeah - target practice.

Not one of them could hit a soda can at 10 feet. Since you're so observant you probably didn't notice that every dilapidated discotech some bank closed 10 years ago also has a Barney Fife clone out front.

Puhlease! Too funny.

 

[XanaduRanch]

Sorry to post twice in a row, but Keith, I am not sure I know that hotel and I want to understand where you were.

I tend to think of Sosua just as the area east of the beach toward Cabarete. West is Sosua Abajo which is generally a much poorer area and certainly I would be more careful there, although I wouldn't say that I'd be nervous there at night, as I have been there many times, late night, and all.

Tropix is in S.A.? As you come from the airport is this before you pass by the beach or after?

Also as to garbage, what Chris said needs to be understood. this is not a 1st world country and garbage collection is not what you might expect elsewhere. Genreally the less people around the less trash. So Samana is cleaner than Cabarete, which is cleaner than Sosua, which is cleaner than Puerto Plata, etc. They get to it, just not always as quickly as we who are from other countires might expect.

Tom

 

[keithrogan]

www.tropixhotel.com

 

[XanaduRanch]

Thanks, Keith.

That's nice, but it doesn't tell me where it's at like I asked you. Is it before the beach or after? Anybody know where this place is? I would guess it's either on the right in S.A. or past Willy's old "fuego"techa on the right as you head toward the car wash. Over toward Tradewinds. Anybody know? I am curious.

Tom

 

[keithrogan]

It's on the Cabarete (east) end of the beach, south of the main road (inland) several blocks.

Keith

 

[XanaduRanch]

I am going into town to play pool with a friend who works for me in 1/2 hour. I will look for it.

 

[Ken]

Sylvie, owner of Tropix, is a good friend. Because of statements like keithrogan's, I've asked her whether any of her guests has ever experienced problems, even at night, walking to and from town. She said they hadn't, and I trust her not to fib on such an important subject. I'lll pass on keithrogan's comments and see what she has to say.

For those asking where it is, if coming from Puerto Plata on the highway, just after passing the police station, turn right. It is a short way down that street on the right hand side. My wife and I have stayed there and highly recommend the small hotel to anyone not interested in an AI.

 

[Peter & Alex]

Great thread .........

It's all getting real interesting, even for us local residents! We all have our foibles as to where and with whom we will or will not go - each to his own, but the more you live here and travel around we do get our favourites! We've lived all over the world, we won't bore you with the places, but in general we feel safer here than most other parts of the world. Mix with the locals but if you've got half a brain you can pick out the good ones, which is generally 95% of all Domincans, the rest (?), well, just keep away!!
Don't check your brain in with your luggage at the airport is a good tip for tourists, there are very poor people here and in low season with the peso devaluing all the time who can blame them in some respects for ripping some tourist off who's flaunting his riches or being stupid with his/her belongings?? You are still safer here than many other Carib countries!!! AND it's much more fun in the DR!!
There is less violence here than we've experienced elsewhere, UK included I might add (!!!!), but safety is an issue and it's no good us all burying our heads in the sand. We won't post but ..... if you've time over a beer on Cabarete beach one night we'll relate a couple of events which scare the crap out of you - but we're still here and happy in our island paradise!!
By the way, these are events and not stories from second hand!!!
Keep up the good work DR1, your open forums are a pleasure to read and extremely informative for the prospective visitor or new resident.
Peter & Alex
PS: Cabarete is a filthy beach come Sunday night but go out at 6.30am Monday and it's all being cleaned up by the local bar owners - hats off to them - and Alex who does her poop scooping bit with our dogs, but that's another story? Are we the only ones?

 

[Keith R]

Just in case anyone has wondered, Keith R and Keithrogan are not the same fellow. I just came back from a trip that included Puerto Plata (well, Playa Dorada), Sosua, Cabarete and Samana, and I can't say that I agree at all with the other Keith's assessment of anything other than Samana, which is indeed lovely and relatively quiet. I liked PP, Sosua and Cabarete each for what they are, and didn't find any of the three all that dirty or dangerous to walk around in. Perhaps my perspective is colored from all those years living in Santo Domingo, where crime is a bit higher (but still lower than many places I have lived & worked in) and the streets are either "trashy" or "less trashy"
Best Regards,
Keith

P.S. to Keithrogan -- No, I don't own property, business or invest in PP, Sosua, Cabarete or Samana, and don't have a particular bone to pick.

 

[Chris]

Looking forward to Ken's report back after chatting with his friend Sylvie.

Keithrogan, this is a small community. Your thread did some good even though it became acrimonious at times.

I'm really happy to see from this thread that we're proud of our community - warts and all. I'm even happier to see that most of the DR1 posters here are willing to go and and fix something that is wrong.

Way to go guys! Exceptional people that we've gathered here!

 

[AZB]

Apart from ugly hookers, sosua is a fun place to visit if you like a nice beach. I snorkle in sosua all the time and apart from a few plastic cups, I have never seen anything that Keith has described in his posts. Marine life is marvalous and there is a whole new world waiting to be seen below water if you swim near the reef.
Sosua beach is only crowded on weekends but on the weekdays its empty. I have walked all over sosua, puerto plata at all hours of day and night and never encountered problems anywhere. There are many wonderful people that you can meet in sosua who have lived a good portion of their lives in the area ex: Eddy at Eddy's sports bar. People like him will give you good advise and tips on how to enhance your vacation, all for free.
To me, sosua is a great place to spend the weekend or a week's vacation. I prefer to live in santiago at the moment.
Now if I want to bore myself to death, i would prefer a beach in las teranas where keith likes to spend his vacation.

 

[RandyE]

Back to original Q

As has been stated, go for the cable car. Take a trip down the Malecon, the road running along ocean. Plenty of bars and restaurants- DON'T be afraid to eat at any of them-tried 'em all. At the end of the road take a walk around the old fort, kinda cool. There is also the Amber Museum, not sure what street (Graham?). Neat little 2-tiered shopping center in town, has shirts, pottery, beach blankets etc.- great gifts or souvies. Got my hammock there 5yrs ago, still works great. Bargaining is expected. Puerta Plata is not a city to be afraid of- it's a busy, active city of about 100,000 (last figures I read) but hardly a place where I fear for my life. Keith wants a quiet vacation, good for him- go to las Galeras/Terrennas. I'll book my 14th trip near PP, where I have a good time.

 

[XanaduRanch]

Did the cable car thing for the first time when some business friends from the US visited last month. It was fun, great views.

But all I could think of the whole ride up and back down was that this whole thing was being maintained by Dominican engineers. Anyone who has had a Dominican plumber or electrician working on their home will understand my trepidation!

:: smile ::

 

[keithrogan]

Warts and all, huh?

I guess some of my statements have been a bit unfair, but as I pointed out earlier; one mans paradise is another mans hell!

If I was single and looking towards the nightlife and so on, then yeah... Sosua would probably be a better destination than Las Galeras and Las Terrenas - not that there isn't some nice clubs and restaurants out there as well!

And in practical terms, if one were looking to buy a winter place or settle in DR, then a place like Sosua might make more sense. There is a large ex-pat community that can help you through the maze. All of the products and services you might want are available (I would think) in the area. I mean, if you need a size 32 whatsit for your 1999 Volvo, you can probably find it in Sosua or close by.
In Las Terrenas, some "mechanic" would probably have to make a whatsit out of an inferior Chinese lawnmower part which would probably cause your Volvo to explode just as you passed one of those dramatic overlooks on the mountain road. And no doubt your burnt, blistered, broken Gringo body would be launched down into the ravine where you'd be swarmed by starving iguanas who would rip your flesh from your bones as you screamed and tried to fight them off by waving your blistered, bleeding, broken arms - unsuccessfully.
It's an ugly way to go and even if you have one of those Mossberg shotguns stoked with the finest iguana loads available, you've only got five shots and they'll get you while you reload... Iguana's in a feeding frenzy are relentless and anybody who believes that crap about them being herbivores is naive in the extreme!
And your surviving family won't get a dime back from the Volvo people because they'll tell you the warranty was voided by the Chinese lawnmower part - the Swedish bastards!!!!
And six months later some teenager will find your Visa card in a pile of Iguana crap and max it out buying truckloads of Presidente, Nike's and ugly hookers.

So, in retrospect, Sosua doesn't sound all that bad. The occasional mugging and litter are a small price to pay when you consider the alternative.

Keith

 

[XanaduRanch]

All of the products and services you might want are available (I would think) in the area.

Giggle. Suuuuuurrrrre they are! Not only is this a 3rd world country, Sosua is in "the sticks" in the 3rd world country.

I mean, if you need a size 32 whatsit for your 1999 Volvo, you can probably find it in Sosua or close by.
In Las Terrenas, some "mechanic" would probably have to make a whatsit out of an inferior Chinese lawnmower part.

It's much better in Sosua. Here he'd construct the part from a Daewoo air conditioner. No Chinese made stuff for us in Sosua!

Mossberg shotguns stoked with ... only got five shots and they'll get you while you reload.

Five? Most of these guys don't know they can put in more than one round at a time. That's if they can afford more than one round!

... and ugly hookers.

Well, now you've done it. We know you're really just AZB in disguise.

P.S.
I know the hotel you mentioned now. Nice place. But as for mugging? On that road? You're a block and a half block from the police station, a block from the main AMET checkpoint, and only a few more from AMET's HQ further up the road. And I haven't found anyone who's heard anything about anyone being mugged in that area. Even asked some police friends. I think the only one that got mugged was you by somebody playing a game of chicken with the gringo.

 

[Robert]

I mean, if you need a size 32 whatsit for your 1999 Volvo, you can probably find it in Sosua or close by.
In Las Terrenas, some "mechanic" would probably have to make a whatsit out of an inferior Chinese lawnmower part which would probably cause your Volvo to explode just as you passed one of those dramatic overlooks on the mountain road. And no doubt your burnt, blistered, broken Gringo body would be launched down into the ravine where you'd be swarmed by starving iguanas who would rip your flesh from your bones as you screamed and tried to fight them off by waving your blistered, bleeding, broken arms - unsuccessfully.
It's an ugly way to go and even if you have one of those Mossberg shotguns stoked with the finest iguana loads available, you've only got five shots and they'll get you while you reload... Iguana's in a feeding frenzy are relentless and anybody who believes that crap about them being herbivores is naive in the extreme!
And your surviving family won't get a dime back from the Volvo people because they'll tell you the warranty was voided by the Chinese lawnmower part - the Swedish bastards!!!!
And six months later some teenager will find your Visa card in a pile of Iguana crap and max it out buying truckloads of Presidente, Nike's and ugly hookers.
Keith

Dude, drink more water, those slow release meds are not kicking in quick enough...

 

[keithrogan]

>>>>I think the only one that got mugged was you by somebody playing a game of chicken with the gringo.<<<<<

I should have stuck to my guns and not revealed the name of the Hotel. I suspected that you guys couldn't resist trashing her for her kind warnings, and I was right.

The area does have an undesirable element and there are muggings, purse snatchings, etc; especially late at night. And I don't know why you keep picking at me when some of the people who actually live there agree that you shouldn't leave the immediate tourist zone unless you are in a taxi! Haven't you read this thread?

Why don't you confront some of those people?

Keith