Cancun is a shining example of a successful 3rd Rate Destination. Cancun's mostly budget clientele must love Planet Hollywood. I guess Sosua could certainly do worse.I didn’t know Cancun was a “3rd Rate Travel Destination.” They also have a full fledge Planet Hollywood resort, nevermind a restaurant. Oh noooo…
PS. The Planet Hollywood slated for Punta Bergantín will be a restaurant or a resort?
- Thread starter M4kintosh
- Start date
Sosua will have a Hard Rock Café
The way the one is in San Isidro, it's co-located with a pasta place and a cheeseburger place (Ground). Pricey but they're always busy and their cheeseburgers are great, if just a bit too goopy.
Punta Cana and Cancun are in competition for the same HVAC and Transit workers dollar.
be interesting to see what they have done to the locale once they open. Didn't that place used to be a cigar lounge (owned by a German I think) called Valentinos? For a while he also ran a restaurant there, had a courtyard inside with a pool. I wonder if Hard Rock is taking over the whole thing - that would explain the lengthy period of construction. Valentino's Follow that link and scroll down the list
Sosua will have potholes, frequent long power outages, little and unpredictable water deliveries and more hookers than a crowded Tuna fishing boat
Well at least you won't be macheted down by disengaged rogue cartel employees in Punta Cana
The owner of Valentino's, Peter Brockmans OBM, was not the owner of the restaurant with the pool. That was an Italian.
The owner is building the main restaurant behind the street front stores. In the images below you can see the changes. There used to be a swimming pool in the center of the green circle but this has gone and it now has a roof over that area marked in yellow. That is the nice thing with Google Earth, they have a timeline and so you can go back in the past to see how things have changed.
No parking there for cars. Someone should buy the vacant lot across from Baliees and charge a premium to park
Subway on Del Sol here in Santiago stays busy and lunch hour they're packed. I'd be very surprised if they closed.
Popeyes in the center of town would be fantastic. Last time I visited a Hard Rock Casino was when I lived in Pattaya '08. Wasn't a fan then, not a fan now.
Subway and Helados Bon are two franchises that are pretty easy to set up and take down. It's probably a day at most.
Yes, Peter was a hoot, may he RIP. Peters children inherited, and after a bit, put the wife out. Sad!
The comparison to the quickly defunct NIKKI Beach Club in Cabarete that lasted only a short time is somewhat flawed.
Nkki Beach Club is a champagne taste business that was in a beer budget town. It stood little chance of success.
The Hard Rock Cafe is an expensive burger joint in a place that likely will not support high priced burgers.
If they want to have concerts there, well, there is no reasoanble parking in Sosua.
I suspect the end results to be the same for both businesses. At least they were be a nicely improved space available in Sosua.
I did contact them to mention that calling it The Hard Rock Puerto Plata would be like calling a business in Albany NY The Hard Rock NY, instead of the Hard Rock Albany. I doubt they will correct the mistake.
Nkki Beach Club is a champagne taste business that was in a beer budget town. It stood little chance of success.
The Hard Rock Cafe is an expensive burger joint in a place that likely will not support high priced burgers.
If they want to have concerts there, well, there is no reasoanble parking in Sosua.
I suspect the end results to be the same for both businesses. At least they were be a nicely improved space available in Sosua.
I did contact them to mention that calling it The Hard Rock Puerto Plata would be like calling a business in Albany NY The Hard Rock NY, instead of the Hard Rock Albany. I doubt they will correct the mistake.
The comparison is that both ;places are overpriced for their market. Hard Rock Cafe doesn't sell just expensive burgers. Their entrées average $35 and more and that doesn't include 18% ITBIS and 10% ley. Their drinks, appetizers, and desserts are all very expensive. For the few locals that go there, it''ll be a once a year event. I doubt they';ll capture much of the typical Sosua tourist crowd either.
For that kind of money, much better (relatively speaking before the gourmets/gourmands descend on me) can be had in Sosua/Cabarete. I wish the franchisees good luck
And many of those restaurants have a much nicer atmosphere, too, IMO. You just can't scream TOURIST any louder than Hard Rock Cafe.