What about Jarabacoa?

[pularvik]

A friend of mine is thinking of relocating to the DR . I have lived on the north coast for 10 years and thought I could be of some help to him. But, he is interested in Jarabacoa! I went there once to a flower festival! He is self employed, working from home on the computer so basically his main need is high speed internet. Single, no family. Bit of a loner, craves privacy.
Anything anyone could tell me about this area would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help you can render!

 

[SKY]

Bob S. would be the man for this.

 

[CristoRey]

I work from home as well.
Spent a few weeks trying to find
decent internet speed up there back
in 2014, was a no go. Had Claro at
time but fiber-optic was not available
in the area I was looking to move.
Perhaps things are better now. Like Sky
suggested, Bob would be a good person to ask, he lives up there.

 

[AlterEgo]

Bob S (as well as some others) are “on vacation” for a month after ignoring the “no foreign politics” rule. He’ll be back in a month.

 

[drstock]

From my visits to Jarabacoa I would say that if you want a quieter life rather than bar/beach scene, it is ideal. The fact that areas like that are available for a getaway here was one of the factors that influenced my coming to live here. I don't know how the internet speed is up there.

 

[CottageCountry]

I've enjoyed visiting Jarabacoa and it's especially nice to visit in the summer for the lower temperatures. If my wife would go I'd consider moving there but alas she prefers the heat, and I prefer to keep us both happy LOL

 

[windeguy]

My wife is from Jarabacoa. I have been there MANY times. No way either of us would want to live there.

 

[johne]

My wife is from Jarabacoa. I have been there MANY times. No way either of us would want to live there.

Would you live in SD Windy?

 

[MariaRubia]

There are some truly beautiful properties in the gated communities. If you eat in that restaurant Jamaca de Dios you can see them. But I have heard that they are mainly used by rich guys coming down from SD for the weekend and they sometimes have very loud parties. So I would suggest knowing the neighbors is essential. And as always the advice is to rent for at least a year before you buy.

 

[CristoRey]

My wife is from Jarabacoa. I have been there MANY times. No way either of us would want to live there.

Any particular reason why?
Curious because it looks/ feels
like a nice quiet place to live/ work or maybe raise a family away from the everyday chaos.

 

[windeguy]

Any particular reason why?
Curious because it looks/ feels
like a nice quiet place to live/ work or maybe raise a family away from the everyday chaos.

One main reason for me:

B O R I N G

Might be just what is needed to raise a family.

My wife left there and never looked back. I have been dozens of times and wouldn't consider it as a place to live.

 

[MariaRubia]

One main reason for me:

B O R I N G

Might be just what is needed to raise a family.

My wife left there and never looked back. I have been dozens of times and wouldn't consider it as a place to live.

I think that's the thing about a lot of places on the island, with the exception of Santo Domingo and Santiago. There isn't that much to do. I went to Cabarete with a friend a few months ago. It rained for two days and we realised that other than the beach, there's very little to do. There are only so many times I can walk up and down a beach before I say "yup, done that". At least in Santo Domingo you can sit in a traffic jam for hours or go to IKEA.

 

[MariaRubia]

Bob S (as well as some others) are “on vacation” for a month after ignoring the “no foreign politics” rule. He’ll be back in a month.

It's so lovely and grown-up on here without certain people constantly spouting negative nonsense about Dominicans. I'm really looking forward to this 30 days. (I'm talking about someone else who has been paused for 30 days btw, not about Bob). Thanks for sticking to what you said AlterEgo, much appreciated.

 

[tht]

There isn't that much to do .....
....go to IKEA.

Well.....I know hundreds of places in the DR more interesting than SD and IKEA. Perhaps it was a joke.

 

[campesinadeatl]

I haven’t lived in Jarabacoa but visited many times. If he enjoys nature and cooler weather, it should be a good fit. If he’s active he’ll also love it, opportunities to visit falls, hanglide, hike, and paddle. Definitely rent before buying because some neighborhoods are louder than others. Lately we’ve been spending more time in Constanza due to so many people visiting Jarabacoa and rising prices, we prefer a much quieter atmosphere.

 

[Kipling333]

I agree with campesinadeatl..This place would be ideal for the friend of pularvik. There are no reasons why the internet speed should not be equal to La Vega or Santiago and it is a place large enough to have good places to eat but not swarming with people except for Capitalenos at weekends many of which have nice second homes there. The town has many poor and dirty areas but also has many pleasant areas overlooking the hills and I think a nice small home could be bought for less than US$ 150.000 . Like in many places in the DR he must keep his wits about him in his initial year. There was no shortage of luxury cars when I was there . I am sure he will easily find likeminded people there who would assist him

 

[Pikobello]

A friend of mine is thinking of relocating to the DR . I have lived on the north coast for 10 years and thought I could be of some help to him. But, he is interested in Jarabacoa! I went there once to a flower festival! He is self employed, working from home on the computer so basically his main need is high speed internet. Single, no family. Bit of a loner, craves privacy.
Anything anyone could tell me about this area would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help you can render!

Best thing to do for him is to rent some space there, if it doesn't meet his expectations so move on. Everyone has different priority, so it's normal that for one Jarabacoa it's like paradise and for another boring. I spend every Semana Santa for years there, but this was with a large group of dominican friends, so it's never boring...
The climate is fantastic, you sleep at night like an Icebear without any AC and you are breathing fresh air.
"Dios es en todo parte, pero duerme en Jarabacoa" say many locals...

 

[CristoRey]

One main reason for me:

B O R I N G

Might be just what is needed to raise a family.

My wife left there and never looked back. I have been dozens of times and wouldn't consider it as a place to live.

That's funny.
I left Sosua for the exact same reason.
Paradise became boring and since I'm not really a fan of the "night life" my decision to leave was an easy one.
Jarabacoa is beautiful but I can imagine after the novelty wears off it can be quite boring as well.

 

[windeguy]

That's funny.
I left Sosua for the exact same reason.
Paradise became boring and since I'm not really a fan of the "night life" my decision to leave was an easy one.
Jarabacoa is beautiful but I can imagine after the novelty wears off, it can be quite boring as well.

I wouldn't live in some parts of Sosua either, but each part for different reasons. La Mulata having very different issues than Pedro Clisante, etc.

 

[drtampa]

My wife and I visited the DR many times. When we decided to move there Jarabacoa was the only place that we would consider. We purchased property there but the need for surgeries changed our mind about moving from Florida.
My wife has died and I now live in Texas. I may consider returning to the DR to live. If I do it will be to Jarabacoa.