Sosua And Cabarette, What's Happening?

Santa Gifts

Sosua on the north coast of the Dominican Republic has been a tourist hot spot for years. Home for scuba divers and pleasure seekers it has offered an attractive haven for adventurers and sun bathers. It´s a small town about 25 miles east of Puerto Plata served by a single runway airport (code POP). Cabarette is eleven miles east of Sosua and also on the sea front.

Dominican Republic has little in the way of major exports so the cash economy is largely dependent on tourism. D.R. is distinct from many of the Caribbean Islands as it shares a common border with Haiti an independent country. D.R. is one of the giants compared to the many smaller islands in the Antilles. It takes four hours to drive from Puerto Plata to Santo Domingo on the south coast and double that to drive to the north-east coast.

D.R. has a progressive leadership that recognizes the need to promote tourism. Plans are rumored to be taking shape to extend Puerto Plata´s ship terminal to modernize the terminal for cruise ships and most far-sighted to help tourists embark on trips along the north coast. This includes proposed plans to expand the north coast road all the way to Cabarette which is the last major tourist hotspot town in the north-west coast region.

Cabarette´s is alive with tourist activity. It truly buzzes with excitement with great surf for swimmers, kite-boarding, surfing, boats, scuba and about every imaginable water sport as well as interior tours to the hills for off-roading. The sand is soft and clean and extends from the open front Caribbean restaurants over a hundred yards to the sea. Plans include a ring road around the town to make the town center with its single road more attractive to tourists. But, if you plan on getting a quiet night then make sure you get away from the town center hotels. This is a party town and things start to wake up 10pm as the beach front bars get into high gear.

Real estate in D.R. can be a minefield. You must have a good reliable lawyer and buyer´s agent or you´ll end up owning an expensive piece of worthless paper with little recourse. The savvy have pushed up prices in Cabarette already with non-beach condos at $199,000 and going up to over a $1.5m for average villas. The only question is whether the new road and tourism plans are going to precipitate a second round of appreciation.

Sosua is a smaller town, less ´touristy´ and boasts fewer all-inclusive hotels. The all-inclusives have protected their guests by offering extensive tour menus which a great way to experience the amenities. But, many visitors often get tortoised in their hotel shells and miss the vibrant night life on offer. Sosua has dozens of small restaurants and bars to enjoy. El Torro has a superb steak menu, you have to try their rump steak, and for the Europeans there is Britannia and authentic pizzeria, Rocky´s for ribs, the Irish Pub Bar for just about everything else and not forgetting Jolly Rogers (with an ´s´) for their plasma sports TV along with karaoke bars. Security officers are now recognizable and the military police stand out side the bars late at night. Pick-pocketing is still prolific in the unlit areas so leave your documents where they are safe and bring out only what you intend to spend.

For families Cabarette is probably the favorite. It´s about 30% more expensive than Sosua, but it is more geared to the sun & fun holiday. Sosua is more for the longer stay visitor, company visitors and the single visitors seeking the wilder side of mid-aged crisis vacationing. The girls of Sosua are everywhere at night around the two main bars Classicos and Latinos each with their own disco. But, if you want to have fun and meet new people from all over the world you´ll find bars with wonderfully open people all ready and willing to chat and share a drink. Casa Marina Reef is the main all-inclusive resort in Sosua, but don´t ignore the many other smaller hotels and condotels that are cheaper and offer better access to the night life.

So pick the town that suits your needs. If you are looking for real estate investment for time share, vacationing or for income or capital growth then find the right trustworthy firm that puts your interests first.

Martin Langley. Lives in Sosua and owns SecureOffshoreSavings.com and private passive income investment company. Was a real estate appraiser in the States for 18 years and was formerly a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, UK. Martin accepts a small number of private clients on the north coast interested in buying with safety. Email: martin@scecureoffshoresavings.com