Villa Antonia Hotel

If you are looking to go to the Dominican Republic for the beaches, which I am guessing you are, they are after all the Dominican Republic’s biggest attraction. One of the places you are likely to see on the map is Sosua. It is right next to one of the biggest airports in the country, the Puerta Plata airport.

Within about fifteen minutes after leaving the airport you can find yourself swimming in the warm tropical waters of Sasua.  With the benefits of being so close to the airport comes hefty price tag. Eating or sleeping in Sosua is where they’ll get you. If you just came from the States you see a steak for 15 bucks or a hotel room for 100 bucks, you probably think nothing of it. Sure it might be a tiny bit higher that what you would pay for in the states, but not that much.

Yep, You’re Getting Ripped

That’s just what they want  you to think. These prices are normal. But. There not. They know they can get it out of you so they do. The average Dominican doesn’t pay 100 bucks for rent a month. He pays about 15 dollars for a weeks food. He’s not going to pay those prices for things.
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Sosua Beach Hotels

Sosua is a small town on the North Shore of the Dominican Republic about 25 miles from the city of Puerto Plata and only a few miles from the Puerto Plata International airport. Being that it is much closer to the Puerto Plata Airport than the city of Puerto Plata is, it is the logical choice when choosing a hotel near where you are flying in. My family has chosen this as our favorite beach so far in our travels in the DR.

It is only a few minutes walk from most of the hotels to the beach. The walk is a perfect opportunity to fill a small ice chest with a few things before heading to the beach. While there are many stores right at the beach, as well as restaurants and just about everything else, we have found that the prices for bottles of beer, water and other items are about double once you touch the sand so you might as well carry in your first round or two.

This beach has plenty of shade trees lining the beach giving you places to get out of the hotter noonday sun, while still being right near the water. Unlike Boca Chica beach if you want to use the lounge chairs on the beach you have to pay for them as well as buying drinks from the guy that will be serving you. Now this isn’t necessarily a real bad thing, but it is a good idea to negotiate before you sit down. Typically, if they are not too filled up you can negotiate just buying one drink per lounge chair and not also paying for the chair, but work that out ahead of time.

Presidente (one of the top beers) is about $80 pesos (a little over $2.00 USD) for the small and about $120 (about $3.00 USD) for the large. They give you small plastic cups to drink from so you can share. If you don’t plan on either chugging the beer or sharing it, I would advise the small. Who wants to drink warm beer (ok other than you Germans in the crowd).

Prices are always negotiable, especially if they have many rooms open. Don’t be shy about asking for a lower rate. Here is a list of Hotels in Sosua:

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Costera Restaurant

Burgers, oh yeaaaaah. When you think of a classic American meal very things if any beat a big juicy burger with a hefty serving of fries. You might be happy to know that it is not all yucca and plantains in the Dominican Republic. You can find the classic meal we all know and love too. You just need to know where to look.

We have found such a place. It is called La Costera (Translates: The Coastal). It is located in downtown Sosua, about a half mile from the beach.

First looking at La Costera, didn’t look like much. Nothing fancy, but it looked like a nice clean little sit down place. It was outdoors with a roof over it, which was great to get the nice cool evening breeze.

To be quite honest what really attracted us was the menu. It was posted on a small billboard type arrangement, including all the prices. They had hamburgers, fries, steak and other stuff us foreigners are used to.

And it was a pretty decent price 120 pesos (about $3.50) for a burger and 200 pesos (about $5.50) for the steak. So we decided to go with it, as we sat down we were reassured by a Dutch fellow sitting next to us that this is the best place to eat in Sosua.

Now I can’t verify that statement because I have not been to half the restaurants in Sosua, but I can say it was one of the best burgers I had in my entire life.

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The Shoestring Beach Scene

If the daily reports of bombings, massacres, and other catastrophes on the news have you down, and your work schedule has you stressed, maybe you need a little vacation. Your wallet is somewhat economically challenged you say? I know the feeling. That is why I’m taking the time out to write about my last vacation at a lovely little beachside town called Sosua, located on the north coast of this island I call home. The fact that it’s inexpensive, accessible, and a beautiful beach, makes Sosua one of my favorite vacation spots whether it be for a day trip, weekend, or longer.

Package Deals

If you are flying from overseas, a package deal is what my friends have found to be the best bargain. A flight alone is between $400.00-700.00us. But, a package deal including the flight and accommodations (for a two week stay) will cost from $400.00-$800.00us, depending on the season. Two weeks on the beach for the price of the plane ticket – not bad at all. Many of these packages even include a shuttle from the airport to the resort, allowing you to avoid the sometimes pesky negotiation process with a taxi driver on how to get there.

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