Located along the North Coast’s route 5, only 20 minutes from the Puerto Plata International airport, Cabarete Beach is the perfect place for a laid back, and inexpensive, vacation. Restaurants line the beach, shops run along the main street, there is kite surfing, and several inexpensive hotels.

Restaurants
There are many restaurants to choose from along the beach. They generally have indoor, and outdoor, seating, and several are very good. Here are a few favorites:
If you’ve gotten tired of the traditional beans and rice dishes of the region, and just want a good beer and burger, Jose O’Shay’s Irish Pub is the place for you. There is also the option of pizza, cottage pie, steaks, and a few other tasty dishes. The dishes run from $10-20 dollars U.S.

My personal favorite place to eat is Casanova because it is inexpensive (happy hour runs from 4pm-7pm and gives you everything half off), and the ambiance is lovely. The most popular things on the menu are the pizzas and pasta dishes. During happy hour, a meal with a couple of beers will cost around $13 dollars.

On the main road, across from Ocean Dream Plaza is Bayerischer Hof. This restaurant offers savory pork fillets with mushroom and onion sauce, with the option of sautéed or mashed potatoes, or noodles. There is also a good Hungarian stew, Schnitzel, steaks, and other dishes. The prices run from $11-20 dollars.
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For someone who is looking for a relaxing place to take a vacation is the Baía Blana Hotel in Rio San Juan is just the place. This is literally one of my personal top five places to head to when I need a break from the city – a tucked away little spot that is a simple and affordable place to de-stress.

Comfort and Relaxation
Baía Blanca is a three story L-shaped building with around 30 rooms that can sleep from 2-4 people. Each room has a fan, wireless internet access, bathroom, TV, dresser and closet. Steady electricity is not a problem ether since the hotel has a generator. Most of the rooms face the ocean, with a lovely balcony area with comfortable couches for relaxing and socializing.
I prefer the rooms on the 2nd floor, especially the ones on ether end of the balcony, because I burn rather easily and the shade provided by the 3rd floor balcony shields me from evil UV rays. But, if you have skin that allows it and you prefer to bask in the glory of the gleaming sun, by all means go for the top floor. That balcony is a sun worshiper’s paradise. I’ll wave at you as you pass me on your way up…
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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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The Playa Dorada is one of the two more famous resort beaches in Puerto Plata, the second one being Costa Dorada. In case you are checking a map you will likely find the name of the city to be San Felipe de Puerto Plata although the locals just call it Puerto Plata.

Playa Dorada is surrounded by the many resort hotels, many of them offer special “All Inclusive” rates for staying there. It’s said that there are 100,000 hotel beds in the city. Which gives you a little bit of an idea of how packed the beached can be in the main tourist season. It’s best to try and hit these beaches in the off-season.

Another great reason to think about going to Playa Dorada or Costa Dorada in a off season it the rates. Often “All Inclusive” hotels drop their rates from about $120 USD per person per night to as little as $30 USD per person per night. A that rate it is cheaper to go to an all inclusive then it is to get a normal hotel room and buy your own food. “All Inclusive” are exactly what the name implies. All food and drink is included with the price of the room making it a great deal. (more…)

The Calypso Hotel is a smaller hotel located about a 5-minute walk from Boca Chica’s beach. While walking to the beach from the hotel you walk down streets lined with some of the local artwork most of it having an island flavor to it and also quite good.

One of the advantages of having the hotel a little ways away from the beach is that it is also a little ways from the very noisy Calle Duarte (Duarte street) where most of the Boca Chica nightlife is centered around. It would be hard to call anywhere in the Dominican Republic “quiet” but the small distance from the particularly loud areas help.

One of the main highlights of this charming little hotel are the employees. We got to know several of them pretty well in our stay; all are friendly and do their best to make your stay enjoyable. If you stop by, say hi to Andreas, Rafael and Rosa for us! The staff also goes to great efforts to make sure that the hotel is clean at all times. The pool and the patio areas are well maintained and comfortable.
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Boca Chica beach is located on the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola. It’s a unique reef-protected lagoon of tranquil blue waters and powder-white sand. It is perfect for families with children as it is only waist deep even up to a mile from the shore and hardly ever there are waves. The crystal clear and shallow water are great for swimming and snorkeling, paddle boating, kayaking, especially around the coral reefs. Boca Chica has two small islands, Los Pinos and La Matica (later there maybe something more about those two islands).

Boca Chica has a many Hotels and all inclusive resorts within walking distance of the beach. For a list check out our Boca Chica Hotel Reviews.

Boca Chica is the most crowded beach of the Dominican Republic especially on weekends and holidays because it is only 19 miles away from the capital city – Santo Domingo. Only Monday morning the beach is empty and cleaned up of any trash left from the day before. It is so close to the capital that it pays off to go there even for one day. It is small and basically everywhere you can get on foot. You can always take a motoconcho for 10 pesos and they will take you whenever you want to. If anyone gets tired of the beach, it is also close to other places such as a small horseshoe bay that offers great boogie boarding or if you are interested in playing golf, there is San Andres Caribe Golf Club in the area.

People call it “shopping beach”, (more…)

The Dominican Republic is an amazing a place to visit and have your next holidays, I personally know that because I live there and I perfectly understand why this is a natural paradise in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic is the main destination in the Caribbean and a top exotic destination in the world. In regards to beaches –most of them are located in all-inclusive hotels and resorts are a natural marvelous with white sands and crystal water.

If you visit the eastern provinces of the Dominican Republic you can take a boat to the Catalina Island which is a very colorful paradise and is part of the territory of the Dominican Republic. While you are moving over there, it takes about 30 minutes or less, you start realizing that in the middle of the sea between the Dominican Republic and Catalina Island crystalline parts where you can clearly see the button of the sea. It is incredible the way you can see that and the beauty of this place. When you arrive to the Catalina Island immediately you see you are experiencing a marvelous delight.

I think the beaches of the Dominican Republic are the most beautiful beaches of the world. Definitely are the best in the Caribbean and are visited every year by tourists from Europe, Canada and United States but its beauty and exquisiteness are incredible. Beaches in the Dominican Republic are basically divided in those which are located in the north of the country –touristic zone of Puerto Plata-, those that are located in the south of the country –basically in provinces such as San Cristobal, Bani and Barahona- and those that are located in the eastern zone of the Country such as Bavaro, Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and more.

-Wonderful paradise with white sands: Sand is so white in the beaches of the Dominican Republic that you will be enticed to eat it. (more…)