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Cabarete
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Cabarete
Coordinates: 19°45′4″N 70°24′30″W / 19.75111°N 70.40833°W / 19.75111; -70.40833
Country	Dominican Republic
Province	Puerto Plata
Population (2008)
- Total	37 429

Cabarete is a town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic, noted for its tourism and beaches. It was founded in 1835 by Zephaniah Kingsley (as part of his Mayorasgo de Koka estate) along with his mixed-race family, and 53 slaves he freed from his Florida plantations and brought here while the island was under Haitian administration. Anna Kingsley owned a house in the harbor that stretched out to the sea. Several descendants of the Kingsleys and of the former slaves live in the area today.

Cabarete Bay has been the location of professional kitesurfing competitions (e.g. "WorldCup/Copa Mundial", "Master of the Ocean"), and nearby Playa Encuentro (3 miles to the west) is among the most popular surfing beaches in the Caribbean.

Cabarete is located on Camino Cinco approximately 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) from the airport of Puerto Plata (POP).

Sources

• World Gazeteer: Dominican Republic – World-Gazetteer.com
• Cabarent: Dominican Republic – cabarent.com

External links

Travel

• Virtual Tour Before You Trip - Cabarete

From Wikitravel

Cabarete is the city of kitesurfing and windsurfing in the Dominican Republic. Is considered one of the best places to practice this sports in the Caribbean. Also has a great beach and this has a lot of greats bars and restaurants for everyone.

Get in

Fly to Puerto Plata Airport (IATA: POP). Be prepared to pay $10 for a tourist card. Check it out on the info page pasted on the glass of the tourist tax collection desk. Take a taxi (approx US $35 per trip, not per person) to Cabarete - approx 20 minutes. Departure is fast and easy, as Puerto Plata airport is very small, but make sure you are there 2 hours before your flight. It's always a good idea to call the airline on the day of your flight to make sure the departure time has not changed.

Another option is to fly into Santiago airport, and take a taxi from there. The taxi ride is about 1.5 hours, and the cost is about $80, but you can divide that by up to 10 passengers. Beware of taxi drivers that want to charge $80 per person. Fare is for trip regardless of number of passengers. If coming at night, ask the driver to drive through Puerto Plata, not on the mountain road (too dangerous at night).

Puerto Plata is a expensive airport to fly to. Check your options by flying into or out of Puerto Plata, combining with Santo Domingo or Santiago in your way in or out. The difference in fare is substantial at times. A taxi cab from Santo Domingo could cost you about $150 but you may save several times this amount in your airfare. Trip from Santo Domingo takes about 3.5 hours depending on the time of the day.

Get around

Cabarete consists of a main road of about 800 meters (0.5 mile), so walking is fine. During the day a 'motoconcho' (a simple motorbike with a driver) is cheap and fast - but pretty dangerous. At night its best to walk as many of the motoconcho drivers like to have a beer or ten.

You can walk the beach or you can walk the main street. Use common sense like not walking alone at night.

Public transportation comes in two forms: Sedans called "Publicos" and mini-vans called "Gua-guas". You can flag down either from anywhere on the side of the road, pile in together with the locals, and hop out wherever you like. Publico is 20 pesos per person in the day and 40 at night, Gua-guas are 10 pesos per person and only operate during the day.

Taxis are everywhere and a good alternative as well.

Always best to negotiate the price up front.

Do

This town is renowned for kite surfing and wind surfing, and numerous schools offer multi-day lessons.

Buy

There are plenty of cool gift shops to buy all kinds of things to remember your holiday and share the Caribbean spirit with people back home.

One unique idea is Mamajuana a bottle of herbs and sticks that you fill with red wine, empty, then fill with rum and honey. It's for settling the stomach after dinner and makes a very cool addition to anyone's home bar. It is said that Mamajuana is also used for "male vitality".

For healthier alternatives try a T-shirt or a photo CD of you taking kiteboarding lessons!

Cabarete is known world wide as a testing ground for kite manufacturers, so you can often find slightly used kites at discounted prices. And amazingly its cheaper to rent gear then to bring your own (airlines have a $100 charge each way).

For great kite surfing gear packages, drop by the Kite Lounge on Kite Beach and ask some of the pros there what`s for sale.

Eat

There are food options to suit every budget and taste. It is one of the benefits of having such a diverse crowd that lives in Cabarete, from all parts of the globe.

Best Breakfast: Dicks bakery, in the center of town, or 'Friends' next door).

Best French/Caribbean Restaurants: La Otra Cosa (east side of Cabarete Bay -- upscale, pricey); Bliss (El Callejon de la Loma).

Best Pizza: Pomodoro on the beach, or LAX (try Diabolo, hot but delicious).

Best Seafood: La Casita; Casa del Pescador (pricey).

Best Ribs: Elvis across from the Velero reception desk - hardly a restaurant - more of a guy cooking ribs with a few tables to sit at... but excellent!

Best Dominican food; El Tigre in Callejon de la Loma. Fried chicken @ Luis , entrance of Callejon.

Indian-dominican; Blue Moon. 20 min ride from Cabarete (taxi) . You have to call before , the restaurant is small (30 - 40 ppl mx). Romantic atmoshere, wonderful sunset, delicious plate. Note that this restaurant requires a group of 8, unless they are already hosting a larger party which they are almost always willing to let you join.

Best hot-dogs: next to the supermarket in the middle of the town. Only at night.

Avoid "Miro's" on the beach - pricey, the food is not good and the owner and staff are just plain rude, same can be said about Bar/ restaurant Casananova's next door. They serve some really awful sushi also.

Make a visit to Yamazato at Ocean Dream for surprisingly good sushi from a japanese sushi chef who now lives in Cabarete.

Drink

Cabarete has many watering holes and it is impossible not to find a bar, disco or restaurant to suit your taste.

Most popular beach bar: LAX

Popular Disco/Bars on the beach: Ohno's, Bambu

Casino: Cabarete East (discotheque on second floor, open later than beach bars)

Sleep

For additional nearby options see Sosua and Puerto Plata.

• A budget and social place to stay is the new Swell Surf camp, [1].

• Good value on Kite Beach is eXtreme Hotel , which has a 40ft half pipe, excellent beach access, lockers, compressors and a bar, no guaranteed electricty, no security.

• An OK budget hotel on Cabarete beach with amenities(including gym, jacuzzi, and WiFi) is Hotel Alegria [2] . Restaurant on premises.

• Cita del Sol, Cabarete Main Street, ☎ 809-571-0720, [3]. Centrally located, comfortable apartments with kitchenette, high speed internet, cable TV, balcony, one bedrooom, large swimming pool in diverse tropical garden. Minutes from beach, restaurants, grocery market, pharmacy, 24-hour medical and much more. $50-$100.  edit

• Natura Cabana, (reservation@naturacabana.com), [4]. Eco-sensitive beachfront Boutique Hotel and Spa. truly one-of-a-kind alternative to your typical Hotel in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. The design blend this Hotel into the environment without disrupting the natural beauty. Yoga class by the ocean in the open air temple, a complete SPA on-site and two restaurants for healthy meals.  edit

• Another, once great option is Kitebeach Hotel, more upscale.

• Very good are are Ocean Dream and Ocean One (medium price).

• Quiet/family, Mid-range, three bed condo available, very central Royal Residence, [5].

• Hotel Albatros - right on Bozo beach.

• Velero Hotel and Resort above $100 but excellent with pool and relaxing beach beds.

• Cabarete East Beach Front Restort Family oriented 1, 2 and 3 bedroom Condos for rent 3 KM from the center of town Cabarete East[6]

• Mirabon at Playa Las Canas, Las Canas (20 minutes East of Cabarete), ☎ 829-380-1940, [7]. Private beachfront luxury villa rentals - pricey at $275 per night, but a smart choice if you want a high-end 4-bedroom fully staffed villa with its own pool and beach - very quiet and tranquil and a short drive to Cabarete.  edit

• Viva Wyndham Tangerine Resort, ☎ (809) 571-04-02 (fax: (809) 571-9550), [8]. Located three minutes from downtown Cabarete.  edit

• Ocean Dream Condos, [9]. Oceanfront condos for rent located directly on Cabarete Bay - 3 bedroom luxury beachfront condo within easy walking distance of the center of Cabarete.

• Sosua - Located to the west of Cabarete, this town has a nice beach, a wide selection of hotels and restaurants, and a notorious nightlife.
• Puerto Plata - The area's largest town.