Sports: The first to jump to mind is the Kiteboarding. Initially Cabarete was discovered by windsurfers, but as windsurfing started to die it was Kitesurfing on Kite Beach that gave new life to Cabarete. Initially it was met with skepticism but quickly grew and Cabarete is arguably the top kitesurfing destination in our part of the world. But Kiteboarding is not the only sport, as the surfing is fantastic as well. Don’t forget the scuba diving, hiking, mountain biking, horse back riding.. the list goes on and on. It’s fair to say that Cabarete is a sports enthusiasts dream, as there are so many sports that are and can be done in Cabarete.

Diversity: Cabarete is fortunate to have a huge range of people that are attracted to it, coming from all points of the globe. Summer is full of Europeans on their summer holidays, South Americans escaping the cold, and North Americans looking for wind. Spring is popular with Russians and other eastern Europeans. Winter is a sun destination for North America and Northern Europe, and the fall is again a global mix looking for waves.

Dining: One of the benefits of the huge diversity of people coming to visit is the great variety of food offered in Cabarete. Each has their own take on how to prepare their home meals here in the Dominican. And let’s not forget that eXtreme Cabarete has an organic farm producing top quality produce ensuring epic quality and health benefits

Fun: The crowd that is attracted to Cabarete are generally outgoing, and this combined with the sports generally mean there is a good vibe going around. No where else in the Dominican Republic or the Caribbean for that matter has as much fun to offer as Cabarete does.

So all in all in all given the low tourism numbers Cabarete is doing just fine. The shops that are closing would have closed anyway, and there are even tons who are starting new ventures which is a sign that there is much better times to come. The recessions is what it is, Cabarete will come through just fine and when it picks up again we’ll be back on top as a premier sports vacation destination.

From the heart and soul of Kite Beach, we are eXtreme Cabarete!

Yesterday a make shift volleyball tournament came together as all the guests on Kite Beach made their way over to eXtreme Cabaret for a couple games. Others took advantage of the downtime to practice guitar sitting under the Cabanna overlooking the ocean. Some went down to Encuentro and went surfing, but the waves were small .. at least it was a good workout. The wakeboarding on the east end of Cabarete was a thought, but with the river running high the water was not very clean.

Another popular activity is to head up to the eXtreme farm and see the orgnically grown vegetables and exotic fruits. Since starting 3 months ago, we’ve managed to source some fine heirloom plants that are already producing healthy and delicious meals for all to enjoy. That along with a tour of the rum distillery make for a great afternnon or morning.

Migym, the yoga loft and the Mixed Martial Arts classes are also good non wind acitivies here in Cabarete, and many kitesurfers came to discover just how great the classes are. Other just read books in the hammocs.

Hoefully the sun will come back over Cabarete and we can all go kiteboarding again soon!

I tried the new F1 Bandit kite, which for those who are not aware is the kite we use in the Cosmic Kite Lounge. It is a premium kite. I was amazed at the stability of the kite, making for easy transitions and super predictable in the waves. It’s not very fast, which make it ideal as a school kite. It is also a very durable kite, far outdoing last year’s BEST kite, which was showing wear by this time last year. Also was on a Liquid Force board, with the new design has become lighter and more flexible. All in all a very enjoyable kitesurfing session and another great day on Kite Beach.

This evening eXtreme Cabarete welcomes a couple new guests who are here to learn how to kiteboard, both from Montreal. The smiles on their face when we tell them that wesuits are not necessary when we kiteboard, as the weather here is nice and HOT. We will take our new guests out to downtown Cabarete, perhaps the Swiss restaurant for a welcome dinner and a few drinks at LAX and see what Sunday evening in Cabarete has to offer.

From Kite Beach Cabarete, that’s all for today!

The end of May was fantastic kitesurfing conditions here on Kite Beach, as we had consistent winds and thermals making for a summer like conditions. Typically May is the season for Russian tourists, but this year Cabarete had a quiet May as with the financial crises there are not many visitors. That meant that Kite Beach had only a few kiteboarders allowing for rare solo kitesurfing conditions. The few kiteboarders around enjoyed sunset sessions kitesurfing with the El Choco backdrop to themselves .. it put a smile on the fortunate few.

Here at eXtreme Cabarete things kept rolling along anyhow, as with the success at MiGym, we have a good number of expatriate who live here in Cabarete still coming by keeping us busy. The MMA classes continue in popularity as well to attract the Cabarete crew for fintess and self defence training.

With thins quiet the eXtreme Cabarete kiteboarding staff was able to take some time out and enjoy the rare kitesurifng conditions for a downwinder of their own, leaving here and heading towards Encuentro to surf the waves and end the day with a drink at the Encuentro Cafe. From there we all took a motoconcho back to eXtreme for Jamaican Jerk chicken BBQ.

With any luck summer will continue this year’s pattern of fantastic kiteboarding conditions ensuring Cabarete’s place among the top kitesurfing conditions in the world.

That’s the latest from eXtreme Cabarete as we continue to live the dream!

Fortunately Cabarete was spared most of the land slides and flooding that happened this year in on may parts of the Dominican Republic. Some parts of the island were forced to evacuate, as people’s homes were left under water and roads were washed out. Right behind Kite Beach, and extending to the other side of Pro Cab are two huge lagoons (or swamps, depending on where you are standing). They are meant to serve as drainage to avoid Cabarete flooding. However sometimes when it rains hard, like in the fall, much of Cayhon is put under water the entire town become a pond!

The upside to all the rain is the growth of all the flowers and plants, which brings a delightful smell to Cabarete. There are a couple flower vendors in downtown Cabarete that sell many of the flowers for the benefit of all the ex patriots who live here. Also a great time for planting in the gardens, as the summer heat in the Dominican Republic offers a great growing season for all.

Fortunately the skate ramp is covered so during those rainy days we have a great area to be outside and avoid the rain.. something that many of our friends come and take advantage of.

Outside the staff planted orchids, herbs and flowers through the property at eXtreme hotel, and improved what is the most divers plant collection of any hotel in the Dominican Republic. If you want to see what we have, just drop on by.

A quick glance will show how Cabarete is bordered by the El Choco national park, so the expansion is limited both on the east and west side of Cabarete proper. This is part of the charm of Cabarete, as there is a lagoon right behind us.

The new Google maps also incorporate many of the restaurants and activities in and around Cabarete, as well as where the best surf and kitesurfing is. You can see where the waves break on Bozo beach, as well as on Kite Beach and in Encuentro. It’s easy to see what are the best spots to kite and why so many are attracted to Kite Beach, as it’s provides ideal kitesurfing conditions.. but also of note is that the entire north coast of the Dominican Republic is worth kite surfing. Remember, the prevailing wind is North East, so aside from the occasional beach hazard, it’s all good.

Also of note is the distances if you plan to do a downwind trip from either La Boca to Bozo beach, Kite Beach, or perhaps all the way to Encuentro or even further.

If you would like to add a location or think of something of interest that should be on our Cabarete map, just email us and we’ll add it.

View eXtreme Hotel in a larger map

The wind was up when we arrived back at Extreme Hotel.  I had my fill of water sports for the day so I just hung out at the Cosmic Kite Lounge, but the others in the group still went kiteboarding.  It was an action packed day - I’m sure they will be sore tomorrow.