When is the best time to visit Cabarete?
Everyone loves the idea of getting away from the winter gray and blues and escaping to a beautiful Caribbean destination, but like anywhere in the world you should do some research on your destination before booking a ticket. Get to know the weather, the tourist season and the best time of year to do the activities that interest you. Here’s a crash course on when you visit the Dominican North Coast! If you want to avoid tourist and get the best deals, low season is your time to shine. From June to November the deals on local activities and housing tend to be a bit cheaper as there are less tourists around, flights are about the same price these months as January and February. Rainy season on the North Coast generally starts around November and ends in January, the rest of the Dominican Republic has regular rain fall from May to January. Here on the North Coast we are susceptible to the Atlantic Hurricane season, but thanks to the mountain range protecting us, breaking up storms that destroy other islands, we might see heavy rain and strong winds but nothing compared to our neighbours. Surfing – Encuentro Beach is just a few minutes’ drive from Cabarete and is a world class surf beach. If you’re a beginner surfer the waves are waiting for you year round, we only have a few ‘flat’ days a year, normally in June or July. Here in the Dominican Republic we experience two seasons, summer (May to September) and winter (October to April). Summer is best for beginners; waves come from the east, are about 2-3 feet with short intervals between. Experienced surfers will want to come for winter, it’s prime, world class surfing with waves hitting 4-5 feet on average and have 11-14 second intervals between then. Waves are coming from northern directions, driven here from winter storms in the United States, the long interval between waves is caused from the long distance they’ve travelled to get here. So, when you’re riding that next glorious wave, think of all the miles it has crossed building up and getting ready for you. Kite Boarding – In the early 2000’s Cabarete became a top world destination for kite boarding, with 350 windy days a year, you can always count on Cabarete to an excellent kite surfing vacationing spot. Winds are stronger in summer (May to September) hitting their peak in June and July, but any time of year is a good time to come! There are a few great kiting spots in the area, from Kite Beach (very popular, many kite schools, the full kiting experience) to Bozo Beach (often choppier waves) to La Boca (where the river mouth opens to the ocean) – all with different scenery and drawing factors. Cabarete is a prime Kiting area, with day/weekend trips close by. Extreme Hotel has you covered just in case that there’s no wind or surf. Onsite you can participate in daily Yoga, Fitness or circus classes and our organic farm, Taino Farm, is worth always a visit.
Cabarete With Kids
The Dominican Republic is an ideal getaway for families with kids to escape the winter weather or just to get away from the everyday and relax in a beautiful Caribbean setting. Cabarete is a water wonderland and the eXtreme Hotel and area offers amazing activities for children and the young at heart. From just hanging out on the beach building sandcastles and meeting the various pups being walked, to a stroll through Cabarete’s natural caves, there’s plenty to do around town! Taino Farm – you can visit our very own organic farm and learn where the produce of our farm to table restaurant comes from. It’s a fun half day trip and there’s lots to discover: exotic fruits, you can learn about sustainable farming and enjoy a lazy river float followed by a farm fresh meal. Surfing – Playa Encuentro is ten minutes away and worth a visit even if you aren’t interested in trying to surf. The world-renowned surf beach has schools offering day lessons to children and adults, no appointment needed, just show up ready to get wet! Parents can enjoy a cold beer or hot coffee and take in the beautiful view, or give surfing a try themselves! Monkey Jungle – Educational and fun, Monkey Jungle is a wildlife sanctuary where kids get to explore a botanical park, where squirrel monkeys live! You’ll learn about the monkeys, but you can interact with them as well, these monkeys love people!!!! There are also 100’s of other animals you’ll see on your tour. Zip lining is also available at Monkey Jungle and is suitable for anyone able to walk steady on their own! Sosua Ocean Village – Located just outside Sosua, about 15 minutes away from Cabarete, Sosua Ocean Village’s Casa Club is a great way for kids and family to spend the day being active and enjoying the year-round beautiful weather! Pools and waterslides offer the perfect cool down from the Caribbean sun, and when you need a break from the water there is an awesome playground to enjoy! Lunch packages are included, or bring your own and have a picnic. Day Passes are 150 pesos per child, 400 per adult, contact 829-961-2269 for more information. Las Cuevas de Cabarete – Enjoy a guided tour through the Cabarete Caves, where you’ll learn about native vegetation in the El Choco National Forest and some history of the area. Inside the caves you get to see beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the resident singing frogs!!! Wear a bathing suit as you get to end the tour with a swim in a natural fresh water pools inside one of the caves! Our friendly reception staff is there to arrange the activity for you – ask us!
Solo Female Travellers – Why Choose eXtreme Hotel Cabarete?
There are many reasons why you should choose eXtreme Hotel and Cabarete for a vacation if you are a solo female traveller. Lets start with Cabarete: Cabarete has a lot to offer anyone looking for a great Caribbean get away, beautiful beaches, caves, waterfalls and landscapes, activities to keep you fit such as kiteboarding, surfing, fitness and yoga, not the mention an amazing atmosphere. Made up of local culture, easy Dominican life and many expats, its location is a huge draw for tourists. Close to Kite Beach, a world class kiteboarding beach, Encuentro Beach, a world-renowned surf spot and the beautiful Dominican North Coast make this area a hot spot for all sorts of foreigners to visit and settle down. As a solo female traveller, eXtreme Hotel is an excellent choice for your stay. Especially if you’ve not traveled alone before. Located in the middle of the action on Kite Beach, you have on site access to daily yoga, fitness, circus lessons, kiteboarding, an organic restaurants and a safe, sustainable place as your home base. The staff are super friendly and are eager to showing you the local hot spots to go in town or even inviting you for a night out! Not only is the hotel secure, but they will customize your vacation agenda to fit your wants and needs. They offer Health and Wellness Vacation packages, Kiteboarding lessons, meal plans from the onsite organic restaurant and a variety of tours for you to get off the grounds and see some of the Dominican countryside. If this is your first solo trip, you can enjoy all the benefits of traveling alone, like freedom and doing what you want while still taking advantage of the services of eXtreme Hotel. Thanks to the variety of activities, they attract a cool international crowd. It’s easy to make new friends as the guests are united by a healthy, active lifestyle and enjoy an occasional mojito at the beachfront bar. Here some safety tips, so you can enjoy your solo holiday to the fullest. They are not only useful for solo female travellers but to everyone traveling, * Make a local friend – it’s always a great idea to know someone from the area, they’ll let you know the popular spots to chill, the great places to eat and the areas you should avoid! * Make sure a family member or close friend has a copy of your itinerary and have a 24 or 48-hour check in set, so they are alerted if something does go wrong. * Make sure you have travel insurance – make your insurance card your phones screensaver, in case of an accident it will be visible to stranger or hospital personal. * Keep hardcopies and take photos of all important documents (passport, travel insurance, ID, reservations/tickets) and keep them in a dropbox or secure e-mail, in case your computer or phone or documents are stolen. * Don’t keep all your cash on you – there are ATMs and banks in Cabarete, if you need a large sum of cash you can take money out if you have a passport on you. * Carry a whistle, pepper spray or another form of safety device on you when going out alone. * Wear a fake wedding ring if you are avoiding unwanted male attention. You don’t have to wear it, but sometimes it’s helpful to be able to slip it on. * Trust your instincts – if you’re feeling uncomfortable, leave. Use the term WE or US (even if you are alone, make up a significant other or a friend who is waiting for you to return to your hotel or the beach or the restaurant next door), don’t feel bad turning down offers to be shown hidden local gems.
Exploring the North Coast of the Dominican Republic on a budget
This past weekend eXtreme Hotel’s Taino Organic Farm decided that we wanted to start Exploring the North Coast of the Dominican Republic on a budget. After a bit of planning and research, the crew headed out on a roadtrip adventure on the north coast of the beautiful Dominican Republic! We decided to head to Samaná to go whale watching, see the Salto de Limón Waterfalls and explore the peninsula. Renting a car: Samaná is about 180km from Cabarete so rather than taking the usual Gua Gua transportation, we opted to rent a car and drive. To keep it low budget, we got some WWoofers from a nearby farm to join in on our trip and split the cost of renting a Honda Pilot between nine of us. The car rental was $9500 RD for two days and two nights. Including gas to and from Cabarete and Samaná, the car rental and the $1000 RD toll for taking the newer route (I highly recommend doing so as it is shorter, beautiful and not so rough on your vehicle) we ended up paying about $1500 RD each. Tip: be sure to get insurance on whatever car you rent, it’s not uncommon for things to go awry on the roads here. If you’re on a budget and blow a tire like we did, it’s helpful to have backup! Accommodation: After a couple colmado stops for snacks and a few hours of tunes, we arrived at our first stop: our hostel in Las Terrenas. Hostels are a great alternative to a hotel room as they are usually inexpensive and accommodate low budget travelers well (most have communal kitchens and rooms with multiple beds). Our hostel was right outside the center of Las Terrenas, a little place called Fata Morgana. Fata Morgana Las Terrenas: A beautiful place with cottage style rooms, Fata Morgana was quaint and inviting. The owner and her son were friendly and so were their many rescue animals. Between the friendly critters, the vibrant plants and a hammock in front of every cottage, it made for a relaxed atmosphere. There is some truth in “you get what you pay for”, but if you’re willing to endure a cold shower and old mattress, it’s only $500 RD per person and quite charming. Whale Watching: From Las Terrenas we drove 45 minutes to Samaná Bay and took a boat out to try and spy some whales. Though it is recommended that you book ahead, for $1000 pesos each we were able to rent a boat for the afternoon. The captain took us out for a few hours and although the waves were too big to see any whales, we all enjoyed the view of the ocean. If you really want to see the whales, my recommendation is to: Book ahead and go early enough that you are sure to have enough daylight. Check the weather, if the swell is too big you are less likely to see the whales. Don’t bother stopping off at the smaller island off the coast, you can get the same souvenirs on the main island for less money and it is quite crowded. Also keep in mind that you are likely to be soaked with water by the end so bring a waterproof bag for anything you don’t want to get wet El Salto de Limón Waterfalls: After stopping off for a quick bite to eat in Las Terrenas and a colmado for breakfast bananas (healthy, local and inexpensive) and water, we headed back to the hostel. In the morning we headed to Casa Nega in Samaná to go to El Salto de Limón waterfalls. There are two options for getting to the waterfalls, you can either go by foot (it takes about 45 minutes to get to the falls) or pay for a horse tour. We all decided to walk as many of the horses are in poor condition and if you’re on a low the only expense this way is a 50 peso fee to see the falls. It also gives you the freedom to go without a guide so you can take your time and stay as long as you please. The waterfalls are breathtaking, it is lovely to swim in and if you are daring you can climb part of the way up and jump into the pool below. If you’re looking for an adventurous low budget trip, Samaná is a stunning location with plenty of places to explore. Grab some friends, a rental car and a map and explore paradise!
Oceanside Livin’
There is something to be said about life next to the ocean. You don’t even have to be doing water activities or be explicitly dependent upon it in some way for it to have a profound effect. At the Extreme Hotel, everything you do is next to the ocean. You eat next to the ocean, sleep next to the ocean, trapeze next to the ocean, work out next to the ocean, read next to the ocean, talk on the phone next to the ocean. I could keep going – and those aren’t even the activities that you actually do in the ocean (i.e. kiteboard, surf, scuba, snorkel, stand up paddleboard, swim). A lot of the time when I am doing something next to the ocean, I am highly aware of it. It is hard to ignore a beauty so strong, the scent of salt in the air and the feeling of the ocean breeze on your skin. However, even after just being here for over a week as an intern, it is easy to slip into routine and forget that the ordinary was once extraordinary not so long ago. That being said, the amazing thing about living next to the ocean is that it constantly provides perspective – whether or not the rhythm of its crashing waves has become background noise. Something so great, so loud and so vibrant as the ocean is constantly telling you that you are merely a single, tiny human in a much greater universe. Don’t worry, it is not insulting. If anything, it’s humbling and inspiring. The ocean makes me feel small and unimportant. And once I feel small and unimportant, I start to take things less seriously. I think that I can try anything, do anything (maybe learn to kitesurf!) because in the end, I am just one small creature in this massive world.
Cabarete – A Runner’s Dream
Running in Cabarete is magical. The trick is to wake up before the heat sets in – which is not that early, only 6:15 or so. I don’t think there exists a more ideal temperature to run in. Warm enough that you don’t have to start with a long sleeve on but also hot and humid enough that when you sweat, you feel like you are working. At 6:15, Cabarete is still waking up–motorcycles and cars aren’t yet flying down the road. That wouldn’t matter anyway though because the eXtreme hotel, where I am living on Kite Beach, is located next to a somewhat hidden running path – a runner’s dream! The path is a dirt road that is located 10-20 meters past the bus station where people wait to go to work west towards Sosua. The path rarely has any traffic–I have only seen a moto a couple of the many times I have run it. As someone coming from the northeast of America, it almost feels cliché how perfectly tropical it is. The path runs parallel to the ocean shore so as you run, the entire time you see flashes of the picturesque crashing turquoise waves. At this time of day, around 6:30am or so, the sunrise makes silhouettes of the palm trees. Even if you are not a runner, it is worth waking up, just to walk it once. You can chose to end the run at Encuentro beach. It is roughly 2.5 miles. A quick turn around and return to eXtreme Hotel makes it a solid 5-mile run. However, if you’re feeling up for it, you can take off your running sneakers and go for a refreshing morning swim or early surf. It is ideal for surfing because the wind speed is typically the lowest it will be all day and the crowds haven’t yet arrived. The ocean is your oyster! After a surf, swim, body surf, SUP, or whatever ocean activity you decide upon, you can wash your feet off at one of the various surf sheds along Encuentro and run back! Alternatively, if your surfing left you too tired to finish, you can always take a motoconcho (motorcycle taxi) back for 100 pesos.